Three-time ASD leading rider ANTONIO WHITEHALL was spotted on the track Thursday (March 28) morning, and he was happy to be there. He’s not the only one.
The 30-year-old rider from Barbados is one of numerous jockeys back at the track right now exercising horses every day to secure live mounts for the upcoming season. Who here remembers that just 20 years ago you’d be lucky to even find a jockey at the track for spring training, let alone a leading rider.
Not anymore. These guys are hungry, and they’ll do whatever work it takes to stake their claim on the best runners of 2024. Exercising horses not only gives them a chance to feel out potential mounts and select the best of the best, but it also helps them get fit in the process.
Whitehall knows that if he’s not out in the mornings someone else might be eating his breakfast when the live race meeting begins on Monday, May 20, so he returned from a well-deserved break at home in Barbados on March 14.
Whitehall won the riding title here last year with confidence, winning at a 20-percent clip and compiling a record of 56-43-54 from 284 mounts for purse earnings of $687,757.
That was 15 wins ahead of runner-up Damario Bynoe, who is also here exercising horses in the morning along with fellow returnees Chavion Chow, Renaldo Cumberbatch, Prayven Badrie, Sven Balroop, Stanley Chadee Jr., Shavon Belle and comeback kid Tim Tarasen.
There are 170 horses on the grounds right now and that number is expected to go over 200 by the end of the month, which would be ahead of last year’s pace, but trainers must be loving the fact that they have so many choices for exercise riders. There was a time when it was difficult to find top exercise riders in the spring, but all of these jockeys are capable and enthusiastic! What a blessing!
Whitehall’s previous titles came in 2018, when he tied with Prayven Badrie, and outright in 2020, when he had his best year ever here with 74 wins. Whitehall had a shot at the national title in 2020, but he ran out of racing days in Western Canada and the Woodbine riders passed him.
“I just went back home and kicked back this winter, spent time with the family,” said Whitehall, who is a bit of a celebrity back home based on his riding successes in Canada. “It’s good to be back.”
So, what’s it like to go from 80 degrees above to minus 25?
“Of course it’s cold,” said Whitehall. “But my motto is just to keep going. When you stop you kind of like, freeze. You just have to keep galloping to get through it.”
Whitehall has been getting on horses for his usual top trainers including Wendy Anderson, Jared Brown, Shelley Brown and Tom Gardipy, Jr., among others. He’s married to Ria and the couple have a 3-year-old son. They’ve been together for nine years now.
“She’s my support, you know,” said Whitehall. “My number one fan. She gives me a reason to go hard. My family, you know.” Whitehall is looking forward to this year and hoping to make a good run at his fourth title. He also relishes additional competition.
“Work hard, play hard,” he said. “Bring it on. It makes me better.” So much so that he influenced another young apprentice to make the journey here from Barbados. Rashad Knight has 26 wins in Barbados, and he’s been getting on horses for Wendy Anderson, Shelley Brown, Steven Gaskin and more.
“He’s in all the right barns,” said Whitehall.
And he would know.
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