Euclyn Prentice Jr. in hunt for apprentice Eclipse
Overshadowed, as usual, by virtually all other categories, the race for outstanding apprentice is getting minimal buzz as voting gets under way for the 2016 Eclipse Awards.
Luis Ocasio, based in Pennsylvania, has to be considered the favorite as the national leader in wins and earnings, but Euclyn Prentice Jr., who has ridden mostly in Kentucky and Ohio, might attract a few votes.
Prentice, a 26-year-old native of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, “was living in a tack room last winter at Turfway with no car and no money,” said his agent, Mike Secen. “He’s come a long way in a year.”
Into Friday action, Prentice had won 84 races at six tracks in 2016 and trailed only Ocasio (100) and Lane Luzzi (87) in wins atop the North American standings for apprentices.