Jockey Drama
When large sums of money and personal pride are at stake, tensions can run high, and although things ran relatively smoothly on the Danada Estates, Rice and his employees did not always see eye to eye. In general, Dan Rice kept relatively friendly correspondence with his business partners and employees, but the high pressures of the horse-racing world could lead to professional disagreements, such as this one here.
In this letter to Carl A. Roles, an American thoroughbred horse-racing trainer, sometimes referred to by his nickname, "Slim," Dan Rice admonishes Roles for not listening to his jockey preferences. Underlining his words in an unusually blunt manner, Rice repeatedly emphasizes that he has no interest in a jockey by the name of Grohs.
Although Rice makes sure to mention that he has no qualms with Grohs himself, he does say that he is not confident in the jockey's skills on the racetrack. He states that he requires a top jockey to race his horses and leaves no room for any argument.
In one of the more disagreeable sentences in the letter, Rice declares that he should have the right to pick his own jockeys and wants the subject dropped. Even the closing line—a short "regards"—reads uncharacteristically harsh for the usually cordial letters between Roles and Rice.
Did Rice have a reason to be concerned?
Jockeys do play a large part in the world of horse racing; in a race, they need to make it around the course as speedily and efficiently as possible. In order to do so, a jockey must be physically fit, able to remain calm under intense pressure, and have an understanding of horse psychology and behavior, so they can communicate with the horse in high-stakes situations.
Although some may argue that a winning horse will become successful no matter their jockey, the track records of certain distinguished jockeys, such as Ruby Walsh—59-time winner of the Cheltenham Festival—beg to differ.
Miles Henry, seasoned racing-horse owner, fully supports this notion; he believes that a jockey makes a world of difference in the sport of horse racing. According to Henry, jockeys use a variety of positioning, tactics, riding style, and conditioning to achieve the optimal performance out of a horse. They control where a horse sits in a race, when and where to push the pace, and how best to conserve energy for the final stretch of track.
Some specialize in steeplechase races, others in muddy terrain, and certain jockeys are trained to handle specific breeds over others. Although a good horse is imperative to achieving a win, with an experienced jockey at hand, even the most average horses can reach high levels of success in the racing world.
Otto Grohs, the jockey in question, was by no means a second-rate jockey, but his performance standards did not meet the Rices' expectations. With 96 race wins in 1939 alone, Grohs hit an all-time career high when he earned eighth place at the 1944 Kentucky Derby, riding a horse by the name of "Gramps Image." Over a full year later, however, and Grohs's eighth-place finish would not satisfy Dan Rice. Rather than risk anything but perfection, Rice wrote this brusque letter to trainer Carl Roles demanding that he find a new jockey to ride Ada's horses.
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Sources:
"Carl A. Roles." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. March 23, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_A._Roles.
Henry, Miles. “How Much Difference Does a Jockey Make in Horse Racing?” Horse Racing Sense. December 31, 2022. https://horseracingsense.com/difference-jockey-make-horse-racing/#:~:text=A%20jockey’s%20riding%20style%20can,improve%20its%20chances%20of%20success.&text=A%20jockey’s%20physical%20condition%20is,horse%20effectively%20during%20the%20race.
"History of Longacres Longacres Park Horse Track, Renton Washington." Historic Structures. Accessed July 15, 2023. https://www.historic-structures.com/wa/renton/longacres_park4.php.
"Jockeys, Kentucky Derby (1875-2017)." Kentucky Derby. Woodford Reserve. Accessed July 15, 2023. https://www.kentuckyderby.com/uploads/wysiwyg/assets/uploads/Jockey_Records_Kentucky_Derby__1875-2017_.pdf.
“The Skills of a Horse Racing Jockey.” OCNJ Daily. January 18, 2023. https://ocnjdaily.com/skills-horse-racing-jockey/#:~:text=The%20jockey%20is%20the%20athlete,set%20of%20skills%20and%20qualities.
Letter from Dan Rice to Carl Roles