Aaron Gryder
Aaron Tod Gryder (born June 5, 1970, in West Covina, California) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.
Career
At age 16 in 1986, Gryder began his career as a professional jockey in Tijuana, Mexico at Agua Caliente Racetrack. His first winner came in 1987 at Agua Caliente aboard Ragen Henry.[1] Gryder returned to the United States to ride at Santa Anita Park. His first win came on long shot horse with no left eye named One Eyed Romeo.[2] He later rode at Hollywood Park as an apprentice jockey, and became the first and only apprentice jockey to ever win the Leading Rider title in the track's 75-year history.[3] Gryder has also won several Leading Rider titles at Churchill Downs, Arlington Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Golden Gate Fields.[4]
In 2009, Gryder rode Well Armed to a win in the world's richest race, the $6,000,000 Dubai World Cup, finishing 14 lengths in front of Gloria De Campeao, the largest margin of victory in the history of the race.[5] Gryder won the 2012 G1 Breeders' Cup Marathon on long shot Calidoscopio.[3] At the time of his retirement, Gryder had more than 4,000 victories internationally,[6]
Beyond racing, Gryder appeared in television's Dellaventura[7] and The Sopranos.[8] He has worked as an On-Air Analyst for ESPN, NBC Sports, Fox Sports, TVG Network, and HRTV.[9] He was one of the six jockeys featured in Animal Planet's 2009 reality documentary, Jockeys.[10] Gryder retired from racing in 2020.[1] He joined Stronach Group in 2021 as Vice President of racing industry relations.[11]
Year-end charts
Chart (2000–present) | Peak position |
---|---|
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2000 | 12 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2001 | 21 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2002 | 43 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2003 | 61 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2004 | 39 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2005 | 43 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2006 | 43 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2007 | 40 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2008 | 47 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2009 | 37 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2012 | 90 |
References
- Mitchell, Eric (October 26, 2020). "Aaron Gryder to Retire After Del Mar Meet". www.bloodhorse.com. Archived from the original on 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- Christine, Bill (1987-07-09). "A RARE PAIR RIDING HIGH : Apprentices Patton, Gryder Doing Well in Talent-Rich Area". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2021-08-16. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- "Jockey Aaron Gryder retiring with plenty of memories, no regrets". San Gabriel Valley Tribune. 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- "Gryder the Rider Returns to California". TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 2017-06-01. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- Well Armed spectacular in Dubai World Cup, racingpost.com, 28 March 2009, accessed 28 March 2009.
- "Horse racing: Del Mar leaders, notes". Orange County Register. 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- "'A Man Of Character': Aaron Gryder Closing Career Where It All Began". Horse Racing News | Paulick Report. 2020-11-13. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- "Gryder a badda-big hit on 'Sopranos'". Saratogian. 2003-08-16. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- 1/ST. "1/ST RACING Appoints Aaron Gryder As Vice President, Industry Relations". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- "Breeders' Cup Presents Connections: Aaron Gryder A Racing Renaissance Man". Horse Racing News | Paulick Report. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- Cherwa, John (2021-02-11). "Former jockey Aaron Gryder named VP of Industry Relations with Stronach Group". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2021-02-11. Retrieved 2021-08-16.