HERE’S TO YOU, MRS. ROBINSON
Everyone should have a mother like Jeremy Rose’s mom.
Cynthia Robinson is the sometimes meddling mother of the 29-year-old rider who has been in the news for whipping a horse in the face at Delaware Park and receiving a six-month suspension that was reduced this week by the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission to three months.
Robinson apparently sought out reporters to give "her" version of the events that transpired when Rose whipped Appeal to the City in the left eye near the finish of the third race June 23 at Delaware Park. The 5-year-old mare was sent to the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center in Pennsylvania for treatment following the injury. She spent a week at the equine hospital, though according to published reports, her trainer, Howard Wolfendale, said she now is in good condition.
Jack Ireland, writing in the News Journal of Delaware, said Robinson suspects someone at the racetrack leaked news of the whipping incident to the media intentionally. "He ends up getting turned in by the SPCA, and I feel abused at times by the media over this," Robinson said. "He has lost $70,000 in earnings the past month and is being portrayed as an animal abuser. This is something now my son will have to live with for the rest of his life."
Excuse me…you feel abused?
To quote Benjamin Braddock from The Graduate: "Mrs. Robinson, if you don’t mind my saying so, this conversation is getting a little strange."
She wasn’t done. She also got the ear of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Craig Donnelly, telling him: "We watched a son we are proud of [condemned] through the media and muddied and turned into the SPCA. The price he has paid is greater than the six months’ suspension. He has been portrayed as an animal abuser."
Robinson then told Donnelly a story of how Rose helped bring a retired gelding to the family farm and that he refused to have the horse euthanized even though he was blind.
Again, quoting Benjamin from The Graduate: "For god’s sake, Mrs. Robinson. Here we are. You got me into your house. You give me a drink. You… put on music. Now you start opening up your personal life to me…"
Aside from this unfortunate whipping incident (which Rose claims was an accident, but for which he will attend anger management classes), the jockey is best known as the rider of 2005 Preakness and Belmont winner Afleet Alex. Maybe it’s only right that Cynthia Robinson was given so much credit for her son’s achievements that year in an article that appeared on ESPN.com under the headline: "Preakness Winner Rose Has Mom to Thank." The story detailed her pushing him along on his career path as a jockey.
She also served as Jeremy’s unofficial publicist during his Triple Crown whirl. When I was editor of Bloodhorse magazine in 2005, I received a telephone call from a woman following the Belmont Stakes. The caller didn’t want to give me her name, but said she was a subscriber who was upset the magazine hadn’t profiled Afleet Alex’s winning jockey as it had done three weeks earlier after Afleet Alex won the Preakness.
I explained that when the same horse wins back-to-back Triple Crown races, the Bloodhorse mixed up the editorial package and tried to avoid repeating the same stories from the previous race. That didn’t slow the woman down. She then complained that the magazine had a profile on J.J. Graci, a former trainer and then radio host who was acting as a spokesman and publicist for the Afleet Alex team. Finally, the caller went on to tell me wonderful things about Jeremy Rose and that the magazine’s readers deserved to know them.
"Wow," I recall saying to her. "How do you know so much about Jeremy? You sound like his mother or something."
There was a long pause, followed by, "Well…I am his mother."
It’s good to see Jeremy’s mom hasn’t changed much these last few years. Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson!
By Ray Paulick
Copyright ©2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: afleet alex, appeal to the city, benjamin braddock, craig donnelly, cynthia robinson, delaware thoroughbred racing commission, j.j. graci, jack ireland, jeremy rose, the graduate
July 24th, 2008 at 11:11 am
She is like racing’s stage mom. The only difference is he’s 29 freakin years old!
July 24th, 2008 at 11:23 am
…and you wonder why Jeremy may have some ‘pent up aggression’?
July 24th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
wow, a mom who’s sticking up for her kid. you’re right, what a horrible bitch.
July 25th, 2008 at 12:35 am
I have to say that while I’ve enjoyed the Paulick Report so far, I think this sort of article only detracts from an otherwise great website.
Nothing good can come from making fun of Cynthia Robinson. Instead of delving into a real issue, such as the decision to cut Rose’s suspension in half, or the fact that Appeal to the City’s own trainer has come out in support of the guy who nearly took her eye out, there’s a write-up satirizing the jockey’s mom.
Lots of people who do idiotic things also have parents who meddle, who act nutty, and who say inane things. The only difference is that they aren’t being featured in national horse racing publications (thankfully).
July 25th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Mrs. Robinson should quit doing what she does, otherwise she must expect and endure whatever comes from her actions.
In my eyes, Jeremy Rose is a top-class jockey. In that incident he lost his head and committed a cruelty for which he should be punished. However, he is no different from all the other jockeys we see every day flogging their horse.
In the USA, flogging humans stopped years ago, although I believe it is still lawful in Delaware. Perhaps Jeremy should have been flogged.
The real answer to this form of cruelty is to ban the whip. A jockey who cannot ride without a whip, should not have a licence.
July 26th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Mr. Paulick,
You give me way to much credit!
As we grow older and wiser, I have learned not to speak to the media because as you see
what actually gets quoted and to who, is not necessarily what was said.
Everything that you have quoted by me came from Testamony that was given at the appeal
hearing. Not from interviews w/ the media nor chasing down reporters.
Perhaps you should have been at the hearing if you wanted the facts… instead of writing a story off of other reporters stories.
Apparently this is not your first time of looking at a picture and making up a story, perhaps that is why you are no longer at the Bloodhorse.
July 26th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Mrs. Robinson, what are you doing at your son’s trial anyways? Can’t Jer Bear take care of himself? Don’t you know that if you get in the middle of all this crap, a mother taking care of her 29 year old manboy is going to come off as ridiculous and open for contempt?
July 31st, 2008 at 10:41 am
At what age does a mother stop acting like a mother. Cindy Robinson has always been involved with her son’s activities. She herself is a long time horsewoman. She supported her son in activities in school and involving horses as a child. That all led to his career as a jockey. Cindy has a beautiful well managed farm that she runs, where she also brings in horses off the track to find them useful homes. Therefore, there is still a strong connection between her love of horses, racing, and her son’s career. What mother , that has been so involved and supportive, is going to sit back and watch something happen to her son’s career? Some might look at it as meddling and overbearing. Others just see a mother just acting on her protective instincts. Hmmm , at what age is that supposed to stop? I am sure Jeremy can take care of himself, but even at 29 it’s still nice to know your family can be there for you. Mrs. Robinson raised a good kid. He is hard working and successful. And when you make fun of her stories of him bringing home horses off the track and not letting them be put down… ummm .. what is so funny about that? Not everyone would do that, I am sure that is his way off giving back to some of the horses that have made him successful.
The debate over the whipping will go on…. but what good does it do to trash the guys mother?
Don’t you have anything more important to write about? There’s alot of broken down, abused race horses out there and worse things going on in the racing industry, why not focus on that.