Calvin Borel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Calvin Borel (born November 7, 1966, in St. Martinville, Louisiana) is an American jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. He lives in Louisville, KY with his wife Lisa.

Calvin Borel hails from south Louisiana, the heart of Cajun Country famous for its production of many of the top jockeys of the last twenty years. Like Randy Romero, Kent Desormeaux, and Shane Sellers, Borel began racing horses in the so called "bush tracks" near his hometown of St. Martinville. The bush tracks were unrecognized match races in which local horsemen would pair two opposing quarter horses over a makeshift dirt track of about 100 yards. One such track was called Cajun Downs in Opelousas, Louisiana where Borel began riding in match races at the age of eight.

Calvin Borel's older brother, Cecil, had a brief career as a thoroughbred jockey but was not able to maintain his weight and turned to training horses at Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana. Calvin Borel would begin his professional riding career there.

Over a career that has spanned 25 years, Borel has been known for his tireless work ethic as well as an uncanny ability to slip up the rail to save ground, thus he is many times referred to as "Calvin Boo-rail" by colleagues racing fans. As of 2006, Borel has won over 4,300 races- ranking 19th among active jockeys and 41st all time.^{[citation needed]} Among Borel's victories, 211 are in graded stakes races with eight in Grade I events. His most significant win came in the 2006 Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Career highlights: