Ferrin Peterson | Horse Racing Free Tips

Por Que No Sets Pace, Sails To Easy Win In Boiling Spring Stakes At Monmouth

As the lone speed in a short field, trainer Kent Sweezey and jockey Ferrin Peterson weren't about to overthink the strategy with Por Que No in Saturday's $75,000 Boiling Spring Stakes at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

Get to the front, slow down the fractions and leave plenty in reserve. Good in theory but even better in practice, as it turned out.

Por Que No led every step out of the gate and then cruised to a 4½-length victory, posting her fifth win in her past six starts and first in stakes company.

Seasons, the 7-10 favorite in the field of six 3-year-old fillies, faded to third after chasing the slow fractions set by Peterson and Por Que No throughout the mile and a sixteenth turf feature.

“I knew there were some really good horses in this race and my thinking was I need to make them catch me. I'm the speed in the race,” said Peterson, who notched her first stakes win of the meet. “So if I can get the lead, save ground and let her relax – which she did; in the backstretch, she was in her own element – and then take a deep breath and don't stress I thought she would be able to do what she did.

“At the three-eighths pole, I saw out of my peripheral vision another horse coming, so I thought `okay, I've got to make them catch us, I've got to break their confidence.' I shook her up a little and she had another gear. At the top of the lane, she just took off.”

The winning time over a turf course rated firm despite rain showers prior to the race was 1:42.43.

Por Que No, a daughter of Wicked Strong owned by Fano Racing, returned $9.60 to win.

Peterson basically won the race in the opening half, with a first quarter in :25.82 and the half-mile in :49.60. Seasons and jockey Paco Lopez chased most of the way around before fading late. Shantisara, making her U.S. debut for trainer Chad Brown, finished second, three lengths ahead of a tiring Seasons.

“I know she can fight her jockey sometimes, so I was trying to slow her down as much as I could without taking energy away from her,” Peterson said.

Lopez said the moisture in the turf from the rain did not appear to affect Seasons.

“She got frustrated chasing those slow fractions,” he said.

For Sweezey, it marked his first stakes win at Monmouth Park since capturing the Good Magic Stakes with Phat Man in 2019.

“Ferrin was aware we were the lone speed and what the game plan needed to be,” said Sweezey. “I didn't think Paco Lopez would be that close, especially with the slow fractions. We wanted to make (Seasons) catch us. I knew my filly was doing good. I knew she'd be fine on the lead and would last.

“I wasn't worried with the rain before the race. I thought it would make everyone else a little more timid. It wasn't going to affect what we wanted to do. I knew she would be good today and she was.”

Por Que No had raced exclusively at Gulfstream in her first six career starts before Sweezey shipped her north for this race.

He said the ownership group, which owns a house in nearby Monmouth Beach, “wanted to see her run at their home track.”

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Monmouth Opening Day: 45 Horses, 14 Jockeys, No Whipping & Lots of Controversy

by T.D. Thornton, Bill Finley & Sue Finley

Amid concerns that jockeys would either be protesting Monmouth Park's May 28 opening-day program or not riding at all during the meet because of their concerns over a new state rule that prohibits whipping outside of emergency safety usage, it took until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday for Friday's overnight at Monmouth Park to be released, with six races drawing 45 entrants ridden by 14 jockeys.

Now that Friday's opening day program appears to be a “go,” the looming larger question is what will the jockey colony and field sizes look like in the near future as Monmouth embarks upon a season under a figurative microscope with the New Jersey Racing Commission (NJRC) mandating the most stringent anti-whipping rules on the continent.

Or, put another way, was the light riding colony turnout in the entries just a one-day act of protest, or a sign of a stressful summer to come at the Jersey shore?

“While I understand the jockeys' frustration with the new whip rule and I appreciate the jockeys' concerns that they're putting their lives at risk…the whip rule was created by the New Jersey Racing Commission. It is the law in New Jersey, and there's nothing that Monmouth Park can do about it,” Dennis Drazin, the CEO of the management company that operates the track, told TDN.

“Having said that, I am pleased that we were able to draw the card and get jockeys who were willing to ride to that we can put on the show and not disappoint the public and not create a significant hardship to Monmouth Park by having a financial loss,” Drazin said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Drazin said that he was concerned that certain veteran riders and perhaps even The Jockeys' Guild were pressuring jockeys not to ride. He said there would be “repercussions” if riders or Guild representatives tried to stage a coordinated job action.

Terence Meyocks, the president and chief executive officer of the Jockeys' Guild, told TDN after the overnight came out that the Guild played no role in trying to influence riders on whether or not to accept Monmouth mounts.

“The Guild's position hasn't changed. The rule is dangerous. We've maintained all along that it's not safe for the horses and riders,” Meyocks said. “We have not told one jock [whether to ride at Monmouth or not]. The jocks have made their own opinions whether to ride or not.

“Now, I know a number of riders that felt pressured by the track who decided to ride,” Meyocks continued. “They're willing to risk their lives. Other jocks are just concerned about their safety. We still think it's in the best interest of everybody–the racing commission the track, the horsemen, the owners, the trainers, the jocks, the betting public–to get this rule changed where it's safe and we don't have to worry about litigation.”

The Monmouth colony is expected to get a boost from several riders (Nik Juarez and Ferrin Peterson) who are currently sitting out suspensions, but are expected to accept mounts in New Jersey. Leading rider Paco Lopez will ride at Gulfstream Park on Friday. Then he has to serve an upcoming suspension and accept mounts that have been lined up at Delaware Park and Belmont Park, his agent, Cory Moran, told TDN. A decision on whether to ride at Monmouth will be made after that.

Drazin said he knows Monmouth's top all-time rider, Joe Bravo, is personally committed to sitting out the meet in protest of the strict new whipping regulations, and Drazin said he doesn't expect that decision to change.

But beyond that, Drazin said, “We would expect more jockeys to be willing to ride. I think that jockeys chose the wrong methodology to try and boycott Monmouth Park because of a rule that Monmouth Park did not create. And unfortunately, we had all this controversy, which puts a little bit of a damper on opening day and getting excited for the meet.

“If they're not going to ride [in New Jersey], they probably should choose where they're going to ride and go there instead of trying to get other jockeys not to ride and approaching trainers and asking them not to enter,” Drazin said.

“Look, if a jockey does not want to ride because of the rule and decides to go elsewhere, we can't stop them,” Drazin said. “But jockeys trying to–call it anything you want–set a boycott and engage in conduct that is detrimental to racing could end up having those jockeys get in a lot of trouble, which we certainly did not want to happen.”

Earlier on Tuesday Drazin had explained to TDN how the NJRC could enforce a rule that involves “conduct detrimental to racing,” although it is unclear exactly how or if that regulation pertains to not accepting mounts over a principled boycott.

Also earlier on Tuesday, Drazin had outlined three in-house possibilities that were under consideration for how Monmouth could penalize (or incentivize) riders who were deemed uncooperative or disruptive: 1) A meet-long ban for any rider who boycotted opening day; 2) A civil lawsuit against the Guild and/or individual jockeys to try and recoup lost handle revenue, or 3) Implementing a meet-long jockey-title bonus that would not be available to any riders who chose not to ride on opening day.

But after the overnight came out, Drazin told TDN he was rethinking those options.

“Given that we're able to put the races on and not have to shut Monmouth Park down, I don't probably contemplate there will be a civil lawsuit seeking damages. We'd rather get along with the jocks. And as far as the racing commission taking any action against anybody, that's up to the racing commission. I can't speak for that. But whatever policy [racing secretary] John Heims put in place as to jockeys who refuse to ride will probably stay intact.”

Both Drazin and Meyocks were in agreement on one issue: That New Jersey's controversial whip rule could become a moot point about a year from now when federal oversight mandated by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act is up and running and a uniform, nationwide whipping rule possibly gets put into effect.

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‘A Huge Blessing’: Peterson Wastes Little Time Recording Initial Laurel Win

Jockey Ferrin Peterson got off to a winning start on her first day in Maryland, booting home Spanish d'Oro to a 9-1 upset victory in Friday's ninth race finale at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

Trained by Hamilton Smith and owned by his older brother, Franklin 'Goree”' Smith, Spanish d'Oro ($20.20) ran seven furlongs in 1:27.40 over a fast main track to capture the maiden claiming event for 3-year-olds by a length over fellow long shot Goldie's Boy.

Peterson, 28, had two mounts on Friday's card, also finishing seventh on Lisbeth Dodd, John Cocce, Peter Donnely and Reginald Hyde's One More Nightcap in Race 5 for trainer Pat McBurney. Peterson broke One More Nightcap's maiden last summer at Monmouth Park.

“I'm still in a bit of shock. I was just excited to be riding two horses today,” Peterson said. “I'm thrilled. Just coming down the stretch and feeling my horse really take hold of the bit and want to go on with it. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting and so that was a great feeling. After that, it was pretty smooth sailing. Especially to win for someone that just gave me the opportunity … Hammy hadn't seen me ride before naming me on the horse, so that meant a lot.”

Laurel is the latest stop for Peterson, a native of California and part-time veterinarian who launched her professional riding career in 2018 at Golden Gate Fields while still in school, winning 10 of 144 starts.

Peterson had five wins from 96 mounts in 2019 and began 2020 as an apprentice, moving East and losing the bug over the summer at Monmouth Park where she finished second to perennial leading rider Paco Lopez with 42 wins. She also ranked second during the subsequent Meadowlands at Monmouth meet with eight wins and finished the year with 50 wins from 335 mounts and more than $1.6 million in purse earnings.

“I already came in feeling confident. All the trainers and agents I've been talking to around here have been giving me really positive reinforcement about people giving new jockeys opportunities,” Peterson said. “But, to have that happen on my opening day, that was a huge blessing and unexpected surprise. And to be able to do it on a horse with long odds, he showed something he hadn't yet.”

Peterson was able to hustle Spanish d'Oro, making his fourth career start, into a stalking position from post 9 behind Goldie's Boy through fractions of 24.08 and 48.15 seconds before forging a short lead at the top of the stretch and powering down the center of the track.

“He broke really well from the gate and he hadn't before, and being on the outside I knew I was going to need to break sharp and get over,” Peterson said. “We had a lot of horses to clear and so having that kind of break allowed us to do that and get in the position I wanted so we could save as much ground as we could.”

Before Friday, Peterson hadn't ridden since Dec. 12 at Aqueduct during a short stint in New York. She began galloping horses again Jan. 9, both at Laurel and Pimlico Race Course, and is named on R Awesum Betty Sunday and Petes Pride on Monday's special Martin Luther King Jr. holiday program.

“Sunday I'm riding one for a trainer I won with at Monmouth, Michael Moore. The horse is shipping in from Parx. I haven't ridden this horse before but I won for the trainer and these owners before. That was really neat to see that connections coming back,” she said. “And then on Monday I have one for [trainer] Mario Serey. I've met him a couple times I've been out to Pimlico this week. It's great to see these new trainers who have never worked with me already giving me an opportunity.”

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Ferrin Peterson Moves Tack To Laurel, Hoping To Pick Up Momentum From Summer

Starting Friday, the latest chapter in the intriguing story of practicing veterinarian and aspiring jockey Ferrin Peterson will be written at Laurel Park.

Peterson, 28, is named in two of nine races when live action returns to Laurel Jan. 15. The California native has the call on One More Nightcap for trainer Patrick McBurney in Race 5 and Spanish d'Oro, trained by Hamilton Smith, in Race 9.

First race post time is 12:25 p.m.

Maryland is the latest stop on a road that over the past few years has taken Peterson quite literally around the world. After quarantining as part of COVID-19 protocols, she began galloping horses Jan. 9 at Laurel.

“One of the nice things about Laurel is that it is year-round racing and that it is so centralized to so many tracks. So if I could take off here and make this my base, I'd be happy to,” Peterson said. “Who knows? We'll see what happens.”

Peterson comes to Laurel by way of Aqueduct, where she rode during the fall meet that ran Nov. 6 to Dec. 6. Though the trip didn't produce the on-track results she had hoped, Peterson came out richer for the experience.

“At Aqueduct they weren't allowing jockeys on the backside in the morning, and so I knew it was going to be a reach getting my business going there but I really wanted to go for it and try,” Peterson said. “They kept thinking they were going to open up the backside to jockeys but as COVID has continued delaying things, it seemed like it was pretty impossible to start business there with not being able to represent myself and see people face to face. So, I decided to make the move.”

Peterson said it was Ramon Dominguez, the Hall of Fame jockey who came to prominence in Maryland in the early 2000s, that first planted the seed of relocating to the Mid-Atlantic. She is represented by agent Simon Purdy, who also has the book for Weston Hamilton, the 2018 Eclipse Award winner as champion apprentice.

“I heard a lot of good things about Maryland for a while and always really admired their turf racing. When I was at Aqueduct, Ramon Dominguez had become a mentor of mine and so he told me if I ever considered moving to another track he would really recommend Laurel,” Peterson said. “He said it's so well-respected and it's very central to the other racetracks, which was one of the main reasons I moved to the East Coast in the first place and ideally, when covid's over, be able to ride six, seven days a week.

“People were explaining to me that the best way to do that is to get your business going at Laurel,” she added. “It really started with Ramon saying that and then I met Katie Davis in the jock's room at Aqueduct and she was speaking so highly about Laurel and the opportunities there and the horsemanship of the trainers.”

Peterson made her professional debut in February 2018 at Golden Gate Fields, riding while studying veterinary medicine at UC-Davis outside Sacramento, located about an hour north. She finished the year with 10 wins from 144 mounts at places like Del Mar, Golden Gate, Fresno and Oak Tree at Pleasanton.

“It was quite the challenge, with the commute and the work and everything. It was pretty crazy and pretty sleep-deprived, but I just had so much joy doing that,” Peterson said. “It just really kept me grounded in school to be able to keep riding and keep doing something that I was so passionate about. It just felt so right.”

Peterson, who served an externship in Japan touring Thoroughbred training centers, rehabilitation facilities and farms and attending the Nippon Derby as part of her undergraduate studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obisbo, had five wins from 96 mounts in 2019.

“As school started drawing to a close, I'd been just a part-time jockey for the last two years and I thought, 'Well, I've been able to keep my business going being my own agent and doing it part-time,' but it was pretty unheard of,” Peterson said. “That's what made me think, 'What would happen if I actually did this full-time and had an agent?' That's what I decided to pursue, and I've never regretted it.

“Even with the hard times like Aqueduct slowing down, that doesn't faze me because I know that's just what jockeys have to go through,” she added. “So, I'm happy to push on and make it happen.”

Perseverance paid off for Peterson in 2020, winning 50 races from 335 starters with more than $1.6 million in purse earnings. Though she began the year as an apprentice, she lost the bug during a Monmouth Park meet where she finished second in wins to perennial champion Paco Lopez, 51-42, and won her first stakes race, the Sept. 12 Mr. Prospector, aboard Share the Ride.

Peterson followed up with eight wins during the three-week Meadowlands at Monmouth meet in October, tying Jose Ferrer for second in the standings.

“That was very exciting, and then to back it up with a second at the Meadowlands,” she said. “I was very happy with how my summer went and I'm hoping to just kind of continue the momentum.”

Before she launches her veterinary practice full time, Peterson is determined to pursue a riding career that has been a goal since she rode English style and dressage growing up in Roseville, Calif., and attending high school in Oakmont, where she set the school pole vault record.

“I just didn't know growing up how to become a jockey and how to get connections at the racetrack. It was during vet school when I chose that avenue so I could become a racetrack vet and still work in horse racing,” Peterson said. “I started making connections. I was working at a Thoroughbred farm doing their [reproductive] work and breaking babies in the morning, and then I was able to get an exercise rider's license and started going to the track. That's really how it took off.

“I've been working part-time as a vet. I just want to be able to keep my skills up. I have enough time and flexibility with that. It's still something I'm very passionate about, the medicine side of it,” she added. “But, really, my whole life growing up I wanted to be jockey. Now as an adult, riding horses is my greatest passion in life. That's what I want to pursue first and foremost and have the veterinary medicine support on the side, too.”

Though she has yet to ride her first race at Laurel, Peterson said she already has a good feeling about her newest opportunity.

“Even just meeting the trainers for the first time, they're very welcoming,” she said. “They kept saying as long as you have a good work ethic, people give people a shot here. So, that was really encouraging to hear.”

Notes: Trainer Hugh McMahon registered a pair of victories Sunday with Instigated ($4.20) in Race 3 and Southside Warrior ($4.20) in Race 5 … Southside Warrior and Swirrlie Shirlie ($4.40) in Race 7 were both ridden by apprentice Alexander Crispin, who has at least one win on all six race cards to start 2021 with five multi-win days and 16 wins overall … There will be carryovers of $2,514.51 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 4-9) and $445.99 in the $1 Super Hi-5 (Race 2) when live racing returns Friday, Jan. 15. Multiple tickets with all six winners in Sunday's Rainbow 6 each returned $49.22.

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