But the 64-year-old Bush, who started riding at River Downs in Ohio in 1978, asked them to wait until he got to Tampa Bay Downs and won another race.
“I wanted to be on top and be able to hold my head high and say I did it my way. There’s no better way to go out than with a winner,” Bush said this morning, still reveling in his victory over the 18-1 Protest in Wednesday’s seventh race, an event that claims seven furlongs for the first time.
Bush had ridden the (now) six-year-old gelding to a respectable fourth place on December 31 for owner Carla March and her husband, trainer William March. “He had a good run and got a little tired, but I knew he had to improve after that race,” Bush said. “When I got to the winner’s circle, Bill March said to me, ‘I knew you were going to do this.'”
For Bush and the Marches, Protest’s victory came full circle. Bush had won numerous races for the couple with their horse Well Connected, including a starter/optional claiming race for them two years ago at Tampa Bay Downs.
Bush, the brother of Midwest coach George Bush, retires with 3,288 career victories and total earnings of $25,212,469. He was best known for his success in New England, winning six riding titles at Suffolk Downs in Boston and four at Rockingham Park in New Hampshire. He rode six winners on a card at both the Suffolk and Northampton Fairs in Massachusetts.
Among nearly half a century of race-related memories, Bush also notes a tidbit: He moved from third to first in two separate races when the top two finishers were both disqualified.
“I’ve ridden so many great horses in my career. I’ve won stakes at Rockingham, Suffolk, all the Ohio tracks and New Jersey. I’ve won races at almost every track on the East Coast and the Atlantic Coast, from Saratoga to Gulfstream and Hialeah. I’ve been very lucky and had a very good career,” said Bush, whose late father Vernon Bush was also a jockey.
Bush did not race from the summer of 2018 through March 2022 due to a broken femur, a broken ankle and two hip surgeries, including a hip replacement. He worked at Belterra Park in 2019 and 2020 as a jockey room supervisor and competitor before his love of racing inspired him to return to the saddle.
Bush rode 47 winners after his comeback. Three years ago, he was honored with the Randy Romero Pure Courage Award, which is given to a jockey who has overcome serious injuries and/or setbacks. Romero, a member of the sport’s Hall of Fame who died in 2019, suffered a plethora of racing-related injuries that required more than two dozen surgeries.
“I’m honored to have my name somewhere next to his, and I hope it gives other people the inspiration that they can overcome things in their lives and move forward. Anything can be accomplished if you put your mind to it,” Bush said.
Bush created another lifelong memory last August, shortly before he was injured. He had found a saddle used at least forty years earlier by jockey Al Herrera, the father of Bush’s good friend Marilee. Bush cleaned and polished the saddle and used it to ride the 5-year-old mare Whiskey Diamond – owned and trained by George Bush, his brother – to an 18-length victory in a claiming race at Belterra Park.
Bush plans to continue exercising horses in the morning (he was at four today). He hopes to continue working in the industry, possibly as an employee of a racing office, and may seek to become accredited as a steward.
Wherever he ends up, Bush will be forgiven for occasionally reflecting on the excitement, the big wins, the occasional setbacks and the friendships he built throughout his career.
“It’s time for me. I have to step away. I know I can still ride a race without interfering with a horse, but I would rather be at the top than ride a lot of races without knowing if I would win again. I can say I have enjoyed every moment of my career and I am happy with the way it ended,” he said.
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