Merely Hours Ahead of the Kentucky Derby, Hall of Famer Equestrian & Dale Earnhardt Jr Draw Commonalities Between Racing and Jockeying

Dale Earnhardt Jr and the Kentucky Derby isn’t a rare combination anymore. In his broadcasting career, the retired NASCAR Cup Series driver has twice covered “The Run for the Roses”. Once back in 2019 and the second one coming last year when he was seen with auto racing analyst Rutledge Wood. However, this time around he meets a massive personality from the horse racing arena as they discuss an interesting comparison.

There is no denying how speed plays a key role in both motorsport racing and horse racing. However, what the respective sport demands from an athlete is similar on many levels. To give a better perspective, Dale Jr just recently came across a Hall of Famer jockey.

Dale Earnhardt Jr gets candid with a legendary jockey as the Kentucky Derby is nearly there

Former Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr is back again with NBC Sports as the Kentucky Derby is hardly hours away. While all seems to be set for a wonderful day of horse racing on Saturday, Dale Jr makes a visit to his popular 300-Acre Western Town. With special occasions come special people and such is the case this time around.

Junior welcomes none other than the legendary jockey, Jerry Bailey. For those unaware, Bailey holds a stellar record of winning 5,894 races in his career. Naturally, the seven-time Eclipse Award winner knows better than most about the sport. In an interesting conversation with Dale Jr, the duo discusses the similarities in the approach adopted by a race car driver and a jockey.

Some of the recent Cup Series races have seen rain play a crucial part in the outcome. In light of this, Junior asked Bailey how would he approach a race in such an impromptu scenario. To this, the 65-year-old said, “That’s a good point because another reason I like to ride a lot of races is because of the track bias and it could change the inside close to the inside rail might be the place to be, [or] it might not.”

While it is tricky to take the right call in such a situation, Bailey highlighted the factors that play a part in it. He said, “Well, the amount of water that’s put on the track, the amount of wind that’s on the track, the temperature of the day, a lot of things can change, you need to be on top of it.” This certainly does resonate with the dynamics in stock car racing, especially with the aerodynamics in play with the Next-Gen car.

Further, Dale Jr asked Bailey about the strategy he adopted prior to his races. To this, he said, “I’m just trying to remember the horses in the race that I want to follow especially if I’m gonna come from behind horse, it’s a lot like a running back with a blocker.

“I study the horses and know who can get me through that pack, who I can follow probably like cars who can I follow that’ll get me at least to the top of the stretch and then I’ll find my own spot but the competition is really important for us to know and which horse is which.”

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Certainly, Bailey knew his stuff pretty well. Probably, this is one reason why he triumphed in the 1993 Kentucky Derby. The legendary jockey explains to Junior about his historic win.

Jerry Bailey gets nostalgic as he explains Dale Earnhardt Jr about his sensational 1993 Kentucky Derby win

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As is with stock car racing, it isn’t always about the best horses that win you the race. A similar scenario was witnessed when Jerry Bailey registered an unexpected victory with Sea Hero, who ran the race of his life in the 119th Kentucky Derby in 1993.

Being an underdog, Sea Hero was trained by the legendary MacKenzie Miller. While not many expected Bailey to win, he certainly achieved the impossible. While speaking with Dale Earnhardt Jr, he shared his 1993 experience. Bailey said, “I was on kind of a long shot. His name was Sea Hero and he came from pretty far back in the race.

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“He was giving me that feeling around the turn. And then when I found the opening I knew I was going to win the last 120 yards.” It was indeed an emphatic win, one of the best in the Kentucky Derby history.