'It's Time': Court To Retire From Race Riding

A Florida native, Court launched his professional career in 1980 and recorded his first career victory June 7, 1980, at Centennial Racetrack in Colorado. Court’s first career Oaklawn victory was Feb. 16, 1981.

Court topped the Oaklawn standings in 2000 with 69 victories. He’s the seventh-winningest rider in Oaklawn history with 730 victories, including 38 stakes. Court also owns riding titles at several other tracks, including Ellis Park and Birmingham Turf Club.

Court continued to excel late in his career. At 58, he became the oldest jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby when he finished 16thaboard Long Range Toddy in 2019. Based on information compiled and supplied by Equibase, Court, then 61, became the oldest jockey in American Thoroughbred history to win a $1 million race when Last Samurai captured the G2-Oaklawn Handicap in 2022.

Court finished with 20 victories at the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting. But he’s only 2 for 84 this season, numbers that factored into his decision to retire. Court has also been in fixture in Kentucky.

“It’s just hard to come by the fast horses at this circuit,” Court said. “This is a tough circuit, one of the toughest, I consider, worldwide. It’s recognized worldwide. Physically, no question, I can still do it. I’m in better shape than some of the years I was riding because I was riding with chronic injuries. Now, I feel good. I don’t want to push the envelope, like I have a tendency to do. I want to be able to walk away on my own terms.”

Court’s biggest career victories included consecutive runnings of Oaklawn’s $1 million G1-Arkansas Derby. He won in 2010 aboard Line of David for Southern California-based trainer John Sadler and 2011 aboard Archarcharch for trainer Jinks Fires of Hot Springs. Court, then based in Southern California, also won the $400,000 G1-Citation Handicap in 2004 at Hollywood Park aboard Leroidesanimaux for Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel. Leroidesanimaux collected an Eclipse Award as the country’s champion grass horse of 2005.

Court was also honored with the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 2007. It is presented annually to riders who demonstrate high standards of personal and professional conduct, on and off the track.

“It’s been a good career,” Court said. “Racing’s been good to me. The horsemen have been great. The fans have been superior. I’ve got nothing but positive things going out.”

Court is named on four horses Sunday, the last being League of Legends for Fires, the jockey’s one-time father-in-law. Fires has at least one victory at every Oaklawn meeting since 1977. He is winless this season.

“That would be the icing on the cake,” Court said of the storybook ending.