Ferrin Peterson, the second-leading rider at Monmouth this summer, plans to begin riding at the Aqueduct Fall Meeting when it opens November 6, she said Monday, adding that she intended to ride through the winter at the track.
Jockeys joining the colony need to test negative for COVID in New York twice the week leading up to the meet, and to continue to follow strict protocols thereafter.
Peterson, 28, has made a splash this summer on the Jersey Shore, for both on and off-track reasons. She rode 42 winners at the summer meet, including two four-win days, and finished just off the pace of perennial leading jockey Paco Lopez. Her agent is former jockey Julie Krone, stepping into a new career after her Hall of Fame worthy riding career. Additionally, Peterson graduated from U.C. Davis with a degree in veterinary medicine in 2019, making her arguably the best-educated jockey in history.
Peterson had originally considered going to Tampa for the winter, she said, but a strong showing after she lost her bug midway through the Monmouth meet led her to reconsider.
“We want to be where the top trainers and riders are,” said Peterson. “We had a really good meet at Monmouth and we feel the next step is to go to New York. Julie had success there, and good contacts for people, and there is a lot of respect for Julie Krone there.”
“I always wanted to get to New York and this opportunity presented itself, so it seems like the opportune time.”
Krone, who rode in New York from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s, said that the decision was a little bit of reading the tea leaves.
“When opportunities show themselves and you think you're going another direction, but every single thing points you a different way, you have to listen to that,” said Krone. “We came off an amazing, strong Monmouth meet riding for a lot of the Monmouth-based trainers, having two four-win days and winning a stakes race,” she said. “Ferrin is so strong and so focused and she has improved so much.”
Krone said she had caught the eye of no less a judge than Ramon Dominguez.
“I was talking to Ramon last night,” Krone said. “He watches races all the time, and he was saying he has been watching her and that she has improved so much over the summer and she looks so good on a horse. When you see her ride, you say, `wow, she is going to make it and is going to be along the lines of a Julie Krone or Rosie Napravnik'. Ramon said, `she is ready to go to Aqueduct for the fall and winter after a summer like that.'”
Said Peterson, “I'm really looking forward to being around top trainers and high-quality horses. We want to compete with the best.”
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