Jockeys Share Their Off-Track Hobbies

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the racing season, five jockeys shared their off-track interests, hobbies that range from hitting the links to hitting the trails, to hitting the dog show circuit.

Ryan Munger – Golf

“Outside of racing, I do enjoy a good game of golf. The most important thing is that it’s outdoors. On a more casual side, I enjoy watching English soccer and cricket. When the Blue Jays are playing good baseball, I also enjoy watching them.”

“A lot of the jockeys and the trainers back in South Africa play golf, so it’s a good social interaction. It’s like killing two birds with one stone, with work and with friends. I started playing golf like that, and luckily, I had a natural golf swing.”

“I’ll play every now and then, but now it’s like a weekly ritual; myself and my agent (Mike Luider), and a few other guys will go play golf every week. It’s something I look forward to every week.”

“You keep the competitive edge, and it keeps your mind focused because it’s just you and the golf ball. You also unwind because you’re out in nature, you’re away from all the hustle and bustle, and your brain refreshes.”

“I love my job, so I sometimes consider racing as my hobby outside of racing. But I’d say golf, watching sports, and spending time with my wife and family are most important – just trying to keep a balanced lifestyle.”

Rafael Hernandez – Camping, Biking, Hiking

“We have to enjoy the little bit of summer we have, so I like to do a lot of things with my kids; we like to go camping, biking, hiking, everything outdoors. I like to play sports too, like baseball, soccer, and volleyball.”

“You get in touch with nature also. It gives you that time to enjoy your life, and you don’t think about just work.”

“We always try to do family things together. When I was a kid, my parents and I would always go camping and go to the beach, and we would always try to do things together, so I try to bring that to my kids, too. I can put the work away a little bit and spend time with family.”

“It helps me to refresh. Sometimes you have too much stress from work, so it keeps your mind busy.”

Austin Adams – Hockey, Photography, Fishing, Biking, Running

“I’ve always played hockey growing up, and I’m a big fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens. Sidney Crosby’s been my favourite player. When I was younger, I played all kinds of sports, but there’s something about the game (of hockey). I grew up playing that before I was involved in horses, and I never grew big enough to be a good enough hockey player. I haven’t played since I’ve been riding because it (hockey) can be kind of dangerous and physical, and I don’t want to risk it.”

“At some point, I would like to get back into it, maybe just a men’s league, something easy for fun. The schedule’s crazy, we work weekends and get up early in the mornings, so that part is hard, too.”]

“I played all kinds of sports when I was younger, like football. I played soccer a lot, but hockey was mostly what I was most passionate about, until I loved horses. I’m into photography, too. I take photos for the digital sale.”

“I love going up to the cottage and fishing. I’m an outdoors person. I love doing those kinds of things, biking and running. Anything that has to do with being outside. It fits well with my career because I have to be in good shape to ride horses, and if I can have fun doing it and staying in shape outside, then I’d rather be doing that.”

“It’s for my mental health because it can be very stressful, and whenever I get the chance, those are the things I like to do to just take my mind off it. It’s like meditation for me.”

Emma Jayne-Wilson – Training, Yoga, Running, Dog Shows

“Fitness and working out are a major part of our lifestyle (as jockeys). After significant injury recovery, going to the gym is something that I take high priority on my off days. I really enjoy training, weight training, etc. With the experience that I’ve had over the last few years of the different styles of fitness between CrossFit and different high-intensity workout stuff.”

“I’ve taken a lot of pleasure in creating that for myself. I really enjoy my training, but I love my yoga. I do hot yoga quite regularly. It’s bliss.”

“I adapt as things shift and change. Yoga, I did a long time ago and then brought it back into my repertoire. I go running quite a bit with my dogs. We have two Whippets, who are highly accomplished champion show dogs. We do dog shows. When I can make it, I get a chance to get into the show ring as well, and this winter, it was high on our list. We also love to do what’s called lure coursing (dog sport involving chasing a mechanical lure); Whippets are effectively little Thoroughbreds.”

“We’re aspiring breeders of Whippets down the road when that time is available.”

“There’s no way you can think about competition when you’re lying on the floor in a hot yoga session. What it ties into is balance. It’s important for the industry, the game, the hours that we play, and the intensity that it provides. It’s all well and good to maintain that competitive edge, but it’s nice to be able to come home and not have to think about the business and not have to think about the game and spend time with the kids and the dogs.”

“It does have its effect on how we proceed with our lives, even our hobbies, like going to the gym, is something I thoroughly enjoy, and that benefits me as a jockey, as an athlete as well.”

Fraser Aebly – Golf, Fitness, Running

“As jockeys, we don’t get a lot of time outside of the track, so when we do get them, we try to make the most of it, so I play golf a lot. You get to be outside, enjoy some nice weather, and hang out with some great people while doing it. I work out, go to the gym, and I like running.”

“Golf was something I started about three years ago. My dad got back into playing, and he said I should try it. It’s been fun to get out and play with him. We went on a couple of golf trips together. We went to South Carolina and played some nice courses there. This past winter, we went to Las Vegas and Palm Springs.”

“It can take your mind off racing. Sometimes, you need a little bit of a reset.  I think running and golf can very much help with that, but you’re always competitive, and I don’t think that edge ever really goes away.”

Sophie Charalambous, for Woodbine