Venerable jockey Calvin Borel is retiring from racing, his agent Larry Melancon confirmed to the Daily Racing Form on Wednesday. The 49-year-old is one of only 26 North American based jockeys to eclipse 5,000 career wins, totaling more than $127 million in purse money.

Borel’s professional career dates back more than 25 years, however, it wasn’t until the late 2000’s that he became a household name, winning the Kentucky Derby 3 times in 4 years with Street Sense (2007), Mine That Bird (2009) and Super Saver (2010).

Wikipedia Commons

Wikipedia Commons

 

Like many other notable jockeys, Borel hails from deep in the Louisiana Bayou, where boys begin galloping racehorses at ages when most youngsters are learning how to ride bikes. His unmistakable, at times unintelligible cajun accent and affable nature made him a fan-favorite. It was rare to see him without his signature smile which only occasionally sported teeth.

On the track Borel was fearless, confident and emotional. One second he would be hot-dogging it across the finish line, wearing that big ol’ grin while playing to the crowd, only to come back from the gallop-out in an uncontrollable sob. Additionally, he was never shy about confrontation, unleashing his fiery inner-Cajun on fellow jockeys when grievances arose. He was famous for his ground-saving inside moves, squeezing through narrow windows along the inside rail, as he did in each of his three Kentucky Derby wins, earning the nickname Calvin Bo-Rail. In 2013, Borel was officially inducted into the Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Wikipedia Commons

Borel was all sobs after winning the Kentucky Oaks with Rachel Alexandra in 2009. Wikipedia Commons

 

His personality off the track was quite different, however. Unlike a lot of high profile jockeys, Borel was always around the backside in the mornings campaigning for work and mucking stalls, whatever he could do to keep busy. Yet, he was never too busy to sign autographs or pose for pictures with his legion of fans.

Borel spent the majority of his career on the Louisiana-Arkansas-Kentucky circuits, breaking through in a big way in 2006 when he piloted Street Sense to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner’s circle at Churchill Downs. His subsequent string of Triple Crown success was unprecedented and remarkable. His 2009 Kentucky Derby score with Mine That Bird is one of the Derby’s biggest upsets, and came one day after winning the Kentucky Oaks with the record-smashing filly Rachel Alexandra. Two weeks later at the Preakness, Borel opted to ride Rachel Alexandra instead of Mine That Bird. It turned out to be a good choice, as Rachel Alexandra became just the second filly in history to win the Triple Crown’s second leg.

Hopefully Borel is not planning on leaving the sport altogether; God knows horse racing needs characters like him around.

Happy trails, Bo-Rails.