Fresu making good first impression with New York horsemen, horseplayers

ELMONT, N.Y. – Antonio Fresu has made a good first impression on New York horseplayers, booting home four double-digit-priced winners in his first three weeks riding at Belmont Park.

Relocating from Southern California, Fresu won the first race run at the new Belmont Park when he rallied Lisa Joy to victory at 12-1 in a marathon turf maiden race for trainer Shug McGaughey on Sept. 18.

Since then he won stakes races on Egyptian Mau ($64.10) and Souper Forces ($14.42) and a starter allowance aboard Hammerhead ($36.98). Through the first 12 days of racing here – there were two canceled cards Sept. 26-27 – Fresu is 4 for 59 with seven seconds and nine thirds.

Happy but not satisfied, Fresu is seeking more success as time goes along.

“Still building up something,” Fresu, a native of the Italian island Sardinia, said between races Thursday at Belmont. “It’s going to take time because I’m new here and you need to build up a relationship with all the trainers and the owners and get to know all the different horses because it’s a different reality from California. But the track is different, more European, so I really like it. I’m still adapting myself, but I feel good about it.”

Though Fresu rode two horses in 2022 – his first U.S. mount was actually in Saratoga in the that year’s Prioress Stakes – he began riding regularly in 2023. He won two Santa Anita spring meet titles and has won 480 races so far. Though labeled a turf rider, Fresu has won 12 graded stakes on dirt, including the 2024 Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby aboard Stronghold.

“I think it’s just a matter of getting on the right horses,” Fresu said. “It doesn’t really matter if it’s dirt or turf.”

Fresu said midway through the summer he was approached by his agent, Ron Anderson, about relocating to New York. Despite being among the leading riders in Southern California the last few years – he won the Santa Anita spring meet in both 2025-26 and finished in the top three at basically every other meet he competed – Fresu was intrigued by the idea of relocating.

“He felt coming here would give us more opportunities and more exposure to all states. I was thrilled,” said Fresu, 34. “Straightaway, I said yes. I moved here a few days before opening day, and it’s been good since then. I really enjoy riding these tracks. It’s a very good jockey colony here, but you can see the variety of horses and trainers that you have here. And, it’s five days a week instead of three like we had in California. It’s better for myself, keep me busier.”

Fresu is hoping his wife, Veronika, can soon join him in New York. She is in Norway, awaiting approval to come to the United States.

“We’re managing,” Fresu said. “Luckily, we’re very good together, so we can manage this. Hopefully, her papers come through as soon as possible.”

On Sunday, Fresu is named to ride six of the nine races, including the English-bred Lisa Joy, who is entered in a first-level allowance/optional $55,000 claimer scheduled for 1 3/8 miles on turf that serves as the afternoon’s feature.

“From the first race that she ran here she improved each race, so I’m expecting a little improvement from last time,” Fresu said. “Last time, I thought it was a tough race and she did really well. Maybe if things got clear earlier she could have won better because I had to make my way though there. Hopefully, she improves just a bit to perform well in this allowance race.”

McGaughey, who said he has been impressed with Fresu thus far, said Lisa Joy is “training really well, that’s why I ran her back” in three weeks.

Trainer Miguel Clement has the pair of Dividend Recap and Kiamba in the field. Clement is eager to try Dividend Recap at 11 furlongs.

“I’ve never tried her that far, but I’ve always been adamant she stays,” he said. “We can’t pull her up in her training, we can’t pull her up after the races half the time. We might as well let her run; she’s a big galloper. I think she might like it.”

Kiamba has been a hard horse for Clement to figure. She has sandwiched two decent efforts around two “abysmal” starts, to use Fresu’s word.

“It doesn’t make sense to me,” he said. “I’m doing something wrong, I just don’t know what.”