Jockey agent Ron Anderson, currently responsible for the mounts of leading rider Garrett Gomez and recent West Coast transplant Richard Migliore, will remain with Gomez when the 35-year-old ships from California to Kentucky for Keeneland’s spring meet April 6, Anderson said March 26.
Gomez will ride in Kentucky until early May, then will shift his tack to New York to ride at Belmont Park and Saratoga. Meanwhile, Migliore will be represented by longtime agent Scotty McClellan, who managed the books of other well-known California riders such as Chris McCarron and Alex Solis, as he remains on the West Coast through Del Mar’s 2007 meet.
“With (Migliore), I’ll kind of direct things forward until the end of Santa Anita, but then he’s going to be represented by McClellan,” Anderson said. “Garrett and I will be in Kentucky for opening day at Keeneland--we’re actually going to be there for the whole meet--and we ride (Todd Pletcher-trained) Octave in the Ashland Stakes (gr. I) on the second day of the meet.”
Anderson and Gomez began a lucrative association with Pletcher last year after the trainer’s first-call rider, John Velazquez, was injured in an April spill at Keeneland. After finishing the Keeneland meet for Pletcher and shifting his tack to New York during the summer, Gomez continued a close relationship with the stable as Pletcher moved a string of horses to California for the first time.
Anderson picked up Migliore’s book when the latter made a successful move from the New York circuit to Southern California in November of 2006. Since then, the veteran rider has scored graded victories aboard horses such as Kip Deville and Sugar Shake while developing a strong client base on the West Coast.
“He always wanted to try California, and he’s been very well-accepted,” Anderson said of the 43-year-old jockey. “He’s a real professional rider, a very talented rider, and he’s been a pleasure to be around.”
Through March 26, Migliore was fourth in the standings at Santa Anita, while Gomez was the leading rider.