Pyfer unexpectedly in race for jockey title

Three wins last Saturday, and a consistent span of results in the last two weeks, has left apprentice jockey Jessica Pyfer on the verge of the unexpected this weekend at Los Alamitos – positioned to contend for the riding title at the track’s three-week meeting.

Through Sunday, Pyfer, who began riding in September, was tied for second in the standings with seven wins, one less than leader Juan Hernandez and equal with Abel Cedillo, the leading rider at the Del Mar autumn session last month. The meeting ends Sunday.

Pyfer, the 22-year-old stepdaughter of prominent trainer Phil D’Amato, had won 15 races from 81 mounts in her career through Sunday. Two of those wins were on D’Amato-trained horses. Pyfer rode her first winner on Oct. 9 at Santa Anita and had four wins at that track’s autumn meeting. Pyfer won four races at the Del Mar autumn meeting.

At the current Los Alamitos meeting, Pyfer had her first multi-win day last Saturday.

“I’ve exceeded my expectations,” Pyfer said last weekend. “I never thought I’d have three wins in a day, not even less than three months into my career. Yesterday, I starting crying after it happened.

“I’m getting awesome mounts.”

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While the milestone was appreciated, the celebration was short-lived. Pyfer, who is represented by agent Brandon O’Bryan, was back at Santa Anita the next morning, riding workouts. Sunday, she had one win at Los Alamitos.

On Friday’s nine-race program, Pyfer is booked to ride four of the nine races. Regardless of whether she wins the riding title at the current Los Alamitos meeting, Pyfer has had a successful autumn that she hopes will translate into additional success at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting that begins Dec. 26.

Gaining a place among the leading riders at Santa Anita will be difficult. Instead of a sprint-oriented program of races only on dirt that is offered at Los Alamitos, Santa Anita has a racing program that includes several turf races a day.

Joel Rosario, one of the nation’s leading riders, is set to ride the first three months of the meeting, a schedule he has had in the last few years. Top local riders such as Flavien Prat, Umberto Rispoli, and Drayden Van Dyke will be more active than they have been in recent weeks at Los Alamitos.

“When I get back to Santa Anita, it will get tougher,” Pyfer said. “Joel Rosario is coming into town. There will be turf racing.

“I need to make improvements in my riding. I’ve worked on a few things. I think my riding has changed in the last week. In the beginning, my center of gravity was too forward. My body was too high in the saddle. I’ve focused on getting lower in the saddle.”

Pyfer, who will claim seven pounds until her 35th win, graduated from Asuza Pacific earlier this year with a major in political science and a minor in constitutional law. Her studies continue, with a focus on past performances and video replays of her mounts and the competition. The homework has had real-time benefits in races.

“I’ve been pretty good at handicapping and looking at PPs,” she said. “I watch morning workouts, especially gate workouts.

“I watch past races, sometimes every single horse in the race to get myself prepared. Some horses can break in and out commonly. I want to know whose horses do that.”