Aaron Gryder

Retired jockey Aaron Gryder has been appointed to the position of Vice President, Industry Relations for 1/ST RACING. Gryder will serve as a liaison between 1/ST RACING and industry stakeholders to help advance health, safety and rider reforms with a focus on jockey outreach. He will act as an ambassador for 1/ST RACING in California, Florida and Maryland. Gryder, who will be based in Florida and, reports directly to Aidan Butler, 1/ST's chief operating officer. He will be a media spokesperson for the company and also a primary point of...

Santa Anita has announced a group of five finalists for the 2021 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, with the winner to be announced in February. One of the most prestigious awards for American jockeys, the Woolf Award, which is determined by a vote of jockeys nationwide, can only be won once. Jockeys Alex Birzer, Jorge Martin Bourdieu, Kendrick Carmouche, Aaron Gryder and Deshawn Parker, veteran riders who have stood the test of time and have earned the respect of their peers and horsemen in various geographic regions, comprise 2021's select...

As the  realities of the coronavirus started to spread across California and the country, the team at Santa Anita wasn't sure how to prepare for what could have quickly escalated into a dire situation for the track and the sport. But what began as a scramble of sorts led to a well-coordinated plan. Racing would successfully return to the historic Southern California track and with an innovative wrinkle. During the racing week, the jockeys were required to live in a bubble in campers situated on track. What might at first...

Rick Hammerle, among horse racing's most respected and innovative officials; popular New England sportscaster and former NBC racing analyst Bob Neumeier, and jockey Aaron Gryder are joining the team at Kentucky Downs. Hammerle will serve as Kentucky Downs' director of horsemen's relations and racing operations, working closely with racing secretary Tyler Picklesimer and senior vice president and general manager Ted Nicholson. Hammerle spent the past 16 years directing Santa Anita's racing program as racing secretary. "I'm a utility man; I'll do whatever they need," said Hammerle, who recently was also...