Jockeys Outlast Holy Angels

Sean Kelly and his teammates have waited a long time to get their chance to play against the jockeys from .

The two teams squared off for the 45th consecutive year Thursday night with Santa Anita pulling out a 39-34 victory over the Holy Angels team comprised of eighth and seventh graders.

The game was played at La Salle High School in Pasadena. Proceeds from the event benefit the Holy Angels Athletic Department, the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and , a non profit that brings awareness to Usher’s Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes hearing and vision loss.

“It’s your big night to be on the court and you look forward to having everyone look at you,” said Kelly, who has attended Holy Angels since pre-kindergarten. “We really wanted to come out and have a great time and compete with jockeys — to not blow them out and not have them blow us out — a competitive game.”

Kelly led his team with 15 points.

Holy Angels coach Matt McSweeney said he was proud of his team for its effort and good spirit.

“The event is always a great event. This is my second year of being a coach at it,” McSweeney said. “We appreciate the jockeys coming out. It is a fun time for the kids. They really enjoy it. It makes them grow up because they don’t realize how competitive these guys are. They’re professional jockeys so they’ve got to pick up their game a little bit. I was proud of the way they (kids) did. The jockeys did a great job.”

Jockey Corey Nakatani praised the Holy Angels team.

“They’re half our age and they give us all we can handle,” Nakatani said.

Nick Ibarra had six points for Holy Angels. David Thomson and Christian Joseph scored four points each. Alex Pidoux and Jake McSweeney scored two points each and Martin Rosales had one point. 

The night began with Kentucky Derby winners Laffit Pincay Jr., Gary Stevens, Eddie Delahoussaye and Mike Smith signing autographs prior to the start of the game, along with fellow jockey David Flores.