English jockey Grace McEntee starts U.S. career
Grace McEntee rang in the new year as a new face in the Kentucky jockey colony. The 22-year-old, fresh from England, piloted her first two U.S. mounts over the weekend at Turfway Park.
McEntee, the daughter of Newmarket trainer Phil McEntee, began riding in 2019 and has 36 career wins, according to Equineline statistics. The most recent of those came on Dec. 29 at Southwell. The morning of Dec. 31, she was exercising horses at Keeneland before heading north to Florence, Ky., for her first mount at Turfway. She finished fifth aboard Baytown Lovely in the Gowell Stakes for her uncle Paul McEntee.
On Sunday, McEntee, who is represented by agent Jose Santos, Jr., was fourth aboard Character Counts in a maiden-claiming race for trainer Johnny Ortiz, who looks to be one of her most prominent early supporters. The jockey is named on four horses this week at Turfway – two for Ortiz, along with mounts for Phil Schoenthal and Ryan Walsh.
“Super excited to be supporting a new face in Kentucky,” Ortiz said on social media.
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