(Rider Retires after 21 Years and 7 National Titles)As a reporter for the Mayefield Messenger, Thomas Carroll attempted to capture the soul of his hometown by writing about “real people,” not just those considered newsworthy.  His feature stories were well regarded and occasionally came to the attention of the metropolitan daily, the Beacon Light, which published Thomas’ stories under the heading “Dispatch from Mayefield.”  The following is one of these Dispatches, published in 1973.

 Rider Retires from Circuit after 21 Years and 7 National Titles

 By Thomas Carroll

 Mayefield Messenger

Joe Adkins, one of the better known names in horse racing, announced last week he is retiring from the National Steeplechase and Hunt Association circuit, but will continue to make horses and racing a major part of his life.

The seven-time national riding champion announced his retirement following the Colonial Cup in Camden, South Carolina, November 26.  Double vision, caused by several concussions this season, as well as numerous other injuries, convinced him it was finally time to take it easy after 21 years on the circuit.

“I have a blood clot in my right eye, and the muscle in that eye is dead,” Adkins told the Messenger from his home in Mayefield Tuesday.  When I look to the left, I have double vision.  I’ve been riding with one eye closed most of the time to help me see better.”

Adkins finished the season with 13 wins, the fourth leading steeplechase jockey in the country. He began the season with a victory aboard Happy Intellectual in the Atlanta Cup in March.  That durable duo of rider and steed combined for a record breaking victory in the New York Turf Writers Cup at Saratoga in August.

His final day on the circuit produced no victories in four races at Camden.  He finished sixth in the Colonial Cup.

Adkins’ professional riding career began in 1952.  Although he had experience on the hunt circuit, the first pro year was rocky.  He was winless in his first ten races and suffered two broken collar bones.

He began getting some mounts from trainer Mickey Smith and his luck changed.  He finished fourth that year.

Racing triumphs followed through the next 21 years, as did all of the accompanying injuries, including broken shoulders, collarbones, arms, nose, and legs, and numerous other injuries.

Adkins’ victories included all major American jump races, as well as the Grand National and TempleGwathmey three times each.  He was the country’s leading rider seven times from 1961 to 1970, four consecutive years from 1967 to 1970.

Last year he received the coveted F. Ambrose Clark Award, which is given annually to one who has done the most to “promote, improve and encourage the growth and welfare of steeplechasing” by the National Steeplechase and Hunt Association.

His career victory total of over 430 races is a national record, earning him a nomination this year to the RacingMuseum’s Hall of Fame.

Adkins is giving up the week-to-week grind of racing after 21 years, but he may not be leaving the sport altogether.

“I won’t say that I’ll never ride again.  If there is a stakes race or a really good horse available, I might consider it, but I’m retiring from the circuit.”

Adkins is leaving a sport he loved, but one he says is rapidly changing, and “not for the better.

“The incentive and the money are no longer here because most New York tracks have cut out jump races,” he says.  “Since 1970, when off-track betting came in, only Saratoga has had jumps.”

Steeplechasing is less popular with bettors than flat races, so many tracks have been eliminating them all together.

“There was a time when I could ride 150 to 160 races a year.  Once I even rode 180.  This year I rode all I could, and it only amounted to 90 races.

Atkins’ future plans include galloping horses at local race tracks and the possibility of becoming a trainer.

“I’ve always galloped in the mornings to keep fit and make extra income, so I’ll continue to do that.  Maybe, next summer, I’ll get a horse of my own.”

Although he wouldn’t necessarily recommend steeplechasing to a young person today as a career because of the limited meets and the inevitable injuries, Atkins has fond memories of his 21 years of jump racing.

“I love the sport, and it has really been good to me.”

(Robert J. Marton)