Horse Racing Fantasy Community

For those who follow real horse racing, specifically in the Southern California circuit such as Hollywood Park, Santa Anita and Del Mar Racetrack, then you probably know the name Aaron Gryder. And, you also know that it hasn't been the best of times for Aaron lately. "I've been here before where you have to rebuild your book,” comments Aaron. “You have to have a positive frame of mind when that's happening. Stay focused. This is a game of ups and downs." What Aaron's talking about when he says "rebuild his book" is that he's in the process of establishing himself with new owners and horse racing trainers. For whatever reason in this business (horse racing), owners and trainers have a tendency to constantly try new things. It's very common, whether it's because of a bad race or because a jockey wasn't available to ride a particular race horse on a particular day, that relationships are constantly being built and constantly being lost. Even those lost relationships have a tendency to full-circle and come back into play sometime in the future.

The life of a jockey isn't just about riding horses. It's about getting up in the morning and making yourself available for all trainers as you scout out the barns looking for race horses to train during early-morning hours with the hope and anticipation that the horses you're training today become the race horses you ride tomorrow. "It's a relationship business," states Gryder, "kind of like sales. Never close a door even when mounts are taken away from you and always try to open new doors. There are a lot of good jockeys out there, and sometimes you have to go the extra mile to get the call by the trainer to ride their race horses."

The last part of the Hollywood Park racing meet was a little slow for Aaron. In fact, there were plenty of days when Aaron didn't have a mount at all. But, what was impressive was that he never put his head down. He continued his routine of being available in the morning for trainers who needed someone to work their horses, made himself available after the races to socialize and mingle with potential new owners and trainers, knowing that no slump lasts forever and just staying focused, trusting his agent and trusting himself, knowing that things would turn around.

It was opening day at Del Mar 2008. The cool air and the change of scenery got Aaron, like most jockeys, motivated hoping that a new horse racing meet would bear great fruit with great results. Aaron also knew that he had some very good race horses to ride that coming weekend. He knew if he could just get himself in the groove early, he would find himself in a great position and might be able to really get things going through the Del Mar racing meet. One of his mounts on opening day, Wednesday, July 16, was a young 2-year-old race horse. With the cool breeze blowing off the ocean and the large crowds in the grandstand, the young horse started acting up in the post parade. Aaron was thrown from his horse, but at the same time he held onto the reins to make sure the race horse didn’t get loose. During that process, he severely twisted his ankle and knew right away that it wasn’t going to be pretty. Before the end of the races that day, Aaron was in great pain with a severely sprained ankle that had already started to swell significantly. That great start he was hoping for wasn’t coming to fruition.

The next two days would be slow for Aaron with only one horse to race during Thursday and Friday. During that time, the 38-year-old jockey would spend hours icing his ankle and keeping it elevated. More importantly, he kept that same amazing positive attitude that things were only going to get better and the weekend he was anticipating would soon be upon him. Talking with Aaron on Friday, he seemed more confident than ever about his mount Well Armed in the San Diego Handicap. “I’m going to win,” he said, and he said it with such conviction. “My horse is the best, and they’re not going to catch him.” I asked him if he was excited about the fact that this was a Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In Challenge Race? His comment was, “That’s for the dirt mile. This horse is going to race in the Classic.” Pretty confident quote coming from such an experienced jockey with just about $100 million in career earnings. On Saturday, not only did Aaron win the San Diego Handicap on Well Armed under an impressive ride, but he went on to win two other races that day including an $80 horse Zardana who won the other stakes race of the day, Osunitas Handicap. While I watched Aaron win with Well Armed and then go on to win two other races, you could see with each ride the extreme level of confidence with which Aaron was riding - placing these horses in perfect position, giving each one of those race horses the best opportunity to win their respective races.

It was a great day for Aaron Gryder, who deserves those types of days more often. He’s such a gentleman with such a balanced life, focused first and foremost on his family - his wife, Karen, and their two children, Christian and Grace. And, then, he focuses on his racing career where Aaron quietly and consistently ranks in the top 40-50 jockeys each year throughout the nation. He’s got some fire power behind him now including speed demon Barbecue Eddie, Bob Baffert’s Tough Tiz’s Sis, and, of course, San Diego Handicap winner, Well Armed, who is probably now focused for the Pacific Classic at Del Mar Racetrack at the end of August. In fact, trainer Eoin Harty is definitely of the opinion that Well Armed is a horse that can run every bit of a mile-and-a-quarter.

The reason I’m writing this is, yes, Aaron is associated with us here at Horse Racing Fantasy, and yes, he’s a good friend of the Horse Racing Fantasy team. But, just as important, he is the perfect example of how persistence, patience and a positive attitude can take even some of the darkest times and turn them into golden opportunities. If you ever get the chance to sit down with Aaron, one-on-one, from a game perspective, he’ll probably tell you to never give up if you’re having a bad run of horse races, whether as a jockey or a bettor, playing by yourself or in horse racing tournaments. Stay focused, think about why you’re not where you want to be and then readdress the game more aggressively and keep that positive attitude.

Yes, you’ll probably never hurt your ankle or get stumbled on by a horse when playing our horse racing game, but there will be times when you’ll go into a slump, whether it’s in tournaments or just in general game play. Don’t worry about it. Stay active in our horse racing community, use the replay feature in our horse racing game and run those races over and over again to see where you made your mistake as a jockey. If it’s the betting game that you’re really focused on and you’re not able to cash any winning bets, review the races and try to figure out why your horses didn’t perform the way you expected them to, make notes, stay focused and learn as much as you can about handicapping the horses through either our blog by FantasyHandicapper or through the Horse Racing Fantasy Game Overview, which can be found under the Game & Community Info tab from the left-hand navigation menu of the community. Below are some pictures of Aaron Gryder so if you’re ever at one of Southern California’s racetracks, you can recognize him. Please go up and say hello and tell him you’re part of his team and a member of Horse Racing Fantasy. Believe me, he’ll smile and shake your hand.