Jockey Pyfer still sore, will stay off mounts until Saturday

ARCADIA, Calif. - Jockey Jessica Pyfer, the champion apprentice of 2021, took off her mounts at Santa Anita on Sunday citing residual soreness from a kick sustained in the paddock on Friday.

Pyfer, 24, said she intends to resume riding next Saturday. She is not booked to ride this Friday’s program.

Pyfer was kicked on her right hip when she attempted to mount Tricky Ricky in the walking ring. Pyfer was briefly hospitalized on Friday, but was released after precautionary X-rays showed no damage.

After resting on Saturday, Pyfer said she exercised two horses on Sunday morning, but was “not 100 percent.”

“After each horse, it hurt a little more,” she said. “I need a few more days.”

Through Sunday, Pyfer has won 4 races this year. She finished her apprentice term last November and was honored in February as the champion apprentice of 2021, a year she won 59 races. She has won 81 races in a career that began in fall 2020.

:: Win big at Santa Anita: Get DRF Past Performances, Picks, Clocker Reports and Betting Strategies.