Jockey Jon Court remembers his parents buying him a spring horse at a young age. He would ride and ride, wearing out the springs. Eventually, his father tired of the frequent parts replacement and put industrial-quality springs on the horse.
"That thing threw me right over my head," Court recalled.
That never discouraged Court from getting on the real thing. Nor was it his last spill.
His love for horses eventually manifested itself into a 44-year career in the irons. But now Court is putting that part of his life behind him as he is set to retire. His last ride will come May 5 aboard League of Legends in the sixth race at Oaklawn Park.
That the end comes the same weekend as the Kentucky Derby (G1) seems appropriate for Court, who recalls telling his parents while still in diapers that becoming a jockey was his goal.
"I remember watching Churchill Downs in Florida on Derby Day on a black and white TV and just being mesmerized. 'Play it again!'," Court said.
Court is slated for nine more races at Oaklawn, but as of publication, his résumé shows a 4,263-4,051-4,050 record from 35,350 starts. He's earned $114,021,524 with a career-best $7,257,916 in 2006.
At 63, Court said while he feels he's been "squeezed out" by the industry, the time was right to walk away.
He said, "I didn't want to wait until something happened. ... I wanted to be able to walk away at my own choosing.
"I could continue to ride but the writing has been on the wall for a while and I've just enjoyed it for this last year and a half, kind of riding like Scott Stevens was doing—semi-retired."
Among his accomplishments, Court has finished in the top 25 in earnings four times. Among his best riding partnerships were Last Samurai, with whom he won the 2022 Oaklawn Handicap (G2), and Arkansas Derby (G1) victories with Line of David (2010) and Archarcharch (2011).
When he was in the irons for Long Range Toddy in the 2019 Kentucky Derby, he was the oldest jockey to start in the Run for the Roses. In 2015, Court was honored with the Mike Venezia Memorial Award, which is given to the jockey who exemplifies extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship. In 2007, he was given the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award.
While he's occasionally thought about his career accomplishments, Court said he's most proud of winning the Japan Cup Dirt (G1), since renamed the Champions Cup, aboard Fleetstreet Dancer in 2003.
Court credits making his health a priority for his longevity. His mother, who is now in her 80s, was fanatical about staying healthy and passed along that passion to Court. His "staunch regimen" included a diet that became a way of life.
He's in the best shape that he's been in a long time, but he's ready to move on.
"It's just time for me to move on and let the next generation, actually the next-next generation," Court said. "People ask me what's it like to ride with the kids. The kids? I'm riding with the grandkids. Tyler Gaffalione—I rode with his grandfather."
When he got his jock license in 1979, Court galloped horses, and worked on perfecting his timing and other intricacies of being a jockey rather than race.
Looking back, Court said he doesn't let regrets sit rent-free in his mind. Instead, he's full of gratitude for all that the game has given him.
"People don't like when I say I haven't had the most illustrious career," he said. "But at the same time I've had by far more of an extended luxurious career than some would just dream up so I'm happy with it."
