Tuesday, October 4, 2016 | Back to: Shared News

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By Michael Adolphson

Few jockey agents have been as successful as Ron Anderson. Eloquent, amiable and a shrewd analyst, Anderson has an enviable rolodex of past and present clients that have elevated him–and whom he has helped raise–to the upper echelon of horse racing. From Jerry Bailey, Fernando Toro, Garrett Gomez, Gary Stevens, Chris Antley, Corey Nakatani and currently Joel Rosario, his clientele includes some of the best to ever ride a racehorse. Now 61, the Las Vegas-born, Los Angeles-raised and now New York-based agent seems as energetic as ever, excited for what the year may bring.

“Things are going well. I’ve got people looking for [Joel] and that’s always a huge plus," Anderson explained. “These last few weeks are pretty critical leading up to the Breeders’ Cup. The theory being you have to end up on the right horse on Breeders’ Cup day and there are a couple weekends where I can have Joel in three different places, so you have to understand which horses and which days can maximize things where it counts regarding the Breeders’ Cup. It’s a bit of a juggling act.

“Joel has had a better season than it appears, having had two major injuries in the last couple years," he continued. “When you look at national standings, he would be on top of the list if he hadn’t got hurt. He was really progressing before that was interrupted, but at this point it’s hindsight and we move on. We have won the [GI] Kentucky Derby and [G1] Dubai World Cup together and been an Eclipse finalist two years. I enjoy working with a jockey like him because he’s approachable and always wants to try something to get the horse to win next time. He’s very different in that he can talk after a race and analyze what he can do to get the horse to win, instead of dwelling on losing."

Rosario is part of a long chain of top journeymen whose opportunities have been maximized by Anderson’s prowess. An agent to winners of 27 Breeders’ Cup races, 14 Triple Crown events, including four Kentucky Derbies, and countless Grade Is, Anderson remains an amicable balance of driven, humble and focused, while splitting his time between homes in New York and the Bluegrass State.

“I’ve been very successful and feel incredibly fortunate," he reflected. “I had actually started in 1973 and was going to junior college hoping to end up at UCLA Law. I took a jock on a whim just to try it. I had grown up around Santa Anita and loved racing. My big break was in 1980 when I was given Fernando Toro’s book by [Chick] McClellan, who was a great agent whom I admired for being very organized and really treating everyone right. Toro taught me a lot about what to look for in a horse and gave me the piece of the puzzle to buffer my lack of horsemanship. If I’m ever considered good at what I do, it’s because I was lucky enough to end up with him at one point. He was the big break.

“In the 1990s Gary [Stevens] and I had a great time together," he continued. “Then the 2000s, I had both Jerry Bailey and Chris Antley and was really lucky to have both of them. What helped a lot was moving from the West Coast to the east. We did very well and dominated at times. I’ve been very fortunate to have those riders and great jockeys like [Garrett] Gomez."

Being one of the most prominent figures in a trade that is not exactly held in highest regard because of its tooth-and-nail nature, Anderson keeps everything in perspective.

“You’re dealing with all different kinds of demeanors, just like in life in general," he explained. “Sometimes you don’t know what turmoil people are going through or the stress they’re under. Working on commissions and struggling to make ends meet can make things very difficult. There are plenty of agents who maybe do things or say things they shouldn’t, but there are also all different styles and a lot of stresses that go along with the job.

“You first have to have a decent product," he continued. “It’s obviously always better if they’re knocking on your door instead of the other way around. In the end, you try to be mild-mannered and not let the bad results bother you too much–that’s something I always admired in McClellan."

If there is one thing that Anderson seems to represent, aside from his actual client, is the idea of agency. By nature a slanted trade where the agenda of the product, client–or in this case jockey–is placed above all, agency also means understanding how to act and adapt to a given environment while comprehending the interconnected intricacies of such. In other words, Anderson has likely been successful because he actively discerns and seems to master the balance of being competitive and complementary in and to his industry.

“There is no blueprint for what we do or how we do it," he concluded. “I was and am lucky enough to be around the right riders and I’ve tried to treat people right."

 

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