| Thomas Foley |
| Thomas Foley is an Irish immigrant who arrived in America when he was seventeen years old. His mother, father and two sisters still live in Ireland. He is the father of three boys, Robert, Daniel and Kieran. His memoir, The Simple Game: An Irish Jockey's Memoir, is his first book. He has ridden as a professional jockey both on the flat and steeplechasing for over thirteen years. In his first full year as a professional jockey, he was the leading money-winning apprentice in steeplechasing and the third leading money winner overall. After spending the last three years riding on the flat, he has returned to riding over jumps and trying to get back to the reason he became a jockey in the first place... the horses. In 2010, Foley was cast in the role of Jimmy Gaffney in Walt Disney movie based on the life of Secretariat. He currently lives on a farm outside Baltimore, Maryland. Become a Facebook Fan of Thomas Foley by clicking here. |
Simple Game, is a retired professional jockey, who co-stars with Diane Lane and John Malkovich in Walt Disney Studio’s feature film Secretariat. Thorwarth plays the role of Ron Turcotte, Secretariat's go-to jockey. He grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the home of Oaklawn Park Race Track. He came up under trainer Frank Brothers and after graduating from high school, Brothers sent him to a farm in Texas. While there, Thorwarth learned to ride horses by training two-year-old Thoroughbreds. Following this “apprenticeship,” Thorwarth started riding professionally at Oaklawn Park in 1991, where he won his first race on his first mount at thirty-to-one odds! He rode all across the Midwest and East coast, and eventually concentrated his career in Kentucky and Ohio, where he accumulated four riding titles. After winning nearly fifteen hundred races, he retired from riding upon landing the role of Ron Turcotte. Bitten by the acting bug, Thorwarth is currently pursuing a career in acting and writing. He resides in his home town of Hot Springs, Arkansas, with his wife of eleven years and their two daughters. |
| Otto Thorwarth |
| "A cautionary tale to watch what you're willing to sacrifice for success, The Simple Game is quite the read, very highly recommended." |
---The Midwest Book Review
