Holmes didn’t participate racing done the accepted household ties route. She began grooming horses astatine Presque Isle, astir an hr distant from her location successful northwest Pennsylvania. That was her archetypal vulnerability to horses.
As the 20th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing play comes to a close, 1 jockey has led her class from commencement to finish. Gage Holmes, a autochthonal of Pleasantville, Pa., volition beryllium awarded her archetypal riding rubric arsenic the 2022 Juan Saez Leading Apprentice Jockey astatine Horseshoe Indianapolis.
Holmes didn't participate racing done the accepted household ties route. She began grooming horses astatine Presque Isle, astir an hr distant from her location successful northwest Pennsylvania. That was her archetypal vulnerability to horses.
“Riding is thing I've ever wanted to do,” said Holmes. “I watched each the equine racing movies increasing up. It's ever been thing I wanted to pursue.”
Holmes began her riding vocation astatine Gulfstream Park a twelvemonth ago, scoring her archetypal triumph aboard Kitten Street successful aboriginal January of 2022. A anterior presumption arsenic an workout rider for John Ortiz Jr. led her to a transportation to Jock's Agent Jimmy McNerney, who brought her to Indiana for the 2022 meet.
“I had my archetypal gallop occupation successful the Midwest for Ian Wilkes and past worked for John Ortiz earlier going to Florida to enactment for Gerald Brooks,” said Holmes. “I was trying to fig retired wherever to spell and John (Ortiz) hooked maine up with Jimmy (McNerney), truthful I came to Indiana with nary expectations. I conscionable wanted to absorption connected myself and go the champion rider I could.”
Holmes rapidly caught connected with the section trainers and changeable retired to an aboriginal pb successful the apprentice jockey standings. She rapidly checked disconnected immoderate boxes connected her goals, including her archetypal stakes triumph aboard Henrietta Topham successful the Centennial Distaff Turf Mile astatine Ellis Park aft winning 2 races with her successful Indiana. She aboriginal rode the filly successful the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Stakes, her archetypal Graded Stakes quality wherever she finished fourth.
Locally, Holmes was besides accomplishing a lot. Heading into the last time of racing, she has 48 wins and much than $1.3 cardinal successful purses. Her totals are 2nd lone to Katie Clawson-Ramsey, who established the records for some wins and net successful 2017 for apprentice riders with 71 wins and $1.5 cardinal successful earnings. Overall, Holmes is ranked ninth among each jockeys successful 2022 astatine Horseshoe Indianapolis.
Holmes has had respective awesome wins truthful acold successful Indiana. One equine that stands retired to her is Speedy Delivery.
“I got my archetypal triumph present and started my bug aboard her (Speedy Delivery),” added Holmes. “She's had 4 wins present this twelvemonth and a 2nd successful a stakes contention (ITOBA Stallion Stakes Fillies). The Elliott's (Michelle, trainer) person been truly bully to assistance maine get connected my feet and get started. Genaro (Garcia) has besides helped maine a batch here, and I admit that truthful much.”
Holmes besides credits assistance from seasoned jockeys DeShawn Parker and Rodney Prescott for helping her cleanable her skills arsenic a jockey.
“Since I enactment with Jimmy (McNerney) and helium has DeShawn (Parker), we worked a batch of horses unneurotic and helium has truly helped maine and fixed maine advice. Rodney (Prescott) has besides gone retired of his mode to assistance maine out.”
When asked what feels antithetic astir her riding aft competing successful 127 days of racing successful Indiana, Holmes said, “Confidence successful myself and my abilities. And, riding each equine similar it's the favorite.”
Holmes volition proceed her commercialized arsenic a jockey astatine Turfway Park this winter, but she volition besides person different job. The 2018 postgraduate of Penn State with a grade successful veterinary and aesculapian subject volition participate aesculapian schoolhouse successful January done the region acquisition pathway of LECOM (Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine).
“The programme is mostly online, truthful I tin inactive get retired determination successful the mornings and bash the enactment and get to the races astatine night,” explained Holmes. “The archetypal twelvemonth and a fractional is mostly baseline studies earlier I determine what subject of medicine I privation to spell into.”
Holmes volition beryllium the ninth recipient of the Juan Saez Leading Apprentice Jockey award. The grant was named aft Saez successful 2014 pursuing a racing incidental that claimed his life. Saez, lone 17 astatine the time, won the grant successful 2014. Other recipients of the grant see Cheyanna Patrick, Eduardo Gallardo, Clawson, Edgar Morales, Joe Ramos, Kendall Sterritt, Joshua Morales, and Andrea Rodriguez.
The 20th season of unrecorded Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing extends done Wednesday, Nov. 23. Live racing is conducted astatine 2:30 p.m. Monday done Wednesday with Thursday station times acceptable for 2:10 p.m. A full of 12 Saturdays volition diagnostic unrecorded racing successful 2022 highlighted by the 28th running of the Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby and the 27th running of the Grade 3 $200,000 Indiana Oaks acceptable for Saturday, July 9. For much accusation connected unrecorded racing astatine Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis.
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