Aaron Tod Gryder (born June 5, 1970, in West Covina, California) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.
Career
editAt 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
edit| 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
edit- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b "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.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "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.