Fort Erie: Kirk Johnson closing in on first riding title

FORT ERIE, Ontario – Jockey Kirk Johnson began this Fort Erie season on the slow side because the stewards at Mountaineer Park in West Virginia had suspended him for a riding infraction.

But Johnson has proved to clearly be the best rider here this year, with a meet-leading 45 wins heading into the last four cards of the 2013 season. Chasing him from a distance are Juan Crawford and Terry Husbands, both with 33 wins. Melanie Pinto and Bradley Wilson are tied for fourth with 30 wins each. The riding title would be a first for Johnson.

“It took a while for me to get going this past spring as I sat some days, and then I could not expect trainers to jump my way, since jockeys that had been working with them had to come first when it came giving a rider a call,” said Johnson, who has been his own agent this year. “Once I settled in, then trainers that I had worked with last year started giving me rides.”

Johnson, 39, began his role as a jockey very late in life, with his first ride coming at Assiniboia Downs in 2005. However, it did not take long for him to catch on to the game as he gained confidence and became of the track’s leading jockeys. Last year, in a race with rider Terry Husbands, Johnson finished second best at Fort Erie.

“I have finished second in the jockey standings a number of times, both here and in Winnipeg,” Johnson said, “and it is nice to know that even with a few days left on the season schedule, I lead other riders by 12 wins.”

As the season rolls to an end, riders are making decisions on where they will be this winter.

“I am planning to return to Mountaineer Park for the winter,” Johnson said. “I have built up a good list of connections and will not be starting off cold.”

Pinto has had an excellent year and is by far the leading female rider at Fort Erie.

“I am pleased with the season,” Pinto said, “and I look forward to returning next year. I plan to spend my winter at Palm Meadows working for the likes of Wesley Ward and others.”

Pinto recently was invited to Lima, Peru, to compete in a challenge for female riders, a one-day affair.

“I had a fantastic time representing Canada,” Pinto said, “and I won a race, one of four on the day, and was so very pleased to wave the Canadian flag. They treated us royally, and I followed up the short vacation with a tour of some historic sites. It was definitely a weekend to remember.”

Mallory Strandberg has 23 wins on the year and rates as the top apprentice rider at Fort Erie. Strandberg has already taken her tack to a number of tracks and she is working on retaining her five-pound bug, a matter that is subject to approval from the stewards.

“I have had a good year,” Strandberg said “and I’m looking forward to getting an extension as an apprentice. At the end of our meet here, I plan to ride at Woodbine for the rest of the fall.”

Jockeys Jeffrey Alderson and Brian Cheyne remained at Fort Erie last winter as both were awaiting additions to their families, Alderson’s first child and Cheyne’s second. Both will be heading south of the border once the season here ends.