STEVE CAUTHEN: Boy Jockey

by Anthony Tuttle ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 28, 1978

At 16 (in early 1977) ""the hottest, most exciting jockey to come along in years,"" Steve Cauthen is a natural subject for a juvenile biography, and you might want this if only for balance in your sports star collection. At birth Steve weighed in at a normal seven pounds twelve ounces, but as his blacksmith father reports, ""he just didn't seem to grow."" It seems he's been riding since age two, had his own horse at eight, and chose his career at twelve. In his first professional race Steve's horse, under odds of 136 to one, came out dead last; but by the day of his May, 1977, accident at Belmont the 95-pound rider had accumulated 253 winners in New York, 276 nationally; after his recovery, riding for the first time without Iris beginner's ""bug"" (weight allowance), he won three races in a row. Unfortunately Tuttle doesn't give any indication of what these figures mean; he provides no racing background and only meager and perfunctory track action; and his pedestrian, disorganized account fails to convey any of the excitement of the sport.

Pub Date: June 28, 1978

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1978

Categories: NONFICTION