Honored and highly respected sportswriter, commentator, and radio and television host Dick Jerardi has spent his career of over 40 plus years spotlighting the best, brightest, and most memorable moments in horse racing. His passion began way back to his many visits to racetracks, and from there, he studied everything he possibly could to learn all about the horses and the tracks where they ran.
“I didn’t grow up with it,” he explained. “It was more the gambling part of it that intrigued me, frankly, in the beginning. Then, over time, I learned more about it and became more intrigued by it, the whole history of the sport. Then I said, ‘how cool would it be to have a chance to write about it?’ And…the rest is history!”“I was very lucky in that one of the very first books that I read that got me really interested was Andrew Beyer’s Picking Winners, and as I’ve told people, it was kind of like a Master’s degree in horse racing without having to go through an undergraduate program. I was very fortunate I was able to bypass a lot of the cliches about the sport, and was able to get beyond some that would have really hung me up for a really long time. Andy (Beyer) really became my mentor and I’ve worked with the Beyer Speed Figures for more than three decades. I really credit Andy with a lot of my career. He was a long time racing writer at the Washington Post, but I modeled a lot of what I did after him.”
Covering some of the biggest stories in horse racing, from the road to the Triple Crown, to the Breeders’ Cup, and everything in between, from tracks along the East Coast to anywhere the horses left their hoof prints in history, Dick featured some of the heavy hitters whose stars still shine brightly today. He has several that are special to him. “I have an all-time favorite horse. I grew up in Baltimore, and when I was first going around to the track in the late 70’s, there was a great three-year-old, in fact, it was the same year as Affirmed and Alydar in 1978, named Dave’s Friend, who I absolutely loved! He ran until he was 8 or 9, and I lost track of how many stakes he won. He ran like 35 races. He was my favorite forever.”
“Probably some of my favorite stories are the Michael Dickinson trained Da Hoss story in the late 1990’s, when he came back to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile after being off for two years. That was a wonderful story to write.”
Three horses that fans still talk about today were the subjects of stories that Dick especially enjoyed sharing with racing fans. “After covering the Kentucky Derby for almost twenty years to get Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, and Barbaro back to back, those stories just had everything.”
Fans still love the little horse from Pennsylvania who took the entire state and country on quite a ride. “The Smarty Jones story was just unforgettable. The fact that a horse from what was then Philadelphia Park was the Derby and Preakness winner, and obviously he should have won the Triple Crown. Then we had Afleet Alex the following year. And of course, the Barbaro story, which I covered through the Derby, which is the best performance of a Derby I’ve ever seen live. Then what happened in the Preakness and in the following months, they were amazing stories to cover.”
“Of all those great horses,” he said, “Smarty Jones was the best. I don’t know what Barbaro would have been if he hadn’t gotten hurt, and Afleet Alex was really good, but he did lose some races along the line, but Smarty Jones not only won, he just crushed his competition. The Preakness is still the biggest winning margin in history.”
Dick is the host of Let’s Go Racing at Parx Racetrack with Dani Gibson, spotlighting the week in Parx racing, with emphasis on the horses, jockeys and trainers. He points out the impressive racing at Parx, week after week and season after season. “I got to Philadelphia in 1985, when it was actually still Keystone, and it was not long after that it was changed to Philadelphia Park and then eventually to Parx. To see what’s happened since 2004 when the slots bill was passed, and now the quality of the racing has just gone up dramatically. You have trainers that could win anywhere! You have owners that have high expectations, not just for locally, but could potentially win some big national races. Smarty Jones. A horse like Vequist. It was three years in a row when a horse from Parx won a Breeders’ Cup race; Spun To Run, Jaywalk, and then Vequist for Butch Reid. That doesn’t happen at tracks with that profile, but the reason it’s happened is that the quality of racing has gotten so much better there. The fact that there are two $1 million races on PA Derby day, and that’s one more million dollar race than the entire state of California has now! That tells you how far Parx and Pennsylvania racing has come!”
The show, which also features announcer Chris Griffin stepping in for interviews, commentary, and bi-weekly co-hosting duties, was the brainchild of Emmy-award winning producer and sports reporter Bruce Casella. “Major credit to Bruce (Casella) whose idea for Let’s Go Racing was more than three decades ago. I did it for years with Bruce, then with Keith Jones, and more recently with Dani and Chris. It is a cool show, the fact that it’s been on in the market for that long. We’re talking about what has happened, and what is about to happen, and just give people some insights that maybe they couldn’t have any other way.”Looking ahead to the the big PA Derby day at Parx, Dick is already prepared for the hype surrounding the powerhouse filly Thorpedo Anna and who will run against her. “Bob Baffert texted me the other day, and he’s got a horse that’s three for three this year, and he’s thinking seriously about bringing her. I know there’s a couple coming, the Alabama Stakes winner (Power Squeeze). It will probably be the first time since we’ve done this PA Derby show live on local television where the headliner is not going to be the in the PA Derby, it’s going to be Thorpedo Anna! And we’re going to build the show around her.”
He reminded everyone that the PA Derby will still have plenty of star power to attract the fans to the rail to cheer on their favorites. “The Preakness winner Seize the Grey is going to be there; Bob Baffert is thinking about bringing Muth, who would have been the favorite in the Preakness had he not gotten sick. We’ll have the Santa Anita Derby winner (Stronghold) and the West Virginia Derby winner (Dragoon Guard). It will be a terrific race!”
Parx favorite Butch Reid is entering Uncle Heavy in the PA Derby, as well. “They’ve been hoping for that breakthrough race, and that would be the right time to have it, for the Pennsylvania bred to have the race of his life.”
“The star of the show, though, unquestionably, is going to be Thorpedo Anna,” Dick laughed.
Countless awards have been bestowed upon Dick for his exemplary writing, including an Eclipse Award for his story on the great Barbaro, as well as the Red Smith Award for his Kentucky Derby coverage (five times); the Joe Hirsch Award for his stellar Breeders’ Cup features, including the story on Da Hoss (three times). Most recently, he was honored with the Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor presented at the Hall of Fame across from Saratoga Race Course, which he attended with family and friends.
To those who are passionate about horse racing, and may be pondering a career writing about the excitement and people involved in the great sport, Dick offers some advice. “Read as much as you can, find some really good books about horse racing, for the history, for the present. Spend time at the racetracks with people who have been around for a while. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Read as much as you can. That’s how I learned to write, by reading other good writers.”
