In Jamaica’s horse racing realm, few jockeys have left an indelible mark on the sport like former reinsman Charles “Bogle Man” Hussey. With a career spanning decades, Hussey has earned a reputation as the master of the straight five, a distinction that has become synonymous with his name.

Hussey’s affinity for the straight five is rooted in his deep understanding of the intricacies of horse racing. He attributes his success to a simple yet profound mathematical equation: riding the straightest line possible from point X to point Y. This approach, he believes, eliminates unnecessary distance and energy expenditure, allowing the horse to conserve its strength for the final stretch.

“It’s a simple mathematical equation,” Hussey explained. “If you draw a straight line straight, X and Y become a straight five. But if you go from X to Y in a horizontal or in a diagonal, that Y now becomes five furlongs straight and 20 feet.”

But Hussey’s expertise goes beyond mere geometry. He has developed a keen sense of how horses behave on the track, particularly in straight five races. He knows that horses naturally prefer to stay on the right lead when running straight, and many jockeys make the mistake of trying to push their horses to the outside, where they perceive the faster ground to be.

“I try to teach it to everybody, but they don’t believe me or don’t want to believe. Because it’s a straight five, the horses naturally want to stay on the right lead as they don’t have any left turn to go around. So when they’re going around a five furlong round, they’re using their left lead, resting the right lead, coming in straight, and changing the right lead, shoot through and win. The jockey looks big,” Hussey said with a chuckle.

“What happens in a straight five? All the horses want to run, and their strong lead, the right lead, everybody wants to go over there. The jockeys say oh, over there is faster, but that’s not necessarily the fastest part. When I used to ride, I used to make sure the horses break on the left lead,” the former four-time champion jockey said.

This technique, honed over years of experience, has been passed down to younger jockeys, including Dick Cardenas, who Hussey mentored when he arrived from Panama. Cardenas’s first win on a straight five was a testament to Hussey’s teaching, and he has since become a respected jockey in his own right.

“I taught [Dick] Cardenas this technique when I brought him from Panama. The first race he rode was a five straight for me on a horse that wasn’t fit. But I told him how to ride it, and he rode it exactly, and he won the race at 16 to 1.

“Break on the left lead, like you go in a five round race. After two furlongs, make him [horse] switch to the right lead. That time you come into the quarter pole, into the furlong pole, you switch him back to the left. That is a fresh lead now, and you shoot when you win the race. And that’s how to ride a proper straight five,” Hussey explained, as this technique allows the horse to conserve energy and generate a burst of speed when it matters most.

Today, Hussey’s name is synonymous with excellence in horse racing, and his expertise on the straight five remains unparalleled. As he looks back on his remarkable journey, Hussey is proud to have left an indelible mark on the sport he loves, and his legacy continues to inspire and educate jockeys for generations to come.

But Hussey laments that many jockeys today don’t utilise this technique correctly.

“What happens with everybody now? The jockeys don’t let them use it correctly. Stay on the right lead, and I hope all these young riders are listening, because this is a lesson. They can try it, and they will get good results,” he said.

Hussey points to the records at Caymanas Park as proof of the effectiveness of his technique.

“You can check all the records you want at Caymanas Park. How much horses run, win a five round, and come back and win a five straight. You can’t find any at Caymanas Park.”

He explains that this is because horses use different leads when running on a curved track versus a straight track.

“You’re going to say, wait, it’s the same five furlongs. Why that can’t happen? Because the horse has to use the left lead going around the bend. And then, boom, change to the right lead. On the straight five, that don’t happen,” Hussey said.

As a result, Hussey notes that horses that excel in straight five races often go on to succeed in longer distances.

“Most horses that win a five straight, you can check it. They go on and win a mile race or a seven-furlong race. Or if a horse runs in five straight, keep on finishing in second or third but can’t really get it going, and boom, the trainer put him in a mile race, and he will win,” Hussey noted.

Hussey’s insights offer a valuable lesson for young jockeys and trainers looking to gain an edge in the competitive world of horse racing.

Former champion jockey Charles Hussey (left) presents the Hall of Fame trophy named in his honour to owner/trainer/breeder Carl Anderson in June 2019.

HUSSEY…If you draw a straight line straight, X and Y become a straight five