Word: cordero
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...days, he rode 23 winners at Aqueduct Race Track, breaking Angel Cordero's New York State record of 22 victories for the same period, set two years ago. Standing small (5 ft. 1 in., 95 Ibs.) beside the thoroughbreds, his Dickensian face pale amid the splashing silks of his trade, Cauthen has captivated bettors and won the admiration of trainers and jockeys. Onetime Jockey Sammy Renick watched the young Kentuckian ride, and came away impressed. Says Renick: "He has great hands. Horses settle in and run kindly for him. Few jockeys have this touch. Steve hits the horse...
...sense, it is a family fight; both horses are grandsons of Bold Ruler, a famous front runner whose offspring have carried that trait. Both have canny jockeys: Baeza, who sits in the saddle like an emperor, and Angel Cordero, New York's top rider in 1975. Of the two, Baeza is considered better at saying whoa to a speed horse. Jolley and Bold Forbes' trainer, Laz Barrera, will each have to guess the tactics of the other before the Derby begins and decide upon his own. Both jockeys will then have to make split-second decisions...
...Cordero can be so intent in the saddle that he does not know whether he has won or lost a race. "You ride so hard," he says, "you don't realize you pass the wire." Even after the race has been run Angel does not let up. "What a gutsy guy!" says Trainer John Parisella. "He's the best salesman at the track. When he comes in second or third, he makes you feel the horse is a shoo-in the next time...
...Cordero does not really have to sell himself. His agent, Tony Matos, is considered about the best. Arriving at the barns every morning before 7 o'clock, he watches horses working out and talks to trainers, trying to select the best mounts. "I could have Angel riding four of the six horses in some races," he says. Matos usually makes his selections ten days in advance, though last-minute changes keep him busy. Last year Matos selected Cannonade as Cordero's Derby entry. Reflecting his symbiotic relationship with his client, Matos speaks as if jockey and agent were...
Matos, who receives 25% of Cordero's income, keeps his partner running at a frantic pace. "Angel loves to ride," says Matos. "He'll travel anywhere." On Sundays Cordero often flies to California to race, returning to ride on Monday in New York. In 1973 he commuted to Paris one Sunday to ride in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. The way he has been racing this year, they should bring...