Steve Cauthen

Steve Cauthen, one of Britain's leading jockeys, is eligible to race today after serving a 10-day suspension for misuse of the whip.

Steve Cauthen saw Affirmed at the farm about a month ago. "He had had recent surgery and was in pain," Cauthen said. "But this was Affirmed, and he had such a great heart. He always looked younger than what he was. You just didn't ever think of Affirmed dying. You thought he was a horse that would live forever." But the pain was too much.

Every time Steve Cauthen watches a videotape of Affirmed narrowly beating Alydar in the 1978 Belmont Stakes, the former jockey gets chills. "It was the most exciting race I ever rode in," Cauthen said the other day. "Just the buildup to it was unbelievable. Usually the anticipation is greater than the real thing, but that Belmont was the exception."

Steve Cauthen won the British Jockeys' Championship for the third time Saturday, clinching the title on the final day of the racing season. Cauthen, 27, finished with 197 victories, the most for him since coming to Britain in 1979. Defending champion Pat Eddery of Ireland was second with 195, also a career best. Cauthen, who won titles in 1984 and 1985, and Eddery each had one winner Saturday at the last meeting of the year at Doncaster, in northern England.

Jockey Eddie Delahoussaye's $100 million in purse money won is impressive, and exemplifies how much the purse money for horse racing has increased. Back in 1977, it took Steve Cauthen 487 victories to win $6.1 million in purse money--a record at the time. Recently, Gary Stevens, the nation's leading money winner, passed $6.1 million with about 125 wins. Someone said, "Figures lie and liars figure," but some simple math tells the story. Cauthen averaged about $12,500 for each of his 487 victories in 1977, and Stevens has averaged about $48,000 for his victories in 1991.

Jockey Steve Cauthen turned down a contract extension with Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum's Darley Stud Management and might quit riding in Britain, his agent said Monday. Cauthen was in his native Kentucky, but his agent, John Hanmer, said: "Steve was offered a retainer for the year by Sheikh Mohammed, but turned it down. As no one else would be able to offer him anything like that retainer. . . . I have my doubts as to whether he will return."

If Arazi runs in the Breeders' Cup Mile, jockey Steve Cauthen wants to be along for the ride. Cauthen is Arazi's regular rider when the 3-year-old colt races in Europe; Pat Valenzuela gets the mount in the United States. But Cauthen, who rode Arazi to his first victory in six months on Sunday at Longchamp, said he deserves to be aboard the one-time wonder horse for the Breeders' Cup on Oct. 31 at Gulfstream Park.

U.S. jockey Steve Cauthen, seeking reform of a controversial whip rule that already had landed him a four-day riding ban, lost his appeal Wednesday and was given a six-day suspension for a second infraction. Cauthen, one of Europe's leading jockeys and a winner of the Triple Crown in the United States in 1978, was banned for four days last Thursday for misuse of the whip during the Goodwood Cup.

Trainer Jimmy Croll, jockey Steve Cauthen and champion sprinter Ta Wee, all with connections to Kentucky Derby favorite Holy Bull, have been elected to the Racing Hall of Fame. Polling of 100 turf writers was announced Wednesday at Churchill Downs. Others elected were Arts And Letters, horse of the year in 1969; Eight Thirty, a top handicap horse in the early 1940s, and Flatterer, the champion steeplechase horse from 1984-1987.

The call came on Christmas Eve and the timing was all wrong. Steve and Amy Cauthen were celebrating the holidays, looking forward to the birth of their first child. But one of Sheik Mohammed al Maktoum's racing representatives was on the line, asking Cauthen to take a substantial pay cut to continue riding for the stable. Racing has become a depressed business.

Jockey Steve Cauthen didn't quit British horse racing, he was fired, according to the tabloid Sunday Mirror. The paper quoted Cauthen as saying he refused to take a cut in wages from Arabian racehorse owner Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum and was shown the door. "It's not as if I was asking for anything extra," Cauthen said. "I talked things over with mom, dad and (Cauthen's wife) Amy and decided to leave the decision to the Sheikh's people.

Jockey Steve Cauthen turned down a contract extension with Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum's Darley Stud Management and might quit riding in Britain, his agent said Monday. Cauthen was in his native Kentucky, but his agent, John Hanmer, said: "Steve was offered a retainer for the year by Sheikh Mohammed, but turned it down. As no one else would be able to offer him anything like that retainer. . . . I have my doubts as to whether he will return."

If Arazi runs in the Breeders' Cup Mile, jockey Steve Cauthen wants to be along for the ride. Cauthen is Arazi's regular rider when the 3-year-old colt races in Europe; Pat Valenzuela gets the mount in the United States. But Cauthen, who rode Arazi to his first victory in six months on Sunday at Longchamp, said he deserves to be aboard the one-time wonder horse for the Breeders' Cup on Oct. 31 at Gulfstream Park.

Steve Cauthen, one of Britain's leading jockeys, is eligible to race today after serving a 10-day suspension for misuse of the whip.

U.S. jockey Steve Cauthen, seeking reform of a controversial whip rule that already had landed him a four-day riding ban, lost his appeal Wednesday and was given a six-day suspension for a second infraction. Cauthen, one of Europe's leading jockeys and a winner of the Triple Crown in the United States in 1978, was banned for four days last Thursday for misuse of the whip during the Goodwood Cup.

Jockey Steve Cauthen was suspended for four days on Thursday for misuse of the whip, marking only the third time he has been set down since arriving from the United States in 1978. The suspension imposed by Jockey Club stewards will sideline Cauthen from Aug. 8-11. Cauthen, a multiple winner of Britain's jockey championship and winner of the Triple Crown, was suspended after using his whip 13 times on Witness Box during the running of the Goodwood Cup Thursday.