Tom Queally, known best as the regular jockey of undefeated European champion Frankel, has relocated to Northern California, where he'll begin riding Nov. 16 at Golden Gate Fields.
The 33-year-old jockey, who rode Frankel in all 14 of his races (including 10 group 1 victories), is ready to begin a new chapter in his racing life. A native of Ireland, Queally moved to the San Francisco Bay Area earlier in November and will ride the Tim McCanna-trained Annisquam in the first race at Golden Gate on the Thursday card.
"I'm looking forward to this meet," Queally said. "I've got nice rides to start out on. I'm hoping to make an impact and hoping to impress the people I ride for. I'm very happy with how things have gone so far."
Queally is also named to ride the Blaine Wright-trained Adler in the seventh race on the Golden Gate grass course.
"I've been looking into it for the last two to three years," Queally said of his thoughts on voyaging to America. "I've done my research and have watched as much U.S. racing as I have European. I've spoken to lots of people. One of the first things I did off the plane was walk the turf track here at Golden Gate. If it rides the way it walks, it will be a heck of a track."
The son of Irish trainer Declan Queally is represented by agent Dennis Patterson, who said Queally has quickly attracted interest from many different trainers on the Golden Gate backstretch.
"He's been working in the mornings for about a week," Patterson said. "We're hoping to put him on the right horses."
This year Queally has won three group 1 races in Europe, including the Diamond Jubilee Stakes Oct. 21 at Royal Ascot June 24 with The Tin Man, but he's not a stranger to U.S. racing. In his first stateside start, he took the 2009 Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) at Santa Anita Park aboard Midday and a day later ran third with Twice Over in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), behind Zenyatta and Gio Ponti .
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He also made trips across the Atlantic to ride races in 2010, 2011, and 2013. In 2010 he just missed repeating with Midday by a neck in the Filly & Mare Turf at Churchill Downs and his last U.S. start came in 2013, when he finished second aboard Gifted Girl in the Beverly D. Stakes (G1T) at Arlington International Racecourse.
"I've been extremely lucky," Queally said of his riding career.
