70-Year-Old Jockey Races to Victory

On paper, Kansas native Richard Rettele may be a senior citizen, but he's not letting that keep him from his greatest passion. This week, Rettele raced the Quarter Horse Fearless Fred to a $15,000 victory in the Queen City Dash at River Downs in Ohio. He even came within a tenth of a second of the track record.

Rettele started training Thoroughbreds in Michigan at Detroit Race Course and Hazel Park, according to the racing weekly The Blood-Horse. He has spent his entire life around horses. His dad was also a jockey and his wife, Carol, trains the Quarter Horses, which compete at tracks in the Midwest.

"Racehorses have been my total living," Rettele told River Downs officials, reports The Blood-Horse.  "I started riding Quarter Horses before they kept records [ ... ] I do have to take it easy somewhat. I like it; nice horses keep you going, but if not, that road gets awful long."

Rettele also recently won a stakes at Mount Pleasant Meadows in Michigan. So what's the secret to his success?

"Just go by instinct. If you weigh it by two legs or two jumps, you're too late," he told reporters, according to The Associated Press.

It's highly unusual for a jockey to still be riding at the age of 70.

"Jockeys just kind of go away quietly, you know. It looks like Richard Rettele isn't going away anytime soon," John Engelhardt of River Downs Marketing told the AP.

"As long as I’m healthy I plan to continue to ride," seconds Rettele.

Photo (not of Rettele) by RightIndex via Flickr.