Chris McCarron

Jockey Gregg P. McCarron, who won over 2400 races in a 24-year career and who steered his younger brother Chris to a Hall of Fame career as a rider, died on his 96-acre farm in Mt. Airy, MD Thursday after suffering a heart attack, according to a press release sent on behalf of the family. He was 77 years old. A native of Dorchester, MA, Gregg rode in 20,595 races during a career that started at Suffolk Downs in Boston in 1969 and ended in Maryland in 1993. He was...

A helping hand. A kind smile. A word of encouragement. A piece of advice. When in the company of Harry Rice III, an instrumental member of the jockeys' room on the New York Racing Association (NYRA) circuit for 49 years, you're guaranteed to receive either one or all of the above. And it's that warmth and color Rice carries with him that has been notably absent from New York race days since the veteran valet officially retired this past spring after working his final day, April 19, at Aqueduct. The...

Chris McCarron is one of the most successful and recognizable figures in the sport. He appears this week as the guest on Ferrin Peterson's Boundless podcast. McCarron tells Peterson of how he got off to a fast start in Maryland. In 1974, his first year of riding, McCarron set a record of 546 races, earning the Eclipse Award as the top apprentice jockey in the country. "I was young and dumb and all I was doing was having fun," he said. "I really didn't know a great deal about what...

Legendary figures from the sport of horse racing are to be featured in a new podcast hosted by Ferrin Peterson. 'The Boundless Podcast' will feature interviews with Hall of Fame jockeys Steve Cauthen, Chris McCarron, Pat Day, and Sandy Hawley. Available on all recognized platforms, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, and YouTube, the series will kick off Jan. 16 with an hour-long interview with Cauthen, whose outstanding career in the saddle included a historic Triple Crown success on Affirmed in 1978, when he was just 18 years old, before he became...

Retired jockey Aaron Gryder, who currently serves as senior vice president of racing operations for 1/ST Racing, will be master of ceremonies at the upcoming Jockeys and Jeans Fundraiser to be held at Gulfstream Park Jan. 11. Tickets for the event, which benefits the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, can be purchased at http://pdjf.org/purchase-tickets/. "It's a great cause, and I'm excited about hosting the event," said Gryder. "We all go out and compete against each other, and we all understand what happened to those disabled former jockeys can happen to us....

Angel Cordero, Jerry Bailey, Steve Cauthen, Julie Krone, Edgar Prado, Pat Day, Laffit Pincay, Ramon Dominguez, Jean Cruguet and Chris McCarron are just a few of the names confirmed to attend the 10th annual Jockeys and Jeans event at Gulfstream Park Jan. 11. Proceeds from the event go to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF). Other riders confirmed to attend include Jose Santos, Jorge Velasquez, Earlie Fires, Alex Solis, Bill Boland, Mike Manganello and current riders John Velazquez, Javier Castellano and Joel Rosario. The event, to be held in the...

How to ride your way into the Hall of Fame? Impossible question. Nobody could reduce such a journey, the decades of endeavor and experience, to a single explanation, a single concept. In the case of Chris McCarron, however, you can actually reduce the answer to a single word, simply by asking a different question. That question is: why did you make seven trips to Washington to lobby for the HISA bill? And the single word, answering both questions? Cooperation. That's what he always sought from his mounts; and that's also...

Hall of Fame riders Sandy Hawley, Chris McCarron, Mike Smith and John Velazquez, among many others, will team with FanDuel TV, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), Keeneland and Santa Anita on Sunday, Apr. 23rd for the fifth annual telethon to raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), presented by Lane's End. The event will be broadcast on both FanDuel TV and America's Day at the Races in collaboration with NYRA and FOX Sports as well as livestreamed. Fans can participate by calling 1-844-884-7353 between 12:00 p.m....

After the connections of GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) opted to skip the GI Preakness S. and instead prepare for the GI Belmont S., the structure of the Triple Crown races has been a subject of debate leading up to the second leg of the historic series. Should the timing between the races be adjusted? We asked a few veteran industry participants here. Steve Asmussen: I think it's what makes it the Triple Crown. There are other lucrative races on the calendar, but these are the American...

Oaklawn will host its first even Hall of Fame Day Apr. 16. The day, honoring members of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, will be highlighted by several special events, including winner's circle presentations. The feature race will be the GIII Count Fleet Sprint H. Race fans will receive a commemorative poster while supplies last, and an autograph session with Hall of Fame members will take place on the north end of the Grandstand from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. "There are only a few other racing...

Go For Gin (Cormorant--Never Knock, by Stage Door Johnny), who was the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner, passed away Tuesday due to heart failure at the Kentucky Horse Park, where he had lived since retiring from stud duty in June 2011. The 31-year-old won the 1994 Kentucky Derby and was second behind Tabasco Cat in both that year's GI Preakness S. and GI Belmont S. "We're honored that Go For Gin was an ambassador of the park for nearly 12 years," said Kentucky Horse Park Executive Director Lee Carter. "As...

As the calendar turns to 2022, the final crop of foals from legendary racehorse and sire Tiznow will become yearlings. Soon-turning 25, Tiznow has sired over 80 blacktype winners including 14 Grade I/Group 1 winners after nearly two decades as a cornerstone stallion at WinStar Farm. This year, the successful sire enjoyed his first full year of retirement. WinStar Stallion Manager Larry McGinnis said that Tiznow still shares a similar routine to the other stallions in the stud barn. "He does get a bit more leeway because he's a teacher's...