Kennedy's Big Easy connections fuel solid start at Arlington

Ty Kennedy, a farm boy from Kansas, has been sowing the seeds for a successful career as a jockey over the past several years.

Kennedy turns 25 in July but didn’t start riding professionally until he was 20, having promised his mother he’d give college a try. Kennedy won just one race from 66 mounts during his first season in 2014 but had a decent run as a Southern California bug boy in 2015 and has increased his annual win total every year.

It was up to 47 during 2018 despite Kennedy jumping into the tough Fair Grounds jockey colony last November. Kennedy rode 23 winners in New Orleans and, just as important, made connections that have helped him get off to a strong start during his first season at Arlington, where he rode three winners last Sunday. He entered this week’s racing with nine wins for the meet, fifth in the local standings.

“It seemed like I was riding more for Chicago people than anyone at Fair Grounds,” said Kennedy.

Kennedy’s girlfriend, Tierney Reiste, is an assistant for trainer Chris Hartman and is overseeing Hartman’s string at Arlington this summer. Kennedy is friendly with the established Arlington jockey Mitchell Murrill, with whom Kennedy shares an agent, Tim Hanisch.

“I’m riding quite a few, and I’m getting on some good horses for live outfits now,” Kennedy said.

This is Kennedy’s second stint at a racecourse with a synthetic main track. He has ridden two meetings at Turfway Park, which, like Arlington, has Polytrack.

“I don’t mind it. The track here seems fair,” he said. “I’ve won a couple on the lead, a couple from off it. I see no bias to it.”

Still no turf racing at Arlington

Arlington didn’t even bother carding turf races for Friday’s program, and that means the track will go the entire month of May without running a race over its world-class turf course.

This is no case of a track being overly cautious with a turf course. O’Hare Airport, which lies about 12 miles from Arlington, through Tuesday had recorded 7.96 inches of rain this month, 4.64 inches more than normal.

“I’ve talked to various people who have been out there, and it’s very, very wet, which is to be expected,” said trainer Chris Block. “I’ve never seen it like this before. To go through May without running on the turf at Arlington Park is unheard of.”

Block has as many turf horses to run at this meet as any trainer.

“It’s so backed up for me right now. I’m running some horses on Polytrack just to run them,” he said.