Apprentices looking to make their mark

Apprentice riders Brayan Pena and Carson Sullivan come off fine showings at the Big Fresno Fair meeting and are hoping to make an impact at the Golden Gate Fields fall meet, which began last Thursday.

Pena went 6 for 27 and tied for third in the standings at the nine-day Fresno meet, which ended Oct. 13. Sullivan finished the meet 3 for 11, putting him in a tie for seventh in the standings.

Pena, 24, rode the first winner of his career on Sept. 6 in his Northern California riding debut. He called the victory “the most exciting moment of my life.”

Pena, a native of Guatemala, rode horses on his family farm. He began riding in the U.S. in 2008 and finished second in his first race in this country on a horse trained by Wesley Ward. His career continued in fits and starts until this year. He had eight mounts in 2008 and seven in 2009, then didn’t ride again until last year, when he had a single mount. Since resuming his career in earnest this year, he has 10 wins in 70 mounts.

Weight problems and immigration issues partially explain his limited riding, he said.

“When I started, I was still young, and I was happy just galloping,” Pena said. “I was a kid and didn’t think I wanted to be a jockey. Now that I’m older, I think more about what I want in my life.

“I’m happy. I’m excited to come out every day. I think I’m doing good, but I’m trying to get better every day.”

Sullivan, 29, calls himself a “track rat.” He grew up near Santa Anita and says he would hang out on the backside while his mother would gallop horses.

Sullivan is a guitarist and says he made a living as a musician in New York and then went to Ohio University, leaving one semester early because “racing was calling to me.”

“It sounds corny,” Sullivan said, “but I used to dream about it.”

Sullivan comes from a line of jockeys. He said that his great grandfather, for whom he is named, and his grandfather James Kirk were both jockeys. It was his grandfather who taught him to ride, Sullivan said.

Sullivan is in his second season as a jockey. He won with 2 of 84 mounts last year, and is 15 for 254 this year.

Sullivan is a bit more polished than Pena, but knows he still has a lot to learn.

“When I began, every seemed to happen so fast,” he said. “It slows down and rides begin to make more sense. I’m comfortable now. The secret to being a good jockey is to see things before they happen.

“I’m still working on my technical skills, my posture on a horse and how to use the whip.”

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the name of Carson Sullivan's grandfather. He is James Kirk, not James C. Cook.