Simon Pearce

 

We can catch up with Simon Pearce, who won the 2009 Betfair Training Race Series.

His prize from Betfair, who sponsor the series, was funding for a working holiday at the destination of Simon's choice, and it seems that his choice has been a good one. Simon is based at Santa Anita (the host of last seasons Breeders Cup) with Ben Cecil. He has been riding out 8 to 10 horses a morning for Ben's stable. On Sundays he rides work, on the turf, for hall of fame trainer, Neil Drysdale, and on Mondays he travels to Hollywood park to ride track work for Doug O'Neill (who is third in the trainer standings at Santa Anita).

Simon say's "I'm loving it out here, I have been riding work with Rafael Bejarano (current leading jockey at Santa Anita), Martin Pedroza (winner of over 3,000 races), Joel Rosario (Breeders Cup winning rider) and the legend Alex Solis (three Breeders Cup wins including the Classic on Pleasantly Perfect). I wasn't brilliant with the times when I first got out here but now I'm getting it right. Also I couldn't afford to keep buying the whole barn doughnuts and beer every time I got it wrong!"

He has now had two rides at Santa Anita, the first ride was for Doug O'Neill on Candy Arches, who finished 4th, beaten only 1 ½ lengths. He said after the race "That was quite nerve racking having to make the running on my first ride in America, but everything went really well and the connections were really please with Candy Arches, who was running after a long lay off". The second ride was on a horse called Shawklit Sunday a 29/1 outsider. The race was opposite from his first ride as he came from well off the pace to finish 5th. He is hoping to have a couple more rides before coming back to the UK at the end February.

Simon has also hooked up with Hall of Fame rider, Mike Smith (the rider of Classic winning filly, Zenyatta) who has been taking Simon to the gym 5 times a week. With the gym 5 days a week, riding ten horses a day and hiking up the mountains with Mike and Alex Solis every weekend, oh and not forgetting the jockey's charity basketball match this week, we should expect the arrival of the young Mr Pearce back on UK soil to be nothing short of spectacular!

Simon wishes to thank Betfair for this once in a lifetime experience that he has been provided with. Somehow we think he may well return to the land of opportunity.