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Lost And Found Presented By LubriSynHA: In New Role Of Agent, Douglas Keeps A Positive Outlook

Optimism and dedication served Rene Douglas well during his career as a jockey, in which he rode more than 3,500 winners. Now he is capitalizing on that same mindset since turning his attention to being a jockey agent last year.

“It is kind of like what I used to do when I was riding races,” he said. “I was always hustling and trying to get named on the horses I wanted to ride. It is very similar except that now, I don't ride them.”

The recipient of Douglas's effort is Angel Arroyo, who ranked seventh in the win and earnings categories at the Gulfstream Park West meeting despite missing the final days because of a minor injury. He returned to action on Dec. 13, a week after the start of Gulfstream Park's premiere winter season that attracts some of the nation's top jockeys.

“He lost the momentum he had going into the big meet and lost some of the business he had,” Douglas said. “We had to start over, little by little. Things will pick up again because he is a good rider.”

Douglas is up early each morning to begin his work at home and spends much of his time contacting trainers for future mounts, a task that requires in-depth knowledge of upcoming races that suit specific horses. He gathers such information on a daily basis by watching racing on television and studying results.

“I like to watch every race,” he said. “I can pick up things that make me think I can get Angel to ride those horses.”

Rene Douglas enjoys the ceremony following Coltimus Prime's victory in the 2017 Clasico Presidente de la Republica

On entry days, he joins fellow agents and racing office staff on Zoom for post-position draws and finalizing mount assignments.

When not engaged in those tasks, Douglas is content to be in the comfy confines of home with his wife Natalia, their sons Christian and Giancarlo, who are in their early 20s, and Douglas's older son Michael.

Douglas's current vocation follows a previous endeavor of forming racing partnerships with dear colleagues. Under their Good Friends Stable banner, the group enjoyed particular success with Grade 1 winner Private Zone and Prince of Wales Stakes winner Golden Moka. Douglas specialized in importing and exporting runners between his native Panama and North America such as Panamanian G1 winner Coltimus Prime and the aforementioned Private Zone. While he said he is always on the lookout for potential horses, he prefers to stay focused on improving Arroyo's resume.

The need to reinvent himself came after an abrupt end to his two decades as a jockey in 2009 when his mount fell on him during a race at Arlington Park. The accident left Douglas without the use of his legs.

“Things happen in life that you never expect, but life continues; what are you going to do?” he said. “I just have to do the best I can as a person and a husband and move forward.”

He credits his “amazing” wife and his loyal friends for their support in helping him overcome severe depression while adjusting to a new way of living. Their dedication and commitment mean more to Douglas than his accomplishments in the saddle, including topping leader boards at Arlington Park and other tracks and winning such high-profile races as the 2006 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on Dreaming of Anna.

When asked about his favorite memories from his prime, Douglas takes a long pause before casually mentioning that he won the 1996 Belmont Stakes on Editor's Note for D. Wayne Lukas.

“When I first moved to Chicago, there was something about that place that made me a happy person—the people and the racing,” he said. “Arlington was a special racetrack for me.”

Those experiences were so special that Douglas and Natalia continue to spend summers there while living in South Florida the rest of the year.

Despite major and minor setbacks, Douglas looks on the bright side while facing the challenges.

“I have always been very positive in life,” he said. “That is why I think I won a lot of races. I encourage others to do the same thing.”

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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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Kato Named Jockey Of The Week After Uniquely Historic Win At Turf Paradise

Akifumi Kato's amazing record of posting at least one win each year for 50 consecutive years was such a unique achievement it earned the journeyman Jockey of the Week honors for Jan. 4 through Jan. 10. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 active riders in the United States as well as retired and permanently disabled jockeys.

Currently riding at Turf Paradise, the unique milestone was celebrated on Jan. 8 when Kato won the fifth race aboard She's A Lady Griz which was also his 69^th birthday. The win was made even more special as the winner is trained by Kato's daughter, Kaylyn Kato.

Kato was born in Japan to a jockey turned trainer. After winning his first race in the United States at Ferndale Fair in northern California, Kato rode primarily at Playfair in Spokane, Wash., where he was the all-time leader with 1,104 victories including two riding titles and four victories in the Playfair Mile. He is also the only active jockey to post victories at Washington's other racetracks, Longacres, Yakima Meadows and Emerald Downs in addition to Playfair. He also rode at Portland Meadows.

A member of the Jockeys' Guild for 49 years, Kato's career stats to date include 19,983 mounts with 2,034 wins and $6,360,226 in purse earnings.

Kato out-polled fellow riders Kendrick Carmouche who won a stakes races at Aqueduct, Manny Franco with a stakes victory at Aqueduct, Umberto Rispoli who won the Grade III La Canada at Santa Anita and Drayden Van Dyke who won the Grade 3 Kalookan Queen at Santa Anita.

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Nack Among Seven Voted Into National Sports Media Association Hall Of Fame

A record seven men have been voted into the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame. They are sportscasters Bill King, Jim Nantz, and Dick Stockton, and sportswriters Larry Merchant, William Nack, William C. Rhoden, and Rick Telander.

In addition, NSMA members voted Mike “Doc” Emrick as the 2020 national sportscaster of the year, and Nicole Auerbach as the 2020 national sportswriter of the year.

Among the 108 who won 2020 state sportscaster or sportswriter of the year honors, 51 are first-time winners. They include two who passed away during the year: Detroit sports talk show host Jamie Samuelsen and 100-year-old Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The NSMA will honor its winners and Hall of Fame inductees during the organization's 61st awards weekend, tentatively set for June 26-28, 2021, in Winston-Salem, N.C.

As the play-by-play voice of the San Francisco/Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants, University of California Golden Bears, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, and Oakland A's, King was on hand to broadcast some of the most famous sports moments in San Francisco Bay Area history. He had a signature beard, a signature call (“Holy Toledo”), and provided for many, the soundtrack of Bay Area sporting life. King died in 2005.

Nantz is a five-time winner of the NSMA's national sportscaster of the year award, a three-time Emmy winner, and a member of the Sports Broadcasting, Pro Football, and Naismith Basketball Halls of Fame. After stints at local television stations in Houston and Salt Lake City, Nantz moved to CBS in 2005 and has worked there ever since. Nantz is the network's lead play-by-play announcer for its coverage of the NFL, the PGA Tour, and the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Like Nantz, Stockton is one of sportscasting's most versatile play-by-play announcers, with vast experience calling the NFL, Major League Baseball, and the NBA. Currently in his 27th year at FOX Sports, following 17 years at CBS, Stockton also has worked 19 years for Turner Sports. He began his career with local television sports jobs in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Boston.

Merchant may best be known as a boxing analyst with HBO Sports, but he began his career in the Army, as a sportswriter for the Stars and Stripes. After his discharge, Merchant wrote for the Wilmington (N.C.) News, where he became sports editor. From there it was on to the Associated Press before becoming sports editor and columnist at the Philadelphia Daily News. He then spent ten years as a New York Post general columnist. He joined HBO Sports as a boxing analyst in 1978, calling some of the sport's marquee fights, before retiring in 2012.

What Merchant was to boxing, Nack was to horse racing. He spent 11 years writing about sports, politics, and the environment at Newsday, before going to work at Sports Illustrated in 1978. He spent 24 years at SI, covering every big horse racing story and winning several awards. He also wrote three books, including Secretariat: The Making of a Champion. Nack died in 2018.

Rhoden spent 34 years as an award-winning columnist at the New York Times, with more than a decade spent as the author of its “Sports of the Times” column. In 2006, he wrote the book, Forty Million Dollar Slaves, He was a frequent panelist on ESPN's The Sports Reporters, and after retiring from the Times in 2016, he began as a writer-at-large for The Undefeated, ESPN's digital site that explores the intersections of race, sports, and culture.

Telander has spent the last 26 years as an award-winning sportswriter at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he is now the senior sports columnist. Prior to that, he was an award-winning special contributor, then a senior writer at Sports Illustrated. Also an author, Telander wrote the book, Heaven is a Playground, which in 2002, SI ranked #15 in its Top 100 Sports Books of All Time.

Emrick was voted National Sportscaster of the Year for the fourth time. The Michigan resident retired in the Fall after calling the Stanley Cup Finals for NBC Sports. The Hockey Hall of Famer had been calling the sport professionally since 1973.

At age 31, Auerbach is the youngest to win an NSMA national award in the organization's 61-year history. In her fourth year at The Athletic, she is one of its primary national college football writers. She also serves as a studio analyst for the Big Ten Network. Prior to The Athletic, she spent six years as a National College Sports Reporter at USA Today.

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