Ferrin Peterson | Horse Racing Free Tips

Horse Racing Wants New Blood. Or Does It?

Earlier this year, the son of a longtime family friend called me and said that he had claimed an eight-year-old gelding the previous summer, and he had raced a dozen or so times for him, but now he was nine, and he was worried about him. He wanted to make sure that he retired him sound, so that he could have a second career. After six or seven years on the track, he had earned it, he said.

He asked my advice, and I had him contact Anna Ford at New Vocations, who said she would make room for him. It meant that he would lose money on the horse, and that he would be the one to fund a retirement from a career for which he was only briefly responsible, but he insisted upon doing the right thing, even though his trainer felt he could still run successfully. Blue Pigeon has now been adopted out as a hunter-jumper prospect, and he owes his future to his former owner, 23-year-old Philip Miller.

But when Miller went to Aqueduct last week to apply for a jockey’s agent’s license, he was told that not only was he unqualified, but that he was unqualified to even sit for the test to determine if he was qualified.

“Has he ever been in prison?” asked a friend of mine when she heard of the decision.

He has not.

In fact, Miller graduated from the Stevens Institute of Technology at the top of his class with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. Now an MBA candidate who earned his real estate license in his spare time this summer, he is the son of a prominent cancer specialist and racehorse owner, and has owned horses on his own or in partnership for two years. He grew up going to the racetrack, spends most days handicapping, and has won a bit of money on the ponies.

He has been known to bring home a stray dog or two, did seven years of weekly volunteer service at the Special Olympics as an assistant swim coach, is polite, intelligent, and well-spoken. He designed an app to provide free college tutoring to under-privileged students. Any industry would be happy to have him.

Except for horse racing.

Miller was offered the job as jockey agent for Ferrin Peterson, but has been deemed by the New York State Gaming Commission as unqualified because he has no hands-on horse experience on the backstretch. Let’s put aside for a moment that being a jockey’s agent requires no hands-on horse experience.

After her agent, Julie Krone, moved back to California, I suggested Miller as an option to Peterson, who had ridden a winner for Miller at Monmouth. I have known Miller for his entire life, knew he was looking to get into racing in a bigger way, and his father has helped out more racetrack families with care for their cancer-stricken loved ones than I can count. I should know. My family was the first.

She met with him, thought he was the perfect fit, and offered him the job.

But a rule on the New York Gaming Commission books reads that “a license to be a jockey’s agent may be initially issued only to an applicant who…has been licensed and has acted as an exercise person, apprentice jockey, jockey, assistant trainer or trainer in this or another jurisdiction for at least one year.”

So, without so much as looking at his resume and what he has accomplished at the age of 23, without discussing his two years of racehorse ownership, New York State Steward Braulio Baeza told him he wouldn’t even be allowed to sit for the test because he was unqualified.

He studied Multivariable Calculus and Business Law, made the Dean’s List every semester, and received a merit-based scholarship to attend the school.

But he’s unqualified to be a jockey’s agent?

There’s nothing wrong with taking the path from jockey or trainer to agent; Angel Cordero and Kiaran McLaughlin are two good examples of people who have succeeded at it. But to say that’s the only path defies reason.

The rule would eliminate the careers of almost any jockey agent you ever heard of-Harry Hacek, Vic Gilardi, Lenny Goodman, and more. The people who managed the careers of Steve Cauthen, Eddie Delahoussaye and Jorge Velasquez would have been deemed unfit at the start.

Ignore for a minute that the rule seems arbitrary, insular and protectionist, ensuring that the path of many bright young people trying to get into the sport will be blocked, and that only insiders can play. That’s not the best way to invite smart, passionate people into horse racing. (And for what it’s worth, the rule would disqualify the most talented racing secretary from being a jockey’s agent, which makes no sense.)

Shouldn’t consumers (trainers) and employers (jockeys) decide who succeeds at this job, not someone in charge of issuing occupational licenses?

How many times have we said we should bring new people into the sport? How many seminars have you attended on attracting young people? How many committees have we formed and organizations have we launched for just that purpose?

But instead of bringing his considerable intelligence, education, character and passion for the sport to horse racing, Miller will go on to work in another industry. He’ll do just fine.

I’m not so sure about us.

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Jockey Ferrin Peterson Brings Momentum, Unconventional Backstory To Aqueduct Meet

A whirlwind year that has already featured Ferrin Peterson's ascension from apprentice rider to contender for meet-leading honors on a major circuit will present yet another opportunity, as the California native will move her tack to New York for the first time when she competes at Aqueduct Racetrack's fall meet.

Peterson will join one of the world's most competitive jockey colonies for the 18-day meet at the Big A that commences Friday, Nov. 6 and runs through Dec. 6, offering 29 stakes including 11 graded events, worth $3.41 million in purse money.

This year started with Peterson as an apprentice jockey with 15 career wins to her credit and no mounts until July because of COVID-19-related postponements of living racing around the country. But Peterson made up for lost time, registering 42 wins during the summer at Monmouth Park, registering the meet's second-highest mark behind longtime New Jersey-circuit veteran Paco Lopez's 51 victories.

The 28-year-old Peterson's success resulted in her losing her bug and apprentice status but gained her notice from the racing community, especially after she notched her first stakes win aboard Share the Ride in the Mr. Prospector on September 12.

Peterson will now head to New York armed with both recent success and with the support of someone who knows exactly what it's like to try and establish herself in a New York jockey's room full of Eclipse Award champions and Grade 1-winners, as Hall of Famer Julie Krone is her agent.

“I think now, I've improved navigating races,” Peterson said. “Before, I was on a lot of longshots, so you can't really use them to go through holes or position them where you want because you just don't have enough horse underneath you. Now that I get to ride live horses, I can maneuver a race much better, and Julie's been a great teacher for that. It's been cool to be able to think through a race more and use those tactics.”

Peterson's road to the Big Apple won't be as far – literally and figuratively – as her move from her native California to the Jersey Shore to compete at Monmouth. Last year, Peterson completed her veterinary studies at U.C. Davis. The well-earned title of doctor was the culmination of a varied athletic and educational path that started in Roseville, California, where Peterson rode horses in the English style and Dressage. She attended high school in Oakmont, where she set a school record as a pole vaulter, and attended college at the University of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo while earning a degree in animal science before heading to medical school, where she received U.C. Davis' Zoetis Equine Scholarship and secured an externship in Japan, allowing her to tour training centers, rehab facilities and thoroughbred farms while also attending the Nippon Derby.

Presented with the opportunity to start her post-doctorate medical career, Peterson was drawn back to race riding, which started in 2018 with 10 wins in 144 starts riding all across California, racking up victories at Golden Gate, Fresno, Oak Tree At Pleasanton, while also riding in a pair of races at Del Mar.

“I like to do things unconventionally in general and be different and whatever you're passionate about, you should pursue that,” Peterson said. “I don't regret becoming a veterinarian [and delaying her racing career] because I'm also passionate about that and sometimes people think you should focus on one thing in life, but I think I benefit from having multiple things going on in my life, and they complement each other.

“In vet school, I had a lot of people who were giving me a hard time about trying to do both, but now that I've been able to achieve it, it means a lot more that my story can be spread and I can encourage other people, because it's always easy to find people who will doubt you,” she added.

After five wins in 96 starts last year, Peterson came to the East Coast this year and competed for a riding crown on a major circuit.

“It's a nice surprise; in my career so far, I've just seen an open door and keep pursuing it,” Peterson said. “I thought I wouldn't be a jockey after vet school and do veterinary medicine full-time, but I kept seeing opportunities and having people believe in me, so I tried going full time as a jockey and then I met Julie Krone and had a successful meet, so that's been the story of my jockey career. Just having that support system is what keeps me going, and now I'm all-in.”
Peterson said her educational background has also proved beneficial on the track itself.

“Just having that veterinary knowledge and being able to have those conversations with trainers and owners, I think they do appreciate that,” Peterson said. “The more you work on horses, on the ground or on their back, the more in-tune you are with them. They are just such complex animals. It's great to be able to understand what they are going through and talk about rehabilitation procedures and be able to offer different ideas and approaches to trainers with integrated medicines. It's been cool to see that develop.”

Krone can impart lessons on following an unconventional path to success after a trailblazing career that saw her achieve many milestones for female jockeys. The Benton Harbor, Michigan native was the first woman to win an American Classic when she piloted Colonial Affair to a win in the 1993 Belmont Stakes and 10 years later was the first woman to win a Breeders' Cup race aboard Halfbridled in the Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita.

A 2000 Hall of Fame inductee, Krone was successful across many tracks but especially in the Metropolitan area, winning riding titles at Monmouth from 1987-89 before becoming the first woman to win five races in one day at a New York track. Overall, Krone won riding titles at Belmont Park, Monmouth Park, Atlantic City and the Meadowlands and said she's hoping Peterson could eventually follow a similar trajectory.

“We're so excited to be in this jockey colony and to be in New York, it's perfect for us and we're really looking forward to the fall meet,” Krone said. “I've been on the backside of Belmont every morning and the future is exciting and hopefully we can continue that success at Aqueduct that we had at Monmouth.”

Krone, who won 3,704 career races, said handling the elements at the Big A can be challenging but soon becomes just part of what any jockey needs to handle to be successful.

“You'd think someone from Northern California wouldn't want to deal with the snow and cold like that,” Krone said with a laugh. “But we were talking to [fellow Hall of Famer] Ramon Dominguez the other day about how long it took him to get used to it. You do get used to it fast and with the purses being so big at Aqueduct and the racing being so good, you don't even think about the weather because you're paying attention to other stuff.”

Like Peterson, Krone started her career with successful stints on other circuits before coming to New York. Krone won more than 100 races every year from 1981-86 before becoming a regular at Aqueduct in 1987, where she won 15 races that year, including the Grade 2 Gallant Fox with Soar to the Stars.

Krone said Peterson has developed an acute ability to read a race and make a winning move.

“She has a great understanding of how a race unfolds and she gets along with every horse, regardless of their personalities, if they are nervous fillies or strong colts,” Krone said. “She gets along with every horse. We talked about different race scenarios and within one race, she applies what she learns. She's a fast learner and has a great work ethic and we're going into this meet with [momentum], for sure.

“She's so mentally tough,” she added. “One time she fell at the quarter-pole, but she was OK and the horse was OK, and she came back and won the next two races. I said, 'she's so tough.' I see a lot of qualities I had as a jockey. People really like her and she never makes the same mistake twice. She's sharp and heads up. Everyone enjoys her company, but she's tough as nails and so consistent. She loves riding racehorses and loves being at the track.”

Peterson said she's hoping to follow a path Krone blazed and said having an increased support system has made a huge difference as she's progressed in her career.

“Having her believe that I can make this step now, it's so important,” Peterson said. “I asked her if she thought we were ready, and she said this is how you make that step; you go there in the winter and get recognized there and if it goes well, you can transition into riding there in the spring and summer.

“I think whenever you have to face elements and less ideal situations, it just makes you mentally tougher,” she added. “I like pushing myself outside my comfort zone. If you asked me months before if I could ride in a facemask in July on the East Coast where it's humid, I didn't think I'd be capable of that riding 12 races on a card. But I did it quite a few weekends and never had a problem. As long as you stay present in your mindset and focus on what you can control; it's all about mental training. Just buckle down and do the best you can.”

Peterson will enter a room that counts the winners of the last seven Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Jockey as regulars in New York, with brothers Jose and Irad Ortiz, Jr. joining Hall of Famer Javier Castellano. Other decorated riders who are expected to square off against Peterson during the Aqueduct meet are jockeys such as Hall of Famer John Velazquez, Manny Franco, who has won NYRA's year-end riding title two years in a row, as well as veterans such as Jose Lezcano, Junior Alvarado and Kendrick Carmouche among others.

“One of the main reasons I wanted to step into the NYRA circuit – and one of the reasons I went to the Southern California circuit – was to challenge myself,” she said. “It didn't work out great that time [California] because I didn't have much momentum going into it and didn't have an agent. But the circumstances have changed for me and I improved as a jockey, and now I have a shot and I'm around people who make me that much better. When I'm competing amongst the best, it pushes me that much harder. I know I'll learn so much that way.”

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Peterson, Krone, To Aqueduct Fall Meet

Ferrin Peterson, the second-leading rider at Monmouth this summer, plans to begin riding at the Aqueduct Fall Meeting when it opens November 6, she said Monday, adding that she intended to ride through the winter at the track.

Jockeys joining the colony need to test negative for COVID in New York twice the week leading up to the meet, and to continue to follow strict protocols thereafter.

Peterson, 28, has made a splash this summer on the Jersey Shore, for both on and off-track reasons. She rode 42 winners at the summer meet, including two four-win days, and finished just off the pace of perennial leading jockey Paco Lopez. Her agent is former jockey Julie Krone, stepping into a new career after her Hall of Fame worthy riding career. Additionally, Peterson graduated from U.C. Davis with a degree in veterinary medicine in 2019, making her arguably the best-educated jockey in history.

Peterson had originally considered going to Tampa for the winter, she said, but a strong showing after she lost her bug midway through the Monmouth meet led her to reconsider.

“We want to be where the top trainers and riders are,” said Peterson. “We had a really good meet at Monmouth and we feel the next step is to go to New York. Julie had success there, and good contacts for people, and there is a lot of respect for Julie Krone there.”

“I always wanted to get to New York and this opportunity presented itself, so it seems like the opportune time.”

Krone, who rode in New York from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s, said that the decision was a little bit of reading the tea leaves.

“When opportunities show themselves and you think you’re going another direction, but every single thing points you a different way, you have to listen to that,” said Krone. “We came off an amazing, strong Monmouth meet riding for a lot of the Monmouth-based trainers, having two four-win days and winning a stakes race,” she said. “Ferrin is so strong and so focused and she has improved so much.”

Krone said she had caught the eye of no less a judge than Ramon Dominguez.

“I was talking to Ramon last night,” Krone said. “He watches races all the time, and he was saying he has been watching her and that she has improved so much over the summer and she looks so good on a horse. When you see her ride, you say, `wow, she is going to make it and is going to be along the lines of a Julie Krone or Rosie Napravnik’. Ramon said, `she is ready to go to Aqueduct for the fall and winter after a summer like that.'”

“Having ridden at Aqueduct, I think the inner track will suit her,” Krone concluded. “She’s good at saving ground, and at having a horse left for the stretch run.”

Said Peterson, “I’m really looking forward to being around top trainers and high-quality horses. We want to compete with the best.”

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Arriaga Hopes $16,000 Claim Share The Ride Continues To Improve In Vosburgh

Share the Ride, trained by Antonio Arriaga for Silvino Ramirez, enters Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Vosburgh at Belmont Park off a sparkling front-running performance in the Mr. Prospector at Monmouth Park that garnered a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

The 5-year-old Candy Ride gelding, bred in Kentucky by Dixiana Farms, set splits of 22.45 and 44.94 under Ferrin Peterson in the six-furlong Mr. Prospector en route to a 3 3/4-length win in a final time of 1:09.18.

Arriaga said he was surprised to see such fast fractions last out.

“We didn't expect that,” said Arriaga. “He was supposed to go easy to the front, but she sent him all the way and the horse was doing it comfortable.”

Manny Franco will take over on Saturday from post 4 in a six-horse field led by Firenze Fire and the John Terranova-trained duo of Funny Guy and Stan the Man.

Arriaga said he will let the 2020 Belmont Stakes-winning rider dictate the tactics.

“He can come from off the pace too but let's see what Manny has to say. He's been riding really good,” said Arriaga.

Share the Ride was claimed for $16,000 on July 5 out of a winning effort in a Monmouth Park sprint. He followed with a good second in an optional-claiming sprint on August 9 at first asking for new connections ahead of two even efforts on the Monmouth turf when fourth in the 5 1/2-furlong Get Serious on August 23 and fifth in the one-mile Grade 3 Red Bank on September 5.

Arriaga said the addition of blinkers for his last two starts is the only major change in equipment for Share the Ride since the claim.

“We put the blinkers on but other than that it took him a month to start eating well when we first claimed him,” said Arriaga. “Some horses when they get older, they get better. Good horses get better if you take care of them the right way, feed them the right way and spoil them and they're happy.”

After winning the Mr. Prospector on one week's rest, Share the Ride returns to action in the Vosburgh with two weeks between starts.

“He's doing good,” said Arriaga. “He gallops and jogs. With these fast horses, I try not to work them too much because they can blow their race in the workout if they go fast.”

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