| BIOGRAPHY |
It was the early seventies, woman were getting restless, they wanted careers, some wanted to be jockeys such was the case of Sherry Mickle. Sherry, was comfortable around horses, having competed in Equestrian events, barrel racing and pole bending, from an early age, but she would have to get through a few cliches before her career could begin.
No experience, no job. How do you get experience, get a job! Well, Sherry found a solution for that, she sought out a local horseman named Buck Dodge, who agreed to teach her how to gallop horses. In 1972, at twenty years old she left home with the Dodge family and their string of quarter horses and headed for the midwest. They traveled to events in New York, Ohio, Michigan and Canada as Sherry honed her skills galloping and breaking horses from the starting gate, after about six months she was ready for a leg up. Dodge's stock was pretty good and Sherry started winning on regular bases. Then, at a fair in Ohio, the fairy tale was shattered, along with her femur. The ride was over for now.
If you fall off a horse, you have to get right back on! Sherry, returned home to Pittsfield, Massachusetts where she would spend the better part of a year recovering and rehabbing. The nice thing about Pittsfield, was that it was only a half hour from Green Mountain Park, a thoroughbred race track just over the state line in Vermont. This seemed like the perfect place to restart a shattered career. Sherry, sticking to her dream did go to Green Mountain and found work galloping horses, the only problem for a while was getting there. For the first week or so, during the drive her stomach and her would have a disagreement and she would have to get out of the car to take care of it, but that passed and she finished the meet at Green Mountain and made a big decision to head south.
Sherry, headed for Tampa Bay Downs, where she found it difficult to find steady work. In early winter she left Florida and found her way to a training center in Holly Hill, South Carolina where she broke horses for Lucien Laurin of Secretariat fame. At the time Junie Bresnahan was down with a string of horses from New England, he brought with him, two top female riders Barbara Smith and Denise Boudrot. The pair would provide Sherry Mickle, with some valuable insight to get her career off the ground. With her new found experience Sherry headed north back to Green Mountain Park, for the 1974 season, to start her career in earnest.
Up north, Sherry got her jockey's license and got her first leg up on August 8, aboard Bu Bim. Two months later on October 11th she scored an upset victory aboard the aptly named Score W., nipping her future husband Jerry Wood at the wire for a fifty dollar mutual. Guess he took notice! Sherry , continued to ride in New England, having her most prolific season in 1976, with 319 starts, but she was about to run into another cliche.
What goes up must come down. What came down was New England thoroughbred horse racing, by the end of 1976, both Green Mountain and Lincoln Downs had gone to the dogs. Needing a new home, Sherry like many other Green Mountain looked a little west to The Finger Lakes, a mid New York track that also raced mostly 1,500 claimers at the time. At Finger Lakes, there would be a little bit of serendipity for Sherry, as she was reunited with old mentor Buck Dodge, who was now training thoroughbreds. Sherry would pretty much ride exclusively at Finger Lakes till 1984, when she broke her pattern and headed to Canada, to ride at Fort Erie. In 1985 she returned to New England and rode what seemed to be her last race aboard Normie's Boy for her husband, now a trainer, on November 19, at Rockingham Park.
Never Say Never, It Ain't Over Till It's Over, take your pick cause it wasn't over. In 1997, Sherry met the love off her life. A 17 hands, gentle giant named Makes More Sense, that she bought as a two year old. Named "Junior" around the barn, she broke and trained the horse and just felt she had to ride him, so good bye retirement. Junior had some health problems, but as usual Sherry worked through it and got him ready when he was four.
Sherry, got junior to the races in 1999, his first start was a state bred maiden special weight at Belmont in June, he finished up the track, but gained some experience. His fourth start is the one Sherry will never forget. It was August, it was Saratoga. It was another state bred maiden special weight, where you could be competing against future Graded Stakes winners, these were the big boys. Junior, was certainly overlooked in the wagering, 30-1 as he loaded into the seven stall. When the gate opened Sherry had her "boy" out first, when they turned for home all they saw was open stretch, but it was still a long way to go. About halfway home the dream ended, they were collared by the favorite who drew off, but they were a clear second and collected a nice eight grand for their effort.
Makes More Sense, would go on the to win four races in his career, sadly Sherry was not in the saddle for any of the photos, now riding as Sherry Wood, Sherry would ride sparingly till 2001, when she retired for good.
| SCRAPBOOK | ||
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| Green Mountain 1974 | ||
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| Finger Lakes with Buck Dodge | ||
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| Makes More Sense at the Spa | ||
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| Makes More Sense Chart | ||
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| Narragansett Park March 12, 1976 |