Tim Doocy was fastest to the finish 5,061 times in his well-traveled riding career but he has acclimated to a much slower pace these days. A self-described full-time husband, Doocy and his wife of 43 years, Terry, reside on the banks of Lake Catherine in Hot Springs, Ark.
“Life's good,” Tim Doocy said to summarize the couple's relaxed routines that include cruising the lake a few times a week and gardening.
He said he occasionally goes to the races at nearby Oaklawn Park to socialize with friends but prefers watching on television when the mood strikes.
“I was lucky enough to have 35 years (as a jockey),” he said. “I don't look back. There are little things I miss but to me it was a lifetime ago.”
Doocy rode mostly in the Midwest with plenty of profitable time in the late1980s and early '90s at Golden Gate Fields and Bay Meadows in Northern California. He shifted back to the Midwest where he has done some of his best work as evidenced by his inductions into the Nebraska, Prairie Meadows and Remington Park Halls of Fame.
Before the question is asked, Doocy is quick to note that his spouse is a key to his success and longevity in the saddle.
“Everything we have is because of her,” he said. “All I did was ride. She took care of everything else so that made it easy for me. I just showed up for work and she took care of all the stuff away from the track.”
They have a son, Trey, who lives in Florida with his wife Kelley and their two daughters, Hendrix and Swayze, both under age two. Venturing to Florida to visit them is on the radar to make up for the lack of travel in 2020. Plans also include going to Omaha this summer to see Tim's mother and then road tripping to see other family and friends.
Unplanned decision
Doocy grew up in Iowa, but frequently visited relatives in his native Minnesota where his cousins had small ponies on which he learned to ride bareback. His uncles were amateur boxers who were encouraged to transfer their stature and athleticism to race riding. Instead, they steered Doocy in that direction. Through that connection, Doocy obtained his first track job during a high school summer vacation as a groom and exercise rider at East Moline Downs, which had a short-lived Thoroughbred season in Illinois near Davenport, Iowa.
Tim Doocy (right) and Luis Quinonez after they dead-heated for the win in the 1998 Remington Futurity
After graduation, Doocy went to Commodore Downs, the long-shuttered facility in Erie, Pa., where he rode his first winner in 1974. From there he became productive at the major Midwest tracks and made his mark on the Northern California circuit. He compiled an impressive list of stakes wins including the 1990 Haskell Invitational Handicap (G1) at Monmouth Park on Restless Con and 2000 Ack Ack Handicap (G3) at Churchill Downs aboard Chindi.
“It is always fun when you are on a roll when you are riding good horses and things are going good,” he said. “There is probably no better feeling because you feel like there is nothing you can't do.”
While enjoying another steady season as 2009 was drawing to a close, retirement was far from Doocy's mind. But a morning training accident a few days before his 55th birthday resulted in several fractures and a damaged knee that ended his career. He is philosophical about the unexpected turn of events.
“It took a few years for me to get my head wrapped around a lot of stuff,” he said. “We have a lot to be thankful for. It was a chance to start over. I asked myself what I wanted to do with that chance. No job, but finances were good. It gave my wife and I a chance to be together full time, so that was different.”
With no need to travel the racing circuit, the Doocys left their Oklahoma residence to build their Lake Catherine abode in 2014.
“I wasn't going to live in the past,” he said. “All good things have to come to an end. Everybody says they want to go out on their own terms, well, sometimes I think it is easier when the decision is made for you.”
Doocy rides Restless Con to victory in the 1990 Simply Majestic Stakes
The post Lost And Found Presented By LubriSYNHA: After 5,061 Wins, Tim Doocy Savoring Life In The Slow Lane appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
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