Well I've caught four of the twelve total episodes of Jockeys that have aired so far. I am quite happy with the overall product, especially where they follow jockey John Meier in his struggle to win his first race. That's quite real. Probably the grittiest part of the whole story during episode four was when John called his father to say he won is first race at Santa Anita. His father had no idea. You could see how hurt the twenty year old apprentice was that his father didn't watch the race nor even looked up on Equibase to see how he did (the father is a jockey so knows these resources exist). His father's excuse in missing the race was, "I have a life too." Ouch. Viewers, who are fathers, take note, when your son is doing something personally important to them, at least catch the replay.
On the other hand there are a few questions I do have about the show. One of the producer’s favorite scenes is where two jockeys, in silks, wrestle one another to the ground while on the clubhouse turn at what appears to be Fairplex. Umm... yah. Suspension anyone? The stewards would have seriously slapped down either jockey for doing something like that in the public's eye. Again another scene shows a jockey beating the inner rail at Fairplex with his whip in anger. No way. Then there's the ambulance siren when the van goes after a fallen Kayla Stra. Nope. Finally and most annoying is the very disrespectful calls by 'Tv-Trevor', "And Kayla Stra finishes in last place". Trevor Denman is a stand up guy. He'd never call a race like that. 'Tv-Trevor' is some sort of alternate universe television race caller that exists for some reason or another. I guess if you are blind and you can't see how the text reads in the lower left, "Kayla Stra -- 10th Place" then 'TV-Trevor' is necessary. But to people completely unfamiliar with racing, 'Tv-Trevor' probably comes off as abrasive which is far from how the real Trevor is. Hopefully no one at Safeway gives Trevor a tongue lashing for being so mean. Fortunately his image is never shown on television so the only way anyone would recognize him is if he buys his fresh lobster saying, "That one is movin' like a winnah!"
On a more serious note, it’s important to keep things real. The producers probably want to make the show more exciting but showing a horse breaking down, jockeys fighting, and ambulances wailing during each commercial break leads the unfamiliar to believe that these things happen all the time when in reality they don't. My suggestion would be to show some owners screaming and jumping up and down when their horse wins, Jimmy the Hat taking a wad of fifty losing tickets and tearing them up into an explosion of confetti, or something else not so negative. Sure it’s not 'jockey related' but at least they're keeping it real.
Perseverance!
On the other hand there are a few questions I do have about the show. One of the producer’s favorite scenes is where two jockeys, in silks, wrestle one another to the ground while on the clubhouse turn at what appears to be Fairplex. Umm... yah. Suspension anyone? The stewards would have seriously slapped down either jockey for doing something like that in the public's eye. Again another scene shows a jockey beating the inner rail at Fairplex with his whip in anger. No way. Then there's the ambulance siren when the van goes after a fallen Kayla Stra. Nope. Finally and most annoying is the very disrespectful calls by 'Tv-Trevor', "And Kayla Stra finishes in last place". Trevor Denman is a stand up guy. He'd never call a race like that. 'Tv-Trevor' is some sort of alternate universe television race caller that exists for some reason or another. I guess if you are blind and you can't see how the text reads in the lower left, "Kayla Stra -- 10th Place" then 'TV-Trevor' is necessary. But to people completely unfamiliar with racing, 'Tv-Trevor' probably comes off as abrasive which is far from how the real Trevor is. Hopefully no one at Safeway gives Trevor a tongue lashing for being so mean. Fortunately his image is never shown on television so the only way anyone would recognize him is if he buys his fresh lobster saying, "That one is movin' like a winnah!"
On a more serious note, it’s important to keep things real. The producers probably want to make the show more exciting but showing a horse breaking down, jockeys fighting, and ambulances wailing during each commercial break leads the unfamiliar to believe that these things happen all the time when in reality they don't. My suggestion would be to show some owners screaming and jumping up and down when their horse wins, Jimmy the Hat taking a wad of fifty losing tickets and tearing them up into an explosion of confetti, or something else not so negative. Sure it’s not 'jockey related' but at least they're keeping it real.
Perseverance!
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