Alex Canchari

For most of the sport's history the mental well-being of jockeys was not something that anybody talked about or even thought about. But the problem could no longer be ignored when, in 2023, two jockeys, Alex Canchari and Avery Whisman, took their own lives. They were otherwise young and healthy, but the pressures of being a jockey was a burden both, apparently, could not handle. They were not alone. Jockeys' Guild President and CEO Terry Meyocks said that 230 jockeys were surveyed last year and asked about their mental health....

What does the most recognizable jockey of the nineteenth century have in common with a young rider from the 1970s-turned-modern-day playwright? This seemingly disparate pair might be divided by over a century along the continuum, but their experiences, told in a fresh biographical treatment of Isaac Murphy by historian Katherine C. Mooney and through Robert Montano's self-penned and deeply-personal play, have much to tell us about the perilously-seated life in the irons. What they both encountered is particularly instructive for us, especially after the sudden and tragic losses of jockeys...

Four days after his Forte (Violence) won the GII Fountain of Youth S. in his 3-year-old debut, co-owner Mike Repole was still beaming. At this point, Forte's lead-up to the GI Kentucky Derby has been perfect. There have been no hiccups and his race in the Fountain of Youth checked every conceivable box. So what did Repole, who owns the horse in partnership with Vinnie Viola, think? We had Repole join us on the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland to find out. Repole was this week's Green Group...

Still seeking answers as to why Alex Canchari took his own life last week at the age of 29, his family has sent his brain to Boston University's Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Center to ascertain whether or not the jockey was suffering from CTE, the  brain condition linked to repeated head injuries and blows to the head. Several NFL players have committed suicide after suffering from CTE. "We have sent Alex's brain in to Boston University to see if there was CTE present," Canchari's sister Ashley told the TDN in...