Kentucky Derby 2023: Jockey Tohill makes up for lost time

Sixty-year-old Ken Tohill is on course to become the oldest jockey in Kentucky Derby history when he and Sunland Park Derby winner Wild On Ice spring into action next Saturday. As he sees it, he will be making up for too many years of lost time.

Tohill had piloted 4,100 winners and generated more than $71 million in purse earnings as of April 24, according to Equibase. Those are accomplishments any rider could be proud of, but Tohill will always wonder what might have been in a career that began in Northern California when he was 16.

Tohill pointed to himself as an underachiever for more than two decades. “I was a coward and drank way too much,” he said. “I didn’t have any confidence in myself.”

The turning point came when he was confronted by his wife, Robyn, who recognized his unfulfilled potential and worried that he could lose his livelihood to excessive drinking. “Why would you want to throw all of this away?” she demanded. “You’re talented and I just don’t understand it.”

That was the reality check he desperately needed.

“I’m not a churchgoer,” he said, “but somebody gave me the strength to say, ‘I’ve had enough.’ ”

With the help of rehabilitation programs and faithful attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Tohill has been sober for more than 20 years. Without alcohol, he made a dramatic transformation on and off the track.

He said of his career, “I had thrown half of it away and never expected to get the gifts I got in the last 20 years. It’s been more than most people get in a lifetime.”

Off the track, he went from being what he described as a “provider” to a family man. He treasures his time with Robyn and their combined families. “What we got together was just priceless,” he said.

He began working with Wild On Ice for owner Frank Sumpter and trainer Joel Marr late in the youngster’s 2-year-old season. He liked the way he moved but never thought of him as a Derby horse. Neither did the betting public. The gelding went off at 35-1 in the March 26 Sunland Park Derby (G3).

As the 1 1/8-mile race unfolded, Tohill was pleasantly surprised by how much horse he felt beneath him. “When he started creeping up there and he wasn’t weakening and they were, I was pretty thrilled,” he said.

The contest was worth 50 Derby qualifying points under to the system used by Churchill Downs to determine the expected 20-horse field, enough to ensure a place for Wild On Ice on the first Saturday in May. Jon Court, a good friend of Tohill’s, has held the distinction of being the oldest jockey to compete in the Derby. He was 58 when Long Range Toddy finished a troubled 16th in 2019.

“I hadn’t even thought about my age because all of the riders who taught me were older riders,” Tohill said. “I was really surprised to find out I would be the oldest to ride in the Derby.”

It enhances the moment that he will be riding on behalf of Sumpter, who had predicted early that Wild On Ice would be his Derby horse, and Marr. He has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with the trainer, and their families are close.

Marr is equally excited for Tohill. “There’s nobody that works harder. He’s there at 5:30 every morning,” Marr said. “I don’t have to worry if somebody is going to show up because he’s there and ready to work.”

Tohill rides primarily at tracks such as Sunland Park in New Mexico, Turf Paradise in Arizona and Prairie Meadows in Iowa.

“It’s minor leagues compared to the spotlight,” he said. “But it’s a lot of fun.”

Tohill has never competed in a 20-horse field, and there is no grander stage than the Derby. He called Court to ask him what to expect. Court’s advice? Because of the large field and the tremendous kickback, bring a lot of goggles.

The rider acknowledged that Wild On Ice would have to move forward significantly if they are to overcome long odds.

“The one thing I’m not going to do is worry about anything until it happens,” Tohill said, determined to embrace the opportunity he has waited a lifetime for.

Ron Flatter, Horse Racing Nation managing editor, contributed to this report.