Retired Jockey Court Joins Oaklawn in Integrity Role

Two and a half years after his final ride May 5, 2024, at Oaklawn Park, retired jockey Jon Court is returning to the Hot Springs, Ark., track in a new capacity. Court, a former leading rider at Oaklawn, will serve as an integrity coordinator during the upcoming meet, joining a five-member team led by integrity supervisor Beverly Fowler. Integrity officers oversee day-to-day activity and serve as liaisons among track management, horsemen and jockeys, veterinarians, stewards, and regulators. Court will help monitor the stable area, observe horses during training, and work alongside veterinarians and security personnel. His duties also will include periodic assignments in the jockeys' room, where team members conduct breathalyzer tests, as well as other areas of the facility, including the grandstand and stewards' stand. He said he intends to bring the no-nonsense approach he was known for as a jockey to his new role. "Just like when I was in the jocks' room, I wanted everything to be up and up," he said. "Not only would I demand that of myself, but I demanded it of my peers." Court said Oaklawn Park general manager Wayne Smith had repeatedly encouraged him to join the track's staff since his retirement. After spending the past couple of years working in real estate and construction, Court felt the timing was right. "Oaklawn's been good to me from Day 1. Treated me like family, and I hope it stays that way," Court said Oct. 8 in a telephone interview from his home in Shelbyville, Ky., just hours before he and his wife, Rosemary, were scheduled to leave for Arkansas. The Oaklawn meet runs Nov. 27 through May 1, 2027. The stable area opens Oct. 15 and the track opens for training Oct. 21. Court is not the only addition to Oaklawn's integrity staff. Retired trainer Tom Swearingen is also joining the team, Oaklawn director of racing Jason Milligan said. "So we kind of have a mix of obviously a former rider and a former trainer," Milligan said. "Obviously, they're gonna see things that I wouldn't see." Court, 65, retired with 4,263 career wins, 731, including 38 stakes victories, coming at Oaklawn. He led the track's rider standings in 2000 and ranks seventh in Oaklawn history by wins. He also was a leading rider at several other tracks, including Birmingham Race Course in Alabama, Hoosier Park in Indiana, and Ellis Park in Kentucky. Court frequently competed in Kentucky after spending the winter riding in Arkansas. His final Kentucky Derby (G1) appearance came in 2019, when he guided Long Range Toddy to a 16th-place finish. It was Court's fourth ride in the Run for the Roses. As he prepares for his new position, Court said he has consulted former Oaklawn integrity personnel to learn more about the job. He is also considering additional training to become a racing steward, a career path pursued by other officials with backgrounds in integrity and safety roles. Experience as a racing official, along with training and accreditation, are key steps toward that profession. Hal Wiggins, who has served as a steward in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Kentucky, and Trish Bowman, currently a steward for The Jockey Club at New York Racing Association tracks, are two notable graduates of Oaklawn integrity and safety positions. "I used to tell people I wasn't (going to be a steward), but I'm going to be honest with you, I think I will, and I'm gonna definitely take that into consideration," Court said.