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O n August 10, Mike Smith will turn 61 years old, an age almost unheard of among active jockeys — a profession that demands the body of a gymnast and the nerves of a fighter pilot. Yet as the Del Mar summer meet quickly approaches, Smith is not planning a retirement party. He is planning to win. "As long as I'm riding good horses, I still really enjoy it," Smith says with characteristic understatement. "I love horses. I love being around them. I love the competition. Nothing has changed from the time I was 20 until now." Smith's journey to racing's summit began in the high desert of New Mexico, where he was born in Roswell and raised in the small town of Dexter. His father rode horses, his uncle trained them, and by the time he was 11, Smith was competing at bush tracks — a circuit where you learn to survive before you learn to shine. "I happen to get along with horses really well," Smith says. "I communicate well with them. I feel like I know what they're asking for — what they like, what they don't." By 16, Smith had a jockey's license and was riding professionally, first in the Midwest, then conquering the brutally competitive Big Money Mike At 60, he's the jockey who refuses to fade BY BILL ABRAMS detour recreation Mike Smith aboard Bottle of Rouge at the 2025 Del Mar Debutante Stakes ranchandcoast.com 94 JULY 2026 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE