Jockeys Calvin Borel, Javier Castellano Brawl At The Breeders’ Cup
Added on Nov 05, 2010 by Jack Thurman in
2 Comments
There’s never a dull moment in horse racing, but few equine enthusiasts expected a brawl between jockeys to break out on the opening day of the Breeders’ Cup. Not sure if any offshore sportsbooks had a prop bet on such an occurring, but if they had the YES bet would have been a winner. It happened following an on track incident involving Borel, Castellano and Martin Garcia. The Kentucky Racing Stewards are reviewing the video of the incident to see what exactly happened and will then decide what sort of punishment they should mete out. You can review the tape yourself below.
It all started during the first race on Friday’s card at Churchill Downs–the $500,000 Breeders’ Cup Marathon. Castellano was aboard Will I Am, and unexpectedly came off the rail at the five sixteenths pole. The move caused Garcia aboard Romp to pull up sharply which in turn forced Borel to take evasive action aboard his mount, A.U. Miner. Prince Will I Am went on to finish second behind Eldaafer and A. U. Miner–who had been forced to go seven wide–fought back for a fourth place finish. The Churchill Downs’ stewards immediately signaled an ‘inquiry’ and disqualified Prince Will I Am from second to 10th, behind Romp. A. U. Miner, was bumped up to third and Gabriel’s Hill was awarded second.
That wasn’t enough for Borel–after weighing out he charged through the crowd to whatever extent that is possible for a 5’5″ 110 pound guy looking for Castellano. He finally found his target in the Winner’s Circle where Borel was heard to yell several times at the rival jockey “I’m going to kill you!”. Borel grabbed Castellano by the collar and poked his finger in his face. Several people tried to restrain Borel, but that just made him more angry and he eventually flew at Castellano throwing punches. Castellano appeared to try and avoid the confrontation, but despite giving up 4″ to Borel did land a nice jab before the two men were separated.
Borel had a legitimate gripe, but its something of a surprise that he went ballistic like he did. He’s usually one of the most likable and media savvy jockeys in the sport and has gained a good deal of mainstream notoriety for pulling the historic feat of three Kentucky Derby victories in four years including the 2010 race aboard Super Saver in the mud and slop at Churchill Downs this past May. We’ve posted a video clip of his appearance on the David Letterman Show from 2009 following his Derby win on Mine That Bird. The Louisiana native is more typically known for his Southern drawl and impeccable manners, addressing even the most invasive media type or annoying autograph hunter as “Sir” or “Ma’am”.
Castellano defended his move during the race that set off the incident:
“Horses started backing up at the three-eighths pole, my horse he tried to run because he’s so relaxed, he find a little hole, a spot, I squeeze him and go forward. The pressure from outside is coming up and I took the spot and go from there. I put away the other horses that were tired and I moved forward.”
He recounted how Borel came at him:
“He came straight to me, he was very aggressive, and tried to hit me in the face. I had to push him away, he cursed right in my face and he went aggressive, and he said I want to kill you and all that kind of stuff.”
After the fight was broken up Borel went into the jockey’s room to cool off. He was interviewed by ESPN when he came out for the 8th race (the Juvenile Fillies) and reported that he and Castellano had settled their ‘beef’:
“Yes, sir, it’s over. It’s all good. We talked.”
Obviously Borel was in the wrong here, but hopefully the Kentucky stewards won’t come down too hard on him. He’s a first rate jockey and the overwhelming majority of the time a great ambassador of the sport. The average sports fan may not realize it, but jockeys are very tough, athletic and tightly wound people–not to mention incredibly competitive. It’s really surprising that this sort of thing doesn’t happen more often, especially with the big bucks on the line at an event like the Breeders’ Cup.
Borel vs. Castellano fight video:
Calvin Borel on David Letterman in 2009:
2 Comments
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November 5, 8:52 pm
Good for Calvin. I have been in and around horses for many years. I am also an Olympian. I know what it is to compete and want to win.I also know enough about racing to know STUPIDITY when I see it. Castellano wanted to be another sombody, anybody, and showed COMPLETE IGNORANCE AND LACK OF CONCERN FOR HIS FELLOW JOCKIES OR THE ANIMALS. Calvin is CORRECT. That move should have NEVER taken place. What a jerk to think he could just “Squeeze” in between the other two. Castellano is NOT Stevens and he sure as hell is NOT Borel. If ANYONE goes under the bus, it should be Castellano. Good for you Calvin, you were protecting EVERYONE, people, horses, the whole bit. YOU ARE THE GENTLEMAN. I know you will not get this but there are a lot of other people like me that believe in you. Keep this sport clean and as safe as possible.
November 6, 9:55 pm
Not sure if throwing punches is the best way to react but otherwise I’m in complete agreement. It was a dangerous move by Castellano and Borel had every right to be pissed. I’m not ready to throw Castellano under the bus completely–some jocks are more aggressive or willing to take chances than others and up to the point where it endangers their fellow equine and human competitors that’s part of what makes the sport unique and fascinating. Castellano crossed the line and got DQ’d, so its not like he got off without any consequences.
My concern is that the ‘jockey fight’ overshadowed the rest of the great competition on the opening day of the Breeders’ Cup. I also cover boxing and, unfortunately, its the same way there–the mainstream media ignores the majority of the great competition that goes on but if Mike Tyson does something crazy its front page news.
Ultimately, however, we’re in complete agreement about Borel. As I tried to stress in my article the guy is a class act and a great ambassador for the sport–as well as a hell of a jockey. I can only imagine how mad he must have been since I’ve never heard him fail to address a media type as ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’. My guess is that the Kentucky racing authorities will take all of that into account–it was a heat of the moment reaction and his concern was ultimately for the greater good of the sport. He’d probably be the first to admit that while he had good reason to be upset that he didn’t react in the right way. Borel is definitely one of the ‘good guys’ in the sport so I don’t expect any serious repercussions from the incident.