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Edgard Zayas On Injury Rehabilitation And Coming Back ‘Stronger Than Ever’

Horse racing is an incredibly dangerous sport to pursue as a professional athlete, and most jockeys can tell you a story or two about injuries that have forced them to watch from the sidelines until they were cleared to race. Multiple graded stakes-winning jockey Edgard Zayas is no exception, having sustained multiple injuries that have put him on the sidelines through the years.

The leading rider of Gulfstream Park's 2021 Fall Meet and Spring/Summer meet is a native of Puerto Rico as well as a former student of the Escuela Vocacional Hípica jockey school there. He moved to South Florida to pursue a career in racing in 2012. Over the span of his decade-long career, Zayas has won 1,930 races and $55,080,460 in earnings. He is currently recovering from shoulder surgery and is likely to not make another start until the spring.

Zayas discussed his stellar year of racing accomplishments, as well as his hopes for the future following rehabilitation from his current injury.

Question: How did you get into horse racing?

Edgard Zayas: “I used to live close to a racetrack in Puerto Rico. I used to go to that racetrack all the time with my grandfather and I really loved it. I was always into sports, but I got to a point where I was 14 or 15 years old and I was a little too small to play any sports so I decided that I really wanted to try to be a jockey. I was 17 years old when I decided to join the jockey school in Puerto Rico. It was amazing. I think they have a really good system. They teach us everything from treating a horse to riding a horse. It's awesome because at that point I had never really been involved with horses so I didn't know how to work with horses and groom them and all that. At the jockey school they teach you everything from grooming a horse and doing stalls to riding them.”

Q: How did it feel to have such a good year and bring home a leading rider title from Gulfstream after having two years in a row interfered with by injuries?

E: “It felt great. This year I was still kind of dealing with a little injury in my shoulder and I decided to get surgery because it was bugging me all year, but luckily I have support from big trainers down here in South Florida. I had a great year that would've carried on to the winter so it was a tough decision to do it [get shoulder surgery].”

Q: What does the rehabilitation process for your shoulder injury consist of?

E: “Right now I'm in a sling for four weeks. After that I'll start some therapies and whenever I get my motion and my muscles back I can start galloping horses in the morning again and then decide from there. I'm looking at probably three or four months.”

Q: Do the areas that you injured remain vulnerable to potential arthritis or re-injury now? If so, what kind of special care or precautions do you have to take now that you didn't before?

E: “Yeah absolutely. The more injuries I get, I have to take care of myself more. I'm young, but I'll start getting older little by little. There's things I like to do outside of horse racing like I used to play basketball and stuff like that, but those are things that I now have to compromise for horse racing. I have to concentrate on what I do to not get re-injured.”

Q: Did you find that having to take that much time off from racing had any impact on your mental health?

E: “Absolutely, and I've been doing really good every time I've gotten an injury, but it's really tough mentally. Hopefully I get a couple years of being healthy. That's all I can ask for.”

Q: Is it difficult to get momentum back with trainers after time away due to injuries?

E: “Luckily I've always got support when I come back and I'm able to get the ball rolling quick. Hopefully this time will be the same way. I'm going to try to come back stronger than ever, and finally I can ride confidently because this whole year I had that shoulder problem that was really bugging me. Hopefully when I come back I can come back one hundred percent and get the support and get the ball rolling for a better year.”

Q: Who is one other jockey that you look up to the most?

E: “Johnny V absolutely. Inside he's the best and outside he's the best.”

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Aqueduct Jockeys Vargas, Jr. and Samuel Test Positive for COVID-19

Jockeys Jorge A. Vargas, Jr. and Jalon Samuel have tested positive for COVID-19 and will be off their mounts for the remainder of the weekend, the New York Racing Association, Inc. announced Friday.

All members of the NYRA jockey colony are vaccinated and adhere to established protocols.

Vargas, Jr. rode races on Thursday, Dec. 30 and sought testing Friday after developing mild symptoms overnight. Vargas, Jr. did not experience symptoms during Thursday's card.

Samuel had no mounts during Thursday's card and was not on-site at Aqueduct. He sought testing after developing mild symptoms on Thursday.

NYRA follows the most updated federal and state guidance regarding contact tracing, testing, required isolation, and quarantine. Accordingly, Vargas and Samuel will be permitted to return to competition on Thursday, Jan. 6 if they are asymptomatic.

In accordance with New York City requirements, anyone seeking to enter Aqueduct Racetrack in any capacity must demonstrate proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Facemasks are required at all times on NYRA property.

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Australian Legend Glen Boss Will Come Out Of Retirement To Compete In Saudi Arabia’s Jockey Challenge

The first three jockeys in the 2022 stc International Jockeys Challenge have been announced, with recently retired Australian superstar Glen Boss climbing back into the saddle to compete in the four-race competition.

Last year's winner Shane Foley returns to defend his crown and Hayley Turner, the first female jockey in Britain to ride 100 winners in a calendar year, will also take her place in the line-up of seven female and seven male riders.

Boss (52), best known for winning three straight Melbourne Cups with Makybe Diva, as well as an astonishing 90 Group 1s in a glittering career, is looking forward to his return to race riding:

“I feel privileged and honored to be a part of the 2022 International Jockeys Challenge at The Saudi Cup,” said Boss. “I am extremely grateful to be representing Australia on the international stage and am eagerly looking forward to my arrival in Saudi Arabia for their prestigious carnival.”

“I have watched the rapid rise of this meeting in recent years, highlighted by the diverse international participation and significant prize purse on offer. To be able to participate in 2022 as a representative of Australia fills me with great pride and I very much look forward to being a part of it.”

Foley (33) won this year's stc International Jockeys Challenge and as the reigning champion is invited back to compete again.

“I really enjoyed my first International Jockeys Challenge,” said Foley. “It was a pleasure to ride against some great jockeys and I thought the track rode very well. It's nice to see them including the turf in this year's event, which might even give the European jockeys a bit of an edge.

“I knew after reading through the form last year that I had a couple of okay rides and it really is down to the luck of the draw in these jockey challenges. I got a few good chances, and it all went well for me thankfully. You need to get drawn on the good horses.

“I'm having an operation on my hip this week and so will be out of action for about six weeks, but I should be back riding and ready to go a good fortnight before the meeting.

“The prize money is brilliant, and you just have to see the list of jockeys that go out there to gauge how important it is for us. It's nice to be competing alongside them all and the likes of Saudi, Dubai and Bahrain are the places we need to be during the winter.

“I know Jessie [Harrington] will be aiming a couple for the Saturday too, including Ever Present in the Red Sea Turf and possibly Confident Star in the Saudi Derby, so it would be nice to have some rides on Saudi Cup day too.”

Turner (38) is one of Britain's most successful female jockeys and is also excited about the challenge, especially as she's had a spell on the sidelines after breaking her thumb.

“This will be my first time riding in Saudi and I'm really looking forward to it,” said Turner. “Hollie [Doyle] rode out there this year and I've spoken to a few others who have said it's a really nice track to ride.

“Apparently it's a bit like Belmont Park and I've ridden there a few times before. It's exciting to be part of The Saudi Cup meeting, it's been attracting a lot of people. The prize money is amazing so it's easy to see why.

“I always enjoy riding in jockey challenges. I've taken part in quite a few – Mauritius, South Africa, Japan, Ireland and France – and obviously the Shergar Cup is one of my favorites. It will be nice to tick another one off the list.

“I'm staying in the UK this winter. I've had a great year, but it got cut short a bit when I broke my thumb at Wolverhampton a few weeks ago. I'll be back riding in the next couple of weeks and it will be great to get back out on the track.”

The stc International Jockeys Challenge features four handicap races being run for $400,000 each, with a further $100,000 prize fund for the challenge itself.

This year one race over 1200m will be run on turf for the first time and all races will consist of 14 runners and five reserves, with all 14 jockeys riding in each race.

The jockeys are made up of seven international female riders, five international men and two local men with the jockeys receiving 15% of prize money won.

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‘The More You Do, The More You Learn’: Gary Stevens On Going From Rider To Agent

Hall of Famer Gary Stevens has worn a lot of different hats during his time in the industry, from jockey to trainer to racing analyst. He even had a brief encounter with acting for the movie “Seabiscuit,” but he is currently working on mastering being an agent for former Southern California-based jockeys Geovanni Franco and Tiago Pereira at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.

Stevens is best known for his career as a jockey spanning from 1979 to 2018, in which time he earned $258,217,768 and won 5,187 races in North America, including each leg of the Triple Crown three times, 11 Breeders' Cup races, and many other notable national and international races. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997, and won an Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey the following year.

Stevens' father, Ron, was also involved in the horse racing industry as a trainer. His father introduced him to racing at a young age and even gave Stevens his first mount as a professional Thoroughbred jockey aboard Lil Star, who was the young jockey's first win that same day.

Stevens discussed his role as an agent and his passion for the industry.

Question: What do your responsibilities as an agent look like day to day?

Gary Stevens: “I wake up at 4:00 a.m. and I'm out at the track by 5:00. There are certain trainers that I hit early on and then I sort of just work my way through the barn area. Really the most difficult thing is arranging workouts. Geovanni had some nice winners this past weekend. To be successful at Oaklawn, the jock has to work horses. Trainers like it when they're out in the morning. I just make sure workouts are organized timing-wise, no conflicts. It's not easy to keep everybody happy. It seems like everybody wants the same times.

I also book mounts for the future so that's how the day starts. I'm also doing television for America's Day At The Races on FOX every day as well. There's no conflicts as far as entries go, other than on Saturdays when they take entries for Fridays so I have to go between where I do my television and the racing office. They're busy, busy days, but I'm enjoying them.”

Q: Do you think that your experience as a jockey – as well as your wide variety of other experiences in the industry – helps you market your riders?

G: “Yeah, but I'll tell you what, an agent's job is not easy, but if you have a good product it makes your job much easier. I've always respected my agents, but I have more respect for every agent out there now that I'm doing it full time. It's not an easy job and even though I've been around it all my life, there's nuances that I'm still learning on the fly. There's guys that have been doing this as long as I rode and their experience level, you can see it. I feel like the apprentice right now believe it or not, but being able to walk into pretty much any barn that I want to is a big help. I feel like I've got respect and I respect every barn that I walk into. I feel like I have a definite advantage with the reputation that I have.”

Q: You've already touched on some challenges to being an agent, but what is your favorite part about it?

G: “I love being out on the backstretch in the morning. I always have. When I was riding even at the highest level I enjoyed being in the barn. I've been going to the barn since I was a young kid working for my father and it's part of my life. Without the mornings you don't have the afternoons. I love watching the grooms work, the hot walkers, the trainers, the assistants, and just everything about it. One of my favorite things about being at Oaklawn is being at Wayne Lukas's barn every morning and not necessarily talking about the present, but the past and Wayne making me what he calls a 'gourmet coffee.' We'll sit and start telling old stories and I really enjoy that.”

Q: You've worn a lot of different hats within the horse racing industry. What is it about this industry that keeps you coming back?

G: “It's my life. I really enjoyed training, but the way it is now with these big outfits and everything, it's a definite challenge. I don't know how some of these guys make it with small outfits, especially in California and New York with the labor laws and taxes and insurance. It's a very difficult job to have. Being an agent goes hand in hand with what I did all those years riding, going by the barns, and being a part of it. I'm addicted to it and it's all I know. I've got the television stuff that I've done and that also kind of goes hand in hand because I have to do a lot of studying and homework for my shows. That prepares me for my job as a jockey's agent as well. It's this giant web kind of like the internet and one thing just leads to another and the more you do, the more you learn, and the more opportunities you get.”

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