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For America’s Best Racing, Tom Pedulla interviews prominent owners, trainers and jockeys on the road to the Kentucky Derby on May 6th. Churchill Downs Racecourse.
This week’s article features jockey Jareth Loveberry, 35. He will be competing in his first Kentucky Derby (G1) after serving as a guide. two fills trained by Larry Riveri, highlighted a win by 5 and 1/4 lengths at the Jeff Ruby Steak (G3) on 25 March. Turfway ParkLoveberry had been out of competition for just over three weeks after suffering a hairline fracture to his left fibula in a start gate accident.
Loveberry, aged 5 to 8 and weighing 115 pounds, was the top jockey for wins at Arlington Park in 2020 and 2021. Fair Ground Race Course & SlotsHe has two children with his wife, Stacey, Kennedy, 10, and Colton, 6.
The Michigan native spoke in a Q&A session on behalf of America’s Best Racing about his 18-year touring career and provided insight into the significance of Two Fills and his long-awaited Derby debut.
PEDULLA: What inspired you to start riding?
Apply blood horse every day
LOVEBERRY: There was a horse ranch right across from where I grew up. I started working there when I was 12, cleaning stalls and taking care of horses.
PEDULLA: Did that experience lead to your desire to ride?
LOVEBERRY: Oh yeah. I started riding horses when he was 14 and fell in love with horses.
PEDULLA: I know you’ve ridden many different circuits in your career. It must be difficult.
LOVEBERRY: I travel. I travel frequently. I am everywhere I need to be.
PEDULLA: You were one of the leading Fair Grounds riders when you injured your fibula.
LOVEBERRY: We’ve had some great encounters at the Fair Grounds. I might try Kentucky this year.
PEDULLA: Tell us about working with Two Phil’s.i see you riding Colonial Downs Second career start.
LOVEBERRY: Started working at Two Phil’s Hawthorne Racecourse before he ran his first race. When he went to Colonial, I fell in love with him again. He has just matured and blossomed.
PEDULLA: Were you impressed when you first met him?
LOVEBERRY: He was very smooth and a very good mover. He really started growing late in the fall. I was like, ‘This horse is really getting better.
PEDULLA: He has started eight games in his career. His only poor performance after breaking his virginity came when he finished 7th at the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1) last October. KeenelandWhat happened that day?
LOVEBERRY: It was his first time on a long and it was his first time against a horse in that class. Despite the poor performance, I was more impressed with that race than the previous win. Just like how he felt under me, I thought, “Okay, if he learns to relax into the first turn. And he did.”
PEDULLA: In his first two races as a three-year-old, he finished 2nd in the Leconte S (G3) and 3rd in the Reisenstar S (G2). How did you rate those starts?
LOVEBERRY: After finishing his layoff at Lecomte, he ran his own race. I thought he might have moved just a little bit faster, but he was tired. He stayed at Fairgrounds and at Risenstar, he had a little more speed in front of me and I was beaten again. He got stronger and stronger.
PEDULLA: He made a big leap over Jeff Ruby in his first race on a synthetic surface. Did it surprise you?
LOVEBERRY: When he came to Turfway for Jeff Ruby, he put it all together.
PEDULLA: What was it like?
LOVEBERRY: I felt it throughout the race. He was so powerful and comfortable. I’m very confident and that’s how I rode him. When I went to the wire, I was like, “I did it!” It was pretty surreal.
PEDULLA: You had a hairline fracture in your fibula just a few weeks earlier. How did you get home so early?
LOVEBERRY: That happened just three weeks ago at the Gate Incident at the Fair Grounds. I broke my fibula in my left leg and was laying there thinking, ‘Oh my God. I would miss my horse and miss the opportunity. But it was manageable and I was able to make it tough.
PEDULLA: Are you running in pain or how are you managing this injury?
LOVEBERRY: Added some straps. I feel better every day. I was pulling up my horse after Jeff Ruby and his outsiders went to get me. I was like, “Hmm, that really hurt.” I was limping more than before. But it’s okay. I’m getting better.
PEDULLA: Do you have two straps? What kind of straps and what do they do?
LOVEBERRY: Elastic. It holds it for comfort.
PEDULLA: Can you get 100% in the Kentucky Derby?
LOVEBERRY: A week after the incident, I was told I could go back to work. My hairline has healed. The muscles around it are making it worse. But my bones are fine.
PEDULLA: Are you going to feel this for a while?
LOVEBERRY: Yes.
PEDULLA: Jockey injuries always amaze me. Is that the mindset you must have?
LOVEBERRY: You can’t make money without riding a horse. There are times when you just have to get out there and do it.
PEDULLA: A lot still has to go wrong for the Two Phil’s to make it to the Kentucky Derby. But you know you have a horse with enough points to be there.
LOVEBERRY: Not sure if it’s set yet.
PEDULLA: Do you think the Two Phil’s will be a factor in the Derby?
LOVEBERRY: I really think so. At the age of two, he won the Street Sense (stakes) Churchill. He’s playing big with his 3-year-old and is a competitor too.
PEDULLA: How encouraging is it to know he won at Churchill? Do you think he likes that track?
LOVEBERRY: Oh, he loved it. It was raining and sloppy, but he really likes mud. It could be a rainy Derby day.
PEDULLA: What does it mean for your family to have your first Derby mount?
LOVEBERRY: My wife and I are on cloud nine. I don’t know if you really understand, children. I told her daughter I said, “Kennedy, I’m at the Kentucky Derby.” She looked up and said. I told her son
PEDULLA: Well, they will understand one day.
LOVEBERRY: Yes.
PEDULLA: Jareth, where do you want your career to go?
LOVEBERRY: Look, I just want to win races and feed my family. You can handle the rest yourself. Of course, I want to win good races. But Milestone, I don’t know if I ever really thought about that part.
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