World Equestrian Brands Racing Helmet Cam

Ride along with Go Hippo Go on the turf at Tampa Bay Downs, courtesy of jockey Ashley Castrenze!

Few of us will get the opportunity to ride a Thoroughbred at full gallop in a race field (truthfully, few of us may ever WANT that much adrenaline in their life… I, for one, would be happy just to breeze alone and maybe call that a day).

For those of us happy to stay in the relative comfort of our own arenas or trails, but curious about what a race looks like from the jockey’s perspective, Ashley Castranze welcomes us along for the ride — and not just the race itself, but getting a leg up in the paddock, the post parade, warm-up and loading process. It’s a fascinating look at the build-up to a race.

Ashley is riding 30-1 Go Hippo Go, the 2 horse in Race 6 at Tampa Bay Downs on January 19 (for anyone interested in following along from the track’s race replayer).

If you DID opt to watch the race from the regular perspective, you’ll note that the photo winner, the 4 horse Silent Citizen, drifted in quite badly in the stretch — which you can also see in Ashley’s video above. Silent Citizen, after an inquiry and objection, was bumped down to fifth by the stewards, which put our Go Hippo Go up into third place.

Go riding!