SEATTLE _ "You're a bum," someone yelled at jockey Gary Wales as he had just finished a busy Friday at Emerald Downs.
Wales didn't seem to hear him. In his line of work, you need thick skin or tune out the haters.
Thirty minutes earlier, Wales had been the toast of the track, riding the favorite to victory in the feature race _ his second win of the night.
But now, that is forgotten. The man yelling didn't seem to know _ or care _ that Wales is the leading jockey at Emerald Downs. His only concern in that moment was that Wales had finished fourth on the favorite.
The man probably also didn't know Wales, 34, had begun his workday 14 hours earlier, working out horses in the morning to help him in his craft. Or that Wales would be back at the track at 6 a.m. the following day.
Such is the life of a jockey. They do most of their work far from the spotlight of the races, are in constant danger of severe injury and must be careful with everything they eat and drink, lest they become too heavy to compete.
The thrill of winning is hard to describe, and the money is good for the best in the business. But it's no easy job. Many hours are spent preparing for the brief minutes of competition. Even the best fail much more often than not.
Horse racing is a sport of failure. If you win two of 10, you're a standout.
"There is nothing better, especially when you ride a good horse," said Wales, who will ride Brave Nation in Sunday's $200,000 Longacres Mile, the Northwest's biggest horse race for more than eight decades. "It's an adrenaline rush, and it's more of an adrenaline rush when you win."
