Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 1, 1993 TAG: 9305010023
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
A week ago today, Cauthen became a father. Today, he starts a new job - on his 33rd birthday - at a very familiar place where he helped begin what is likely the best duel in Triple Crown history.
Cauthen is joining ABC Sports for commentary on the Triple Crown telecasts, beginning with the 119th Kentucky Derby today (4:30 p.m., WSET) at Churchill Downs - the track where the Kentucky teenager made his first ride in 1976.
"My father was a blacksmith, and he worked at Churchill Downs, so I've seen a few Derbys from the backside," Cauthen said. "To ride in and win the Derby is very special. It's the one race every year that even people who don't follow horse racing know about and watch."
Cauthen won the '78 Derby aboard Affirmed, the start of a five-week battle with Alydar. Cauthen was a few days past his 18th birthday when he won the Derby - and still is the youngest jockey to ever pull off the feat. The previous year, he became the first jockey to win $6 million in purses.
His first victory came at Cincinnati's River Downs in May 1976. A couple months later, he went to New York and won more than 100 races in three months. Then, the year after he won the Derby, he left the United States to ride in England - where he stayed until two months ago.
"I just couldn't reach agreement with the man I was riding for," Cauthen said. "I wanted to cut back some and he wanted to cut my salary a lot, but there were other factors. My wife and I always hoped to have a baby, and we wanted to return home one day."
It has been reported that Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai, for whom Cauthen was riding in England, wanted to cut the jockey's salary by $1.5 million. Although he had great success riding in the U.S. and abroad, performing his craft wasn't easy for Cauthen because of his size. That's the primary reason he left for Europe in 1979.
"My weight suited European racing better," Cauthen said. "The horses there carry more weight, and the lightest I was over there was 119 pounds. That's pretty heavy for a jockey in this country. I'm 5-foot-6 now, too. That's big. I grew 3 1/2 inches after I left for England. And, at the time, it was a good opportunity for me."
Cauthen met his wife in England, but Amy Cauthen, like her husband, was a Northern Kentucky native. They returned home March 2 and live on their 300-acre farm in Walton, Ky., which is Cauthen's hometown. Their daughter, Katelyn Rose, is 1 week old today.
"Winning the Triple Crown was as big a thrill I've had until last Saturday," Cauthen said a few days ago from his farm. "The Triple Crown is equal, I guess, to the theatre for a great actor. The accomplishment is special because racing is not over-publicized. The hype isn't there to magnify the success. It's special because it's the combination of the talents of different people and a horse."
Cauthen laughs when he says he's "retired." He may stay in racing, likely managing a stable, "but not training 24 hours a day, seven days a week." He has no clue whether he will like TV work, but was intrigued by ABC's offer.
"I would guess they want me to tell people what it's like to be there, what's it's like to win the Triple Crown, because I was the last to do that," he said. "It's three parts of one thing, and I do know I've never ridden in or seen a better race than the Belmont Stakes when we won it.
"Affirmed was great and here was Alydar, this other great horse who did everything he could to win but just didn't. We won by a head, by six inches in that Belmont. Winning the Triple Crown wasn't just a thrill. It was most relieving."
\ DERBY WARMUP: Post time for the Derby on ABC is 5:32 p.m., but cable's ESPN will have a two-hour "Kentucky Derby Special" that includes three live races from the Churchill Downs card beginning at 2:30 p.m. The show will also do a live cut-in to the Virginia Gold Cup steeplechase handicap from Great Meadow at The Plains.
Cable's Home Team Sports also will air the Gold Cup in a 90-minute show beginning at 3:30 p.m. The race begins at 3:55.
\ MIKE MIKED: The announcement Thursday that Mike Ditka would be joining NBC's "NFL Live" studio crew and golf telecasts was no surprise, but the former Chicago coach did make it clear - in his own fiery style - that he would have no qualms about commenting on the air on the Bears.
"The Bears are part of the NFL, and I will be objective in my coverage regardless of whether it's the Bears, Falcons, Vikings or Raiders or whoever," Ditka said on a conference call. "I have no contract with the Bears right now. I do have an agreement, but it has nothing to do with that [doing TV commentary on the club]."
\ RECYCLING: ESPN will air same-day taped coverage of the Tour DuPont starting Thursday at 6 p.m., through May 16. The 1,100-mile cycling race passes through five states and includes a Lynchburg-Hot Springs stage and a stage that begins in Blacksburg. Most of the half-hour shows on the race will air at 6:30 p.m.
\ AIRWAVES: ESPN will wrap up the opening round of the NHL playoffs tonight at 7:30 with Game 7 of the Toronto-Detroit series. . . . The 6 1/2-hour NFL Draft telecast Sunday on ESPN attracted a record viewership of 2.6 million homes, 13 percent higher than the previous best.
Keywords:
HORSE RACING FOOTBALL HOCKEY
by CNB