Derby Watchers To Get Jockey’s-Eye View Of Race

Jockey Alex Solis will make Triple Crown history Saturday regardless of where his horse finishes in the Kentucky Derby.

He will be aboard Captain Bodgit and will be the first rider to wear a miniature television camera during a Triple Crown event.

The camera, including battery and transmitter, will be mounted on the jockey’s helmet. It is the size of a lipstick tube and weighs 19 ounces.

“What we hope to see with the JockeyCam, if it’s a nice day, is the break from the starting gate, which is pretty exciting, and see him making a move and bringing the viewer on to the track as he does it,” said Curt Gowdy Jr., an ABC producer.

The camera is joined to a wireless transmitter about the size of a pack of cigarettes in the jockey’s pocket. The signal is beamed to a helicopter, which sends it to the network’s truck.