Day to ride Request for Parole

In another example that lesser-known riders become endangered species as the Kentucky Derby nears, jockey Brian Peck has lost the mount on Request for Parole to Pat Day for the $600,000 Lane's End Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park on March 23.

Peck rode to victories in the Battaglia Memorial and WEBN-Frog Stakes at Turfway this winter, but trainer Steve Margolis on Tuesday said the chance to get a better-known rider was too tempting. He likened the switch to that made by trainer Ken McPeek, who removed Tony D'Amico from Repent and replaced him with Jerry Bailey after a victory in the Risen Star Stakes.

"Brian hasn't done anything wrong with the horse," Margolis said from Kentucky, "but it's like Ken with Tony - you want to get the best possible rider. It's an advantage to have Pat Day. A rider is always trying to find the best mount, and a trainer and an owner are always trying to find the best rider."

D'Amico, who already has lost the mount on both Repent and Harlan's Holiday this year, also could soon be bumped from Perfect Drift, who finished second to Request for Parole in the Battaglia. Trainer Murray Johnson on Tuesday said the owners of Perfect Drift were contemplating making a change for the Spiral, but only, Johnson said, "If you can find someone who is experienced."