Chris Antley

[Benny Leger]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

If you are too big and need to flip to make weight than a career change is needed. It is a shame that guys devote themselves to this career at a young age and grow out of it but that is not the fault of the horse racing industry. It is about personal choices. If you choose to do unhealthy things to yourself in order to keep riding then a look in the mirror is needed. The recent HBO show highlighted the death of Chris Herrell. Herrell died from a heart attack from years of flipping. He also was naturally a 150 lbs guy. Do you think raising the weight scale 2 pounds would have done anything for him?

The weight scale has been raised especially at the bottom of the scale. There is not a shortage of jockeys. No one forces anyone to be a jockey. The fact that people have gotten bigger over the years is a moot point.

The fact is that raising the scale a few pounds will not do a thing except make it easier for heavier people to try to ride. Bulemia is a disease and very few jockeys will just stop if the scale was raised a few pounds. The same problems will exist, nothing will change.

When I read the details of the things that Antley did on a daily basis to make weight later in his career, it was quite painful to me. I wish he could have realized it was over for him as a jockey, but that's easy for me to say. It's the only thing he ever wanted to do from the time he was 12 yrs. old. He was quite adept at playing the stock market and could still be around to enjoy his wife and child, if only he could have walked away. I think he was special on a horses back, even though he carried many demons of his own. One of Antleys Doctors said "trainers love him for his ride, but hate his offtrack troubles." Sounds like a horrible spot for a person to be in.