By JENNIE REES
The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal

THE KENTUCKY DERBY

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There never was a question which jockey Juddmonte Farms wanted to ride Kentucky Derby favorite Empire Maker.

"Jerry Bailey had the call when Empire Maker was a yearling," Juddmonte Farms president John Chandler said, only half-joking.

No jockey is more coveted in racing. The two-time Derby winner has won the Eclipse Award as North America's outstanding jockey three straight years and a record six times in the past eight. He also has led the nation in purse earnings six times during that period.

Bailey, 45, who calls the first half of his 29-year career "my years in mediocrity," has morphed into the strongest rider in the game.

Other jockeys often have to commit to a series of races to acquire a coveted mount, but Bailey doesn't. In fact, some trainers hold off naming another rider until the last minute, just in case Bailey becomes available.

If Bailey is able to do things other riders can't without losing business, it's because he has earned that lofty status, trainers say.

"It is not by accident," said Bill Mott, who has teamed with Bailey to form one of racing's most formidable combinations in recent years - including with two-time Horse of the Year Cigar. "He's worked his way into that position with his record and riding the winners in big races."

The past five seasons Bailey has won at least 25 percent of his races. But along with it comes the temper.

"Especially if a horse runs bad," Mott said. "He can be absolutely horrible to be around."

There also is a soft side to the hardnosed rider - two, in fact: wife Suzee and 10-year-old son, Justin. Bailey's family has helped his ascent, but it also might be why he'll one day walk away from the saddle.

Two landmark years in Bailey's life are 1989, when he quit drinking, and 1993, when Justin was born after he and Suzee had gone through seven years of fertility treatments. He said he became more serious after he swore off alcohol - at the time Suzee told him to choose between her and booze. After years of frustration and disappointment of not having children, the joys of a son were magnified.

"I love them so much that I really feel a need to be around them and share their life," he said. "Life goes by so fast that I feel like I'm missing a year when I miss a week."

Jockeys earn about 10 percent of their purse winnings, which in Bailey's case is about $260 million in career purses. He certainly doesn't need to keep riding. He has invested his money - with a large assist from Joe Allbritton, owner of Hansel, on whom Bailey got his first Triple Crown race wins in the 1991 Preakness and Belmont. He's also not extravagant. "It was really drilled into me that a lot of riders throughout the years had made a lot of money and wound up with nothing," he said. "I've always been very cognizant of the fact that it's not what you make, it's what you save."

However, Bailey has some unfinished business. "I want to win a Derby for Justin," he said. "The first one, Suzee wasn't there because Justin was just born. The second one, Suzee was there, but Justin stayed home. So I've been trying to get there when Justin is old enough to be there with her. That's been a big driving force for me."

Trainer Kenny McPeek, second with Bailey and Tejano Run in the 1995 Derby, calls him "the smartest rider out there, " adding, "The big thing about Jerry is he doesn't want to ride bad horses or horses who are not well-prepared. He demands quality. But he deserves it."