Journalists Wandering Eyes Posted April 11 Journalists Share Posted April 11 People get into horse racing in a lot of different ways; Dana Zook–who currently works as foreman for the Mike Maker stable–ended up in the sport after being literally plucked off a baseball field when he was 12 years old. Zook is the guest on this week's edition of the Boundless Podcast, produced and hosted by Ferrin Peterson, a jockey and practicing veterinarian in Kentucky and Ohio. “I found my way into racing off of a ballfield,” recalled Zook. “A gentleman came to me and asked me if I'd like to make a dollar getting on a horse. I said, `yeah, I'll do that.'” He told Zook he had three horses at a nearby track and needed someone to ride them. “He said, `hop in the car,' and I was a little tentative, but that dollar overrode that.” Zook earned the three dollars getting on each of the horses and successfully navigating his way around the track, but, he said with a laugh, it took him five times around the track to pull up the first horse. He did well enough that the trainer offered him the chance to learn how to be a jockey. “I didn't know what a jockey was, but it paid $7 a week.” Thus began a career that has lasted over 20 years and which saw him ride 2,336 winners. He went from groom and exercise rider to jockey to his current position with Maker. Click here to watch the podcast on YouTube, or here to listen to it on Spotify. The post Former Jockey Dana Zook on the Boundless Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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