'A different kind of excitement': Ken Tohill set to become oldest Kentucky Derby jockey
Ken Tohill wanted to ride dirt bikes as a teenager, but the family business was horse racing.
So when Tohill started getting paid to gallop horses in the mornings before going to school, dirt bikes didn’t seem so important.
“The motorcycles, at that point, cost me money,” Tohill said. “And the horses paid me money. I said, ‘I think I’ll go do this.’”
Tohill began riding professionally as a 16-year-old, and 45 years later he’s nearing what may be the pinnacle of his career. Tohill, 60, is set to ride Sunland Park Derby winner Wild On Ice in the May 6 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. If it happens, Tohill will become the oldest jockey ever to ride in the Run for the Roses.
Jon Court holds the mark after riding Long Range Toddy to a 16th-place finish in 2019 at the age of 58.
Tohill laughed off the distinction, saying, “You don’t really know you’re 60 until you get here.”
“Sadly, I think I’m closer to the end than I am the beginning,” he said. “But I still feel good in the saddle. The age thing is more about what the body feels. I refuse to be the rider that’s in the way, and I will stop before then. But right now I feel good. The last two years, I don’t know what changed, but everything’s come together with my body and I think my riding and my timing is pretty good right now.”
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'How to learn'
Tohill was born in California to a mother who was a trainer and a father who was a jockey.
Tohill said he was allowed to ride at the age of 16 because his family was “well-known,” not because he was ready.
“I started way too early,” he said. “The first part of my career was shameful.”
What was the toughest lesson?
“Just how to learn,” he said. “When you come to it at 16 and you’re spoiled because of your family, you know it all. When you stop and start learning, you become a rider.”
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Tohill started at small tracks in California — Solano, Bay Meadows, Sacramento, Fresno — and by 1987 topped $1 million in purse earnings for the first time. His best year was 2005 when he had 221 victories — ranking 20th in the nation — and $3.7 million in purse earnings.
Most of his work these days comes in New Mexico, Iowa and Nebraska. He was set to ride for the first time at Churchill Downs in the 2018 Kentucky Oaks, but Blamed was scratched just days before the race with a hairline fracture.
Now he’s back with Wild On Ice, who won the Sunland Park Derby at 35-1 odds.
Trainer Joel Marr and owner Frank Sumpter both praised Tohill, who said he’s never had an issue making weight during his career.
“He works hard, and he’s out every day,” Marr said. “He keeps active. I don’t consider him old. He doesn’t look any different to me than he did 10 years ago. I didn’t really think about him being the oldest until somebody told me that. … He’s in shape, very experienced, very intelligent and just naturally gets along with horses.”
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'Reasons for being excited'
Sumpter said the key word with Tohill is “patience.”
“He’s a very tough guy,” Sumpter said. “But if they’re not doing what he wants, he won’t punish the horse. I love that about him.”
Tohill said he’s always been hesitant about riding in the Kentucky Derby, especially with a horse like Wild On Ice who may end up being the longest shot in the race.
But now that he has the opportunity to compete in the race, Tohill said his perspective has changed.
“Our horse might be a long shot, but we actually have our own reasons for being excited to be here,” Tohill said. “We have a horse that’s doing well, that’s maturing. I feel lucky. The trainer feels lucky. And I’m sure Mr. Sumpter really feels lucky. Now I understand where you don’t look at the odds. You just try to get a healthy, talented horse into the Derby and see if he can get something done.”
Tohill said he’ll spend the next couple of weeks traveling between New Mexico and Louisville.
There’s work to be done, and it might just help Tohill deal with the anticipation of riding in the Kentucky Derby for the first time.
“It just fell into our laps; it wasn’t something we were hunting for,” he said. “It’s a different kind of excitement, but I’m not getting jittery. I probably will. If you have anxiety, as my wife calls it, I call it jittery. I said, ‘It means you’re alive and you’re excited.’”
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @KentuckyDerbyCJ.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Wild On Ice jockey Ken Tohill set to become oldest Kentucky Derby rider
