Oldest Jockey Rides Into Sunset

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - In the 10,630th and final race of his 45-year riding career, America's oldest jockey finished sixth.

Willie Clark, 69, retired yesterday - insisting he still felt good despite too many bad horses, hundreds of bone-breaking spills, and several reckless riding charges.

"I could ride every day if I wanted to," he said. "I don't want to. There's too much aggravation."

In his last race, Clark finished sixth aboard Gama Force in a seven-horse, 6 1/2-furlong sprint.

"The horse ran OK. When someone else gets ahead, you have a heck of a time trying to catch them on this track," Clark said.

After the race, he was led to a special winner's circle ceremony, where officials awarded him a week's trip to Virginia Beach, Va.

Clark, 5-foot-4 and 96 pounds, talks like he's 19 but looks like he's 89. He has a shock of white hair, no teeth and a face whose creases tell what his nasal squeak of a voice doesn't.

He first made a name for himself in 1945 as a fast starter at Laurel (Md.) Race Course. He became a fixture at tracks throughout the East, racing everywhere from Monmouth Park in New Jersey to Hialeah in Florida.

That was before he hung his silks at 3/4-mile Charles Town Races, a tiny course known in racing circles as a "bull ring" because of its short straightaways.

"When I started, if you couldn't produce, the man didn't want you. If you weren't 1-2-3 out of the gate, you didn't get mounts," Clark said.

He learned early on to get out fast and never to let anyone pass on the inside.

Charles Town jockeys complain Clark is like the highway driver who realizes he is about to miss his exit, cutting off others as he veers from the passing lane.

In June, he was slapped with a one-month suspension for reckless riding.

In 1988, he was suspended for 10 days for careless riding in two races the same day, said Joe Servis, the chief steward at Charles Town Races. A month later, he drew a seven-day suspension for "failing to maintain a straight course," Servis said. In 1989, he drew seven days for the same offense.

"He's all over the place," said jockey Larry Reynolds, 21, whose father also rode against Clark.

"If he's at the outside, he comes straight in. If he's inside, he'll go straight out. You're supposed to be aggressive. You try to make someone back off. But he doesn't give you the option of backing off. He'll knock you down."

Clark shrugs it off.

"I rode rough all my life," he said. "When I came up . . . it was do unto others first, outside of killing them. We rode differently."

Clark has ridden as many as 300 races in recent years, mostly for owner-trainer Dennis Jackson, 40, of Shepherdstown.

"When he's on a horse, he's not scared of anybody or anything," Jackson said. "If you fool with him or cut him off, you can look forward to him paying you back one day."