Taylor Holes first win at Aqueduct

After losing over 50 consecutive races, Taylor Hole notched his first win at Aqueduct this meet. Taylors and his mount Debating won the 7th race 0n 13JAN08. Taylor Hole is the kind of sportsman that labors in obscurity but this does not mean he is lacking in star quality or talent. He is rich in the rare quality of quiet dignity, the kind that is the result of hard work. When taking in the whole of Taylor Holes life it is apparent that Taylor is indeed a star. He is a everyman star, not the kind of star we see on TV. He is no primadonna that is protected from the reality of life. Todays kind of star is splashed on the back pages of Newspapers everyday more for their tantrums and selfish demands rather than their heart. As a tall rider Holes personal labor to maintain riding weight shows more heart than a the heart of a whole football team with the best trainers. Plugging away for months at working class Aqueduct without a single winner or a million dollar contract shows more guts than the whole team of basketballers who have a 1 out of 2 shot to win every time they set foot on the court.


Taylor Hole is the kind of sportsman that should be the idol of young people everywhere. His quality's are conviction, bravery, commitment and heart. Unlike ball sport stars Taylor Hole faces the kind of adversity that many of us face everyday in our lives. His life is not sheltered from reality. There are no guarantied contracts for a rider, if he does not perform he does not cash a check. If he falls off a horse and can not ride he does not have a paycheck waiting, there is no injured reserve for jockeys. Yet in the face of all this adversity, in the face of real danger Taylor plugged along for 6 week and finally got his win at Aqueduct today.



Taylor was bred to be a jockey as his father lived and died as a jockey. A man of character Mike Hole was known as a jockey that would not take a bribe to fix a race under any circumstances. Reportedly Mike Hole turned down offers of 5,000 and 10,000 dollars to hold a horse back at Saratoga in 1974. His conviction may have been his undoing as he was found slumped over in his car 18 months later near Jones Beach New York. His death appeared to be a suicide but this has never been proven. Rumors of his murder persist. Taylor Hole following in his fathers footsteps shows that Mike Holes bravery and character passed on to his son.

The sport of racing has many characters like Taylor Hole toiling in obscurity with the combination of an iron clad constitution and a deep love of the game. As a niche sport with not many bandwagon types, many of us fans share this love for the game. Watching him score at 43-1 today was a triumph of commitment and heart over the overwhelming force of weakness. Most people would quit when the situation becomes the daunting challenge of a fringe rider, struggling for mounts and riding hopeless longshot after hopeless longshot.