Antley Turns Big Loss Into Biggest Gain

After winning Saturday’s Kentucky Derby with Charismatic, trainer Wayne Lukas said that one of the reasons he had hired Chris Antley to ride the horse was that the jockey looked “hungry.”

Evidently, Antley’s hunger was something he couldn’t control last year. Trying to make a comeback at Del Mar after not having ridden all year, he ate his way up to 147 pounds, practically driving himself out of the game.

By the end of the year, however, Antley had shed enough pounds to make a limited comeback, and then this winter at Santa Anita he began to regain his stride, although he was sometimes riding at 121 pounds, four pounds more than the heaviest jockeys might weigh.

Antley had won the Derby before, with Strike The Gold in 1991, but Saturday’s was special.

“This one had a lot more sentimental value than anything I’ve ever done in my career,” he said.

Laffit Pincay, who had ridden Charismatic to a fourth-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby, might have ridden the colt Saturday.

“We would have been thrilled for Laffit to ride our horse,” co-owner Bob Lewis said. “But he told us after the Santa Anita Derby that he was going to have commitments at Hollywood Park on Derby day. We were happy to have gotten a rider with Chris’ talents, and it didn’t hurt that he had won the race before. Chris may have had some problems, but one of our responsibilities is to help people with problems.”

Antley’s problems last year were weight-related, but substance abuse has halted his career three times. In 1988, while riding in New York, he tested positive for marijuana in February and nine months later tested positive for cocaine.

“I’m happy that Chris won this race,” said Shane Sellers, who finished next to last Saturday with Vicar, the Florida Derby winner “Some of the things, it was a shame that they got in the way of his career. But now he’s back, and it’s good to see a guy with so much talent do what he’s done.”

At the recently completed Santa Anita meet, Antley finished in 12th place in the standings, winning 23 races in only 138 races, far fewer than the jockeys ahead of him.

“Early in my career, I had a lot of things handed to me,” he said. “I’m just thankful that I’ve been able to get through the hard times.”

Reports that Antley made $1 million in the stock market a couple of years ago apparently were not exaggerated. Between riding horses during morning workouts in California, Antley still keeps track of the market. He offers stock tips on the Internet.

“I’m what you would call a long-term day trader,” he said.

One thing he won’t trade for anything is the mount on Charismatic in the Preakness in two weeks.