Champion Jockey Barrington Harvey

The Northern California jockey colony has produced a litany of top riders through the years. From Johnny Longden and Bill Shoemaker to Victor Espinoza and Russell Baze, and most recently, Martin Garcia, the circuit has been a testing strip for many great jocks. With the exception of Baze, all of these jocks graduated on to more lucrative circuits. Barrington Harvey, a stalwart of the colony, has seen many new jocks come and go. Harvey has seen them on their way up and on their way down. He remains one of the bedrock underpinnings of NorCal's consistently strong group.

Harvey doesn't get the best mounts, and he doesn't get many chances to ride for the top barns. Even so, he took down top honors at the recently concluded Stockton meet. He Won 11 races during the 10 day San Joaquin County Fair meet which secured the jockey's title for the Jamaican native. It was his first title in a career spanning a plethora of tracks from Jamaica to the U.S. Harvey brought his tack to the U.S. after riding at Cayman's Park in Jamaica for 8 years. After arriving stateside, he began riding at Philadelphia Park. He later spent stints at Belmont, Aqueduct, Garden State, Monmouth, Meadowlands, Pimlico, Larual and other tracks in the mid-Atlantic region.

Some of Barrington's best qualities never show up in the charts or the standings. He's one of the very jocks who joins the fans for a beer after his last mount. He always has a smile and a story, and genuinely enjoys chatting with owners, trainers and fans. This kind of access is rare in almost every sport--try hanging out with a relief pitcher or utility man from your local major league baseball franchise. Next time your at a NorCal track, look for Barrington around the apron after his last mount. Buy him a beer. Then listen to one of the nicest folks in racing. You might like hearing him tell you about his day at the office.