By Katie Petrunyak
GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes contender Arthur's Ride (Tapit) is all business when he goes out to train in the morning. Coming back to the barn afterwards? Well, that's a different story.
Damian Hinds has been assigned to Arthur's Ride as the 4-year-old colt's exercise rider throughout this year's Saratoga meet. He has grown accustomed to the GI Whitney winner's daily antics over the Oklahoma track when they start heading back to the Bill Mott barn after training.
“He's a good horse to gallop, quiet and nice, but to take him home after you finish training, that's where you have to stay on,” explained Hinds with a good-natured grin. “He has some jumps and some bucks. It's not like he's doing anything bad, he's just enjoying himself and playing.”
Arthur's Ride's horseplay may seem charming from afar, but being the one in the saddle takes a unique skill set. Luckily, Hinds is the perfect match for the boisterous colt. When he's not riding for Mott in the summer, the 43-year-old spends the rest of the year in Ocala, Florida helping train 2-year-olds for Eddie Woods. Working with rambunctious babies has prepared Hinds for any toddlerish tendencies 'Arthur' may show off.
“You have to think quickly and pay attention to what he's doing,” said Hinds. “You know when a horse is going to do something by their ears. You can't just ride him loose because he will do something. It's the same with breaking babies. You have to prepare for whatever they're going to do.”
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Hinds has been riding racehorses for 26 years. Originally from Jamaica, the horseman fell in love with the sport when his uncle took him to the races as a child. At age 17, he started riding for various trainers in Jamaica. When trainer Paul Fung moved his operation to Canada, Hinds came along with him. Eventually, Hinds wound up in Florida working for Eddie Woods and his passion for racing continued to grow.
“One time I broke my leg and somebody told me, 'Don't quit. These horses will show you something,'” he recalled. “So I've always been around horses since then. I never quit.”
Last year, Woods introduced Hinds to Bill Mott. They worked out a system where Hinds would spend his summer in Saratoga and stay with the Mott team through the Breeders' Cup before returning to Ocala in time for the busy season of 2-year-old training over the winter.
At first, Hinds was uncertain about the new job. Moving away from his home and his wife for almost five months was going to be a big adjustment. On his first day in Saratoga last summer, Hinds was wandering the outskirts of Mott's stable area wondering who to talk to so he could get started. That's when he met Erma Scott, a beloved member of Mott's stable for the past 40 years. Scott went with him that afternoon to help get his licensing in order and she instantly put him at ease. The pair formed a fast friendship that day and have been inseparable since.
Damian Hinds and Erma Scott with Arthur's Ride | Sara Gordon
“Whatever she says, listen to her,” Hinds said with a laugh. “She's there for the horses, too. She gives them their carrots, their massages, she does it all. She took me in and said, 'This is my son.'”
“I don't know what it was about him,” said Scott, who is currently nominated for a Dedication to Racing Award through the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards. “He has started calling me mama, so I like that. Everybody keeps asking me why I like Damian so much. I tell them because he's nice and he can ride.”
During his first season with Mott, Hinds worked with many of the barn's best trainees. He rode Just FYI (Justify), who won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, and spent the later part of the summer and the fall aboard Horse of the Year and GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile victor Cody's Wish (Curlin).
Damian Hinds aboard Cody's Wish in September, 2023 | Sarah Andrew
“Cody's Wish was something special,” he said. “He was a real nice horse going to the track and coming back. He had his days where he would pull very hard. If you knew what you were doing, you'd be fine.”
Hinds said that Cody's Wish, a two-time Breeders' Cup champion, is without a doubt the best horse he has ever sat on. Arthur's Ride is a close second. Attention has grown on the eye-catching gray ever since his breakout victory in the Whitney, a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 2.
“There is always pressure riding those kinds of horses,” Hinds admitted. “You feel it because a lot of people are watching. You have to be on the right lead all the time and do the right things. You never know if somebody maybe has a camera on you.”
Both Hinds and Scott have a soft spot for Arthur's Ride. Scott met the Glassman Racing-campaigned colt when he was just a 2-year-old learning the ropes of the racetrack at Payson Park.
Erma Scott calls Arthur's Ride “Carrot Man” | Sara Gordon
“He ran a couple of times [in Saratoga] and was second and then he took a break,” she recalled. “We got him back this year and he has been doing great. He's like a little baby, but we love him. He likes to play. He likes to eat his carrots. If I call him, he looks up at me. He's special.”
This weekend Arthur's Ride will take on another Challenge Series race in Sunday's Jockey Club Gold Cup. The 4-year-old already has an automatic Breeders' Cup entry with his Whitney victory, but another dominating win would seal the colt's spot as a top contender in this year's Classic. Hinds is hopeful that come November, he might be able to check the Breeders' Cup Classic off a growing list of races that his mounts have claimed.
Even though being away from home for months on ends comes with its challenges, Hinds said the experience is all worth it when he gets to have a hand in campaigning stars like Arthur's Ride.
“I could say that I get to get on some of the best horses in the country and I wouldn't be lying,” he said. “It has paid off.”
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