exercise riding

Jockey Sophie Doyle, who has been serving as the regular exercise rider for 14th-place GI Kentucky Derby finisher Epic Ride (Blame), returned to riding in the afternoon at Churchill Downs Sunday with an eighth-place finish aboard Sweet Mo B (Complexity) in Race 2, a maiden special weight. It was her first Churchill mount since having her first child, a daughter named Emilie, almost two years ago. Doyle began breezing horses for trainer Chris Davis, her fiancé, three months after her daughter's birth and returned to professional afternoon riding earlier this...

HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas--Counting the well-mannered colt's strides as she takes him to the seven-eighths pole on a brisk Wednesday morning breeze this week at Oaklawn Park, Laura Moquett knows precisely where she wants to be. She understands how much throttle to let out and what visual markers are presenting themselves. Clocking is useful, but it is more about listening intently as she moves forward. An accomplished horseman like Moquett relishes the routine; everyone does, but as an assistant trainer she is never shy when it comes to a good equine...