Jockey on His Way to the Top of List by Being an Easy Rider

Barring injury, jockey Kent Desormeaux, 19, soon will break Chris McCarron’s record of 546 winning mounts in a year. He has 537 winners going into today’s races. What is his secret?

Trainer Dale Capuano said: “He can do everything. He fits all horses. You don’t have to give him too many instructions in the paddock before a race.”

Trainer King Leatherbury: “He is what you call a classic rider--he takes hold of a horse early, gets him to relax. He stays out of trouble, then finishes well.

“He seems to have a clear thought pattern and a good feel for a race. Intuitively, he seems to know when the speed is going to quit, what the other riders are up to. He communicates to the horse well with his hands. He is not a slasher. He doesn’t get frantic and beat up on horses. He is cool, composed and patient.”

Add horse racing: From Paul Moran of Newsday: “The Las Vegas over-under line is 75 on the number of days Hialeah, located outside of Miami, survives in its attempt to run a low-grade, 158-day meeting in direct competition with fellow Florida tracks Calder and Gulfstream while offering eight awful races and two simulcasts six times a week. Take the under.”

Last add horse racing: Fans of the short-lived FIGS Form apparently will be able to purchase a handicapping publication based on FIGS data. Sale of the data to publisher Robert Maxwell, English archrival of Daily Racing Form Publisher Rupert Murdoch, reportedly is complete. Sources close to the paper say a renamed publication will present past performances in a more traditional style than the high-tech FIGS Form.

Trivia time: The Wyoming and Colorado State football teams play for the Bronze Boot. Which teams play for the Dutchmen Shoes?

Vote of no confidence: Placekicker Steve DeLine of the Philadelphia Eagles had a bad day against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, beginning with Herschel Walker’s 93-yard touchdown run on the opening kickoff. As a result, the Eagles held tryouts for both kickers and punters this week.

Said Eagle special team coach Al Roberts of Walker’s touchdown: “We have a saying that it starts with the kick and ends with the kicker. If you kick a bad ball, and it has a chance to come back to you, you’ve got to make the play. Steve DeLine still had a chance to make the play, but he didn’t. He’s just not that kind of a guy. But most kickers aren’t.”

Not his bag: Former Laker guard David Rivers, who was cut by Minnesota, on working with the Timberwolves’ coach, Bill Musselman: “I didn’t fit in. He wanted a guard who would run the offense, pass the ball and play defense. That’s not me at all. I’m a little more creative.”

Slam dunks to body slams: Having given up on 7-foot-6, 406-pound Argentine Jorge Gonzalez as an NBA prospect, Atlanta Hawk owner Ted Turner has turned him into a pro wrestler, “El Gigante.”

Trivia answer: Union and Rensselaer Poly Institute.

Quotebook: Martina Navratilova, comparing Monica Seles, the up-and-coming 15-year-old, to Steffi Graf: “If Monica had Steffi’s serve, we’d all be gone.”