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Retired professional jockey and actor, Otto Thorwarth, will write the foreword to Thomas Foley’s upcoming autobiography, The Simple Game: An Irish Jockey’s Memoir.
Thorwarth co-stars with Diane Lane and John Malkovich in Walt Disney Studios’ upcoming feature film Secretariat. Thorwarth plays the role of Ron Turcotte, Secretariat’s go-to jockey.
Although Thorwarth and Foley knew of each other for years, they became acquainted during the auditions for the Disney movie based on the life of Triple Crown winner Secretariat. “We shared war stories,” Thorwarth shared, “and joked about our lack of acting ability.”
Soon after the auditions, Thorwarth and Foley learned that they were both cast in the film; Thorwarth as Turcotte and Foley in the role of Jimmy Gaffney, Secretariat’s exercise rider.
While filming in Louisiana, Thorwarth and Foley quickly became friends and often spent hours talking during rain delays. “It was a pleasure and an honor meeting Tom,” Thorwarth said, “and when he mentioned his book to me, I knew that if it was anything like the person that I was getting to know that it would be something special.”
Once the manuscript was completed, Foley sent a copy to Thorwarth, who agreed shortly thereafter to write the foreword to the book.
Of the memoir, Thorwarth stated, “From the first page on, I felt as if I was back in Louisiana talking to Tom face-to-face. What struck me most was the frankness with which he shared his story. I easily related to the fact that we all struggle to find love; to form strong and lasting relationships; to understand ourselves, and to find our place in this world.”
Foley’s book will be published in hardback format by award-winning publisher Caballo Press of Ann Arbor, and will be released on October 8, the day on which Disney plans to release Secretariat. Foley’s piece is an honest and emotional account of the jockey’s struggle to recapture his passion for the sport and the horses that came, and continue, to define his life. The piece can be pre-ordered at a savings of over twenty percent by going to www.caballopress.com.
