Franklin Just Wants to Ride Again
Spectacular Bid's 1979 Jockey Looks for Redemption, Mounts
Just as a very young (18) Steve Cauthen steered Affirmed to the 1978 thoroughbred Triple Crown title in the United States, Ronnie Franklin, as another teen (19) rider, roared home in 1979 aboard the speckled gray, Spectacular Bid, toward the same goal.
Where Cauthen's effort in the Belmont Stakes led to an historic victory, Franklin's was a close miss. Grover "Bud" Delp, the 'Bid's trainer, hailed his gray as "the greatest horse to ever look through a bridle". Then he claimed the 'Bid had stepped on a safety pin before his Belmont run. The pin theory caught most of the attention following the 'Bid's loss in the final of the Triple Crown, but Delp, too, had little good to say of his jockey's ride. He blamed Franklin's errant ride for his colt's loss. To his dying day, Delp indicated that Franklin's skills that day were non-existent, "terrible," and the direct reason that Spectacular Bid couldn't hold the race together in the stretch to become the heralded 12th Triple Crown champion, an honor he deserved.
Franklin Regrets Belmont Ride
Franklin himself regretted the way he rode Spectacular Bid in the Belmont. (Cauthen was similarly criticized for his ride on Affirmed in 1978, although the chestnut prevailed by a nose over his game, season long rival, Alydar.)
The Belmont, third leg of the Triple Crown races, is referred to as the jockey's race. It requires greater riding skill than either the Derby, or the short Preakness. A jockey must rate his mount in the early Belmont going, and wait for the right opportunity to let his thoroughbred assert himself and take the race upon himself. Many jockeys are ultimately criticized for moving too soon in the lengthy Belmont Stakes.
Although their experiences in the Triple Crown races were one loss and five victories, Cauthen and Franklin both thereafter sank below the radar as riders. Cauthen's downward spiral was a mystery of accumulated bad luck; Franklin's had a definite name -- cocaine.
Reinstatement Applied for In February
Franklin, in February of this year, applied for reinstatement of his jockey's license, which was revoked in Maryland in 1992. Now 47, Franklin is employed at the Folsom, Louisiana Training Center as a galloper. He hopes to resume his riding career at the Fair Grounds.
In his good days, Franklin's rides earned a hefty $14,055,722 in purses. He won 1,403 races from 9,242 starters during 14 seasons, from 1978 to 1992. But cocaine addiction ruled his life, the jockey says. He was unable to control his urge to use the drug. The weakness sidelined him early on, and several more times until his suspension in 1992. He claims never to have used the drug while riding, only after track hours, at nighttime.
Of his Belmont Stakes ride on the 'Bid, Franklin says he was undone by the uncommon extra length of the 1-1/2 miles of the race, a distance he wasn't used to riding. The 'Bid, safety pin, or no, seemed to tire in the Belmont stretch and lost. When Bill Shoemaker took over as Spectacular Bid's jockey, the colt won Horse of the Year honors in 1980. The 'Bid retired with 26 wins from 30 posts. The gray was his name, Franklin says, spectacular.
Franklin testifies that he has been clean and sober for over a year. He lives a simple existence from a single room, does his job quietly, and hopes. He was frustrated in his attempts to get reinstated in Maryland. He's looking for better results in Louisiana.
1979 Remains Franklin's Pinnacle
Franklin reached his pinnacle as a jockey in the 1979 Triple Crown races 27 years ago. Still, all he wants to do is ride, he says. Racing thoroughbreds is all he knows, and all he aims for in the future, regardless of what he had in the past.
Those who saw him ride the 'Bid, for good and for bad results, in the 1979 Triple Crown championship races will never forget the time, the thoroughbred, and the jockey.
