Jockey Avery Whisman dies at age 23

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Avery Whisman, a promising jockey who spent most of his riding career in Maryland and Arizona, died Jan. 11 in Versailles, Ky., according to his family. Whisman was 23.

No cause of death was provided by the family. Friends of the family said this week that the death was not horse-related but declined to comment further.

Whisman, who had not ridden since Aug. 23 at Presque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania, earned nearly $1.6 million in his first year of riding, in 2019, with 53 wins from 483 mounts. He rode less in his second year, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut racetracks, but posted 21 wins from 231 mounts. He did not ride in 2021, and in 2022, he had 16 wins from 93 mounts.

Early in his career, Whisman had reached out to Mike Smith, the Hall of Fame jockey, for advice, and Smith advised him to ride at Turf Paradise in Arizona in order to gain experience.

On Friday, Smith called Whisman his “little brother” in a post on social media.

“R.I.P. my little brother you will always be so loved,” Smith wrote.

Whisman grew up in the eventing world, but he began trying his hand at flat riding in 2019. He grew up in Versailles, just outside of Lexington.