It was the first Saturday in May 1984, and a 17-year-old jockey named Mike Smith was on a flight from Omaha, Nebraska, to Louisville for his first ride in the Kentucky Derby. He had no idea how he was ...

Long ago, I internalized the definitive axiom of sportswriting: There’s no cheering in the press box. Yet here are the 10 reasons why I will be rooting, silently, for jockey Mike Smith to boot trainer ...

New Mexico jockey Mike Smith, 59, looks to become the oldest jockey to win a Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2026. That record is held by legend Bill Shoemaker.

Triple Crown-winning jockey Mike Smith will ride in the Kentucky Derby after all. Race officials said Friday that Smith has picked up the mount on 30-1 shot Cutting Humor, trained by Todd Pletcher.

It was last Friday morning, before 9 a.m. Pacific time and eight days from the race that could seal the first line in his obituary. Mike Smith could not begin to calculate how many interviews he’d ...