You’ll be able to see with the bare eye the constructing of this using profession, piece by piece. The 2 stakes wins on Better of Ohio Day June 2 for coach Mike Maker at Belterra Park. The primary journey (and victory) for the highly effective Brad Cox barn there July 21. Mounts on coach Doug O’Neill’s Midwestern string, and for proprietor Steve Cauthen’s native steady.
It’s coming collectively now for Ferrin Peterson, due to her consideration to element, her persevering with quest to coach herself in all aspects of racing Thoroughbreds, and a lifetime spent on the backs of horses. At 31, she appears poised to make the bounce from Belterra and Ellis Park and Horseshoe Indianapolis to Churchill Downs and Keeneland.
In a comparatively quick time within the saddle competitively, Peterson has caught the eye of Corridor of Fame jockeys Julie Krone, Ramon Dominguez, and Cauthen. Clearly, there may be ability and data right here ready on alternative.
Peterson grew up in Sacramento, Calif., getting early classes from her mother on using English. She engaged in dressage and leaping, much less to compete than to develop a bond along with her horse. With no publicity to racing apart from an annual viewing on TV of the Kentucky Derby Introduced by Woodford Reserve, Peterson however desired to change into a jockey.
Missing an apparent outlet to ply that commerce, she detoured into veterinary college and interned at Ellen Jackson’s Victory Rose Thoroughbreds in Northern California. There, she delivered foals and broke yearlings on the coaching observe. Jackson skilled off the farm and at Golden Gate Fields, and Peterson obtained her train rider’s license. Inside a yr she was using races, and shortly thereafter she accomplished vet college. Then she returned to her dream.
Heading south, she dealt with her personal enterprise whereas using the Del Mar meet in 2019. Nonetheless, within the fast aftermath of the breakdown epidemic at Santa Anita Park that yr, the circuit was struggling, and area sizes cratered, taking using alternatives down with them. Peterson breezed horses within the morning for a number of established outfits, however mounts had been few and much between, and high quality ones just about nonexistent.
Nonetheless, Krone, who lives within the space, took discover and advised they go to Monmouth Park in New Jersey, the place Krone would deal with Peterson’s e book.
“I’ve all the time gone the place there’s an open door, as a result of I would like the chance to journey,” mentioned Peterson. “So, I used to be completely happy to go together with Julie to the East Coast.”
Peterson spent two years across the Mid-Atlantic, using at, amongst different venues, Monmouth and Aqueduct. She gained her first stakes victories – aboard Share the Trip within the 2020 Mr. Prospector Stakes and with Por Que No within the following yr’s Boiling Springs Stakes – at Monmouth. However the circuit was not working for her.
“I needed the chance to journey on daily basis, however I discovered that the trainers there don’t ship round as a lot, so it’s arduous to journey at a number of tracks,” Peterson mentioned. “You skinny out your enterprise at your most important observe when you journey round. Additionally, it appeared that each time I picked up momentum, the meet would finish. And also you’d have to start once more at one other observe with totally different trainers and also you’re again ranging from scratch.
“I appeared for a circuit the place you could possibly journey at a couple of tracks and breeze at a couple of locations, and I observed the caliber of horses in Kentucky. It’s extra possible you could possibly come throughout a 2-year-old which may take you someplace right here.”
Peterson has, for now, discovered a house on the Kentucky circuit. Since horsemen there can prepare horses on the main tracks or at coaching facilities close to them in Louisville and Lexington, they can ship horses as much as run at Belterra, Turfway Park, Ellis, and Horseshoe Indianapolis, permitting Peterson to journey at a number of venues.
For many of her using profession, Peterson has served as her personal agent. It provides a substantial quantity of labor to her plate, particularly having to review a number of situation books for numerous racetracks, however on the similar time will get her higher acquainted with horses’ progressions.
“It offers you a novel perspective, a long-term view of the place a horse might run sooner or later,” she mentioned. “As an impartial contractor, you’re solely assured the mount on a horse one race at a time. If it doesn’t fireplace, or one thing occurs within the race that’s your fault, you could possibly lose the mount. However in learning the situation books, I can work out find out how to get the horse again. I discover it retains me impressed, moderately than feeling down if I’m taken off a mount. You can begin to piece the puzzle again collectively.
“You retain your head up, and hold working arduous. Taking over the enterprise your self, you see how the items can come collectively. I like taking the reins and making issues occur. I reached out to Steve Cauthen for recommendation about brokers, and he advised I proceed to characterize myself to point out horsemen how a lot I consider in my using and the way a lot I need to succeed.”
After arriving in Kentucky final yr, Peterson started breezing horses for Maker, together with prime runners similar to Military Spouse. Maker has begun to offer her alternatives deeper into his steady, and that paid off June 2 when Peterson bought residence twice for Maker in $100,000 stakes at Belterra, successful the Better of Ohio Diana Stakes aboard Squid and the Better of Ohio Inexperienced Carpet Stakes with Trojan Story. She had piloted each to victories in allowance races earlier than these stakes scores.
“Ferrin is an excellent gate rider,” Maker mentioned. “She rides a wise race, and all the time places the horse ready to win. She’s additionally a really arduous employee who has nice ardour for the game.”
After 4 unsuccessful tries with different riders, Cox named Peterson to journey a 3-year-old High quality Highway filly named Who Runs the World, and the pair teamed to win by 2 ½ lengths in a maiden allowance at Belterra within the first race Peterson ever rode for the coach.
“When she’s on one thing first rate, she’s successful with them,” mentioned Cauthen, who is aware of a factor or three about using. “The horses break effectively for her; she will get out of the gate and places them in a great place. She lets the horse discover its place and will get run out of them. She’s a pointy child, and she or he has a whole lot of potential.
“You need to hold working arduous to get the chance. It’s arduous to get observed, particularly in Kentucky, particularly when you’re a lady, and particularly if you’re using towards good riders that ship in. I actually admire her strive.”
Via arduous work, alternative will come. However earlier than Peterson finds the large horse that may make a reputation for her, she places in her time using principally longshots. Requested if that will get irritating, Peterson referred to a dialog she had with Dominguez whereas in New York.
“Ramon advised me I’ve to have a look at every mount, and choose whether or not I improved the horse. So long as you’re bettering the horse, you’re doing all of your job. That’s one among my promoting factors once I discuss to trainers. ‘If I don’t enhance your horse, take me off.’ I need to journey horses that may run for me that I can enhance.”
As a result of, rightly or wrongly, many horsemen really feel that feminine jockeys aren’t robust within the stretch, Peterson works diligently on her health and energy. She trains by boxing, as a result of throwing punches is identical movement as pushing on a horse’s neck down the lane. She addressed being a lady in a male-dominated area.
“I hear a good quantity of bias towards ladies, however when you need to work tougher for one thing, you recognize it that rather more,” Peterson mentioned. “The wins imply much more, and with the ability to journey for these higher connections means rather a lot. I do know it’s not going to return simply. However I’m getting higher probabilities, and it’s good to return in with confidence.”
