Aqueduct: Taylor Rice hopeful she can keep riding in New York

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – This has been a pretty good week for apprentice jockey Taylor Rice.

On Monday, her alma mater, Florida State University, won the national championship in college football.

Since then, Rice has made a couple of trips to the Aqueduct winner’s circle as she tries to make an imprint on the New York Racing Association circuit.

Rice, who finished third in the standings at Hawthorne, recently moved her to tack to New York ,where she has won three races and has two seconds from her first eight mounts. On Thursday, Rice won a race for her aunt, trainer Linda Rice. On Friday, Taylor Rice won the opener for Gary Contessa.

Rice’s stint in New York coincides with a six-week break in the racing calendar in Chicago. But if she continues to succeed here, Rice plans to stay in New York for the foreseeable future.

“Obviously, my intentions are to stay here and it would be awesome to get rolling here like I was in Chicago. Then there’d be no need to leave,” Rice said Friday at Belmont Park.

Though she grew up in a racing family – her father Wayne and grandfather Clyde are trainers – Taylor Rice was not looking to make riding her profession. She attended Florida State and graduated with a degree in international affairs.

Upon graduation in December 2012, Rice, 25, wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, so last winter she helped her father get horses ready for the Presque Isle Downs meet. Rice began riding at Presque Isle Downs, where she won 9 races from 88 mounts. After that, she went to Hawthorne, where she finished third in standings with 41 wins from 196 mounts.

And now she’s hooked.

“I love it. I’ve always loved horses,” said Rice, who is represented by agent Roger Sutton. “Can’t get away from them too much. My whole family does this. It’s a lot of fun.”

Linda Rice, with whom Taylor is residing for the time being, said she will put her niece on contenders in hopes of getting her off to a fast start in New York. Linda Rice said Taylor Rice rode Alcomatch “beautifully” in Thursday’s seventh, saving ground and taking advantage of a strong early pace.

“I think she’s got a lot of natural talent,” Linda Rice said. “She wasn’t raised in a shopping mall or on video games. She was raised on a farm with horses, and she’s very athletic.”

Uncle Sigh breezes for Withers

Uncle Sigh, a 14 1/2-length maiden winner here Dec. 27, breezed a quick five furlongs in 1:00.20 on Friday morning over the Belmont Park training track as he prepares for next month’s Grade 3, $250,000 Wither Stakes for 3-year-olds.

Pablo Morales, the regular rider of Uncle Sigh, was aboard for the work, which went a little faster than trainer Gary Contessa anticipated.

“I was a little surprised and I was also a little unhappy. I didn’t want him to do all that much. I was hoping for a little slower work,” Contessa said. “But it happens. It’s done, it’s in the books, and move on.”

Contessa said the work was typical of what he had seen from Uncle Sigh before he ran. Uncle Sigh finished second to Groupthink in a swiftly run maiden race before winning his two-turn debut.

“From Day 1 he’s always worked like a really good horse,” Contessa said.

The Withers is the next race for Triple Crown hopefuls on the NYRA circuit. It is expected to include fellow New York-bred Samraat, undefeated in three starts, and possibly Jerome winner Noble Moon as well as Jerome runner-up Classic Giacnroll.

Long River stays sharp for Evening Attire

Long River, two-length winner of the Time for a Change Stakes last time out, worked a half-mile in 48.10 seconds Friday morning as he prepares for a start in the $100,000 Evening Attire Stakes on Jan. 18.

Long River, working in company outside of a stablemate, went off very sharply, going his first quarter in 22.92. He drew away from his workmate while getting his last quarter in 25.18. He galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.97.

“He was a little keen early with company,” said Art Magnuson, assistant trainer to Kiaran McLaughlin. “He’s not a great workhorse. We like to keep him focused a little bit. We worked him by himself and he just loped along.”

Long River, who has won his last two starts, is a son of A.P. Indy out of the Grade 1-winning mare Round Pond.

◗ Aqueduct will be open for racing Monday with a nine-race card.