Sorry Frankie, Bailey really gets the cream

There are only 16 days to go to the Breeders' Cup meeting at New York's Belmont Park so it's time to focus on racing in the US.

If you are a top jockey Stateside, life is marvellous. If you are a punter, it's the opposite.

Whereas over here, British riders gape with incredulity at the earnings of their American counterparts, our bookmakers' clients have never had it so good.

Take Jerry Bailey for instance. He is the main man by a long way on the other side of the Pond, and so far this season has clocked up over $20m in earnings. This puts even our ebullient Frankie Dettori, who makes Bailey look lightweight in the publicity department but not at the bank, in the shade.

Bailey has it sewn up it. His nearest challenger in the dash for dollars, with three months still left of the present racing term, is John Velazquez, who is trailing by more than $8.5m.

Multi-millionaire Bailey first topped the 20 milliondollar mark five years ago and has been adding to his pile ever since. The big difference in prize money over there compared with our measly pickings, is the reason why the income of an American leading jockey is so great.

Bailey came from the background of Quarter Horse racing - aboard supercharged sprinters, who race over very short distances. He is now a member of America's Racing Hall of Fame and reigns supreme at the show track of Saratoga where he has won the title for top rider seven times in eight years. He also has more Breeders' Cup victories to his credit than any of his rivals.

He will always be associated with the mighty Cigar, whose winning streak ran from 1994-96 with 16 straight victories and Bailey on top every time. In his mid-40s, he shows no sign of slowing down and could still be raking it in when he reaches the big Five-0.