holy schnikeys!!

Here's another one posted today on Paulick. Outriders have a hard job but most seem to be excellent.

Churchill Outrider Blasi Chases Down, Catches Loose Horse
PR

An unusual occurrence took place prior to Friday’s seventh race when the 4-year-old filly Yodel broke through the starting gate dumping jockey Chris Landeros. With the help from his 10-year-old Quarter Horse Pee Wee, Churchill Downs lead outrider, Greg Blasi, was able to secure the filly when he caught up to her and grabbed her by the saddle. Yodel was then scratched by Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s state veterinarian.

This morning, Blasi admitted to being a little bit on the sore side.

“I’m sore in places today that I didn’t know I had anymore,” Blasi said. “It was a little easier to do this when I was younger I can tell you that.”

Blasi, who has been outriding for many years, says that while instances such as these are pretty rare, it becomes second nature to someone in his position.

“This really isn’t something that you think about, you just react to it and just do it,” he said, “If you sit out in front of the gate enough and it has happened to you before and those horses, when you hear that noise, you now when one’s come through. When one goes [out of the gate] and the rest of them don’t, it’s a different kind of noise and your horse knows it too.”

Blasi gave a lot of credit to his pony, Pee Wee, for assisting him in securing the loose horse.

“If I’m not sitting on a horse like that, it doesn’t matter what you do,” he said, “It’s the horse that’s doing it. Yeah, I was pulling but the horse really does a lot of the work. I give the horse all the credit. We could have gone down in a pile real easily.”


Greg Blasi grabs the stirrup of a loose horse's saddle in an amazing catch at Churchill Downs May 8.