Teenage rider tries to make impact at Lone Star

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Skyler White Shield is one of the bright new additions to the Lone Star Park riding colony. White Shield, 18, who finished fourth in the standings at the recent Turf Paradise meet in Phoenix, hopes to establish himself in this market and, following Lone Star, will ride at nearby Remington Park in Oklahoma City.

“That’s the plan,” he said. “I’m just going to stick around and try to make it work, keep working hard.”

White Shield ranked fourth in wins at Turf Paradise, with 59 from 520 mounts during the meet that ran from October into early May. His mounts earned $575,721, third best in the standings. For part of the stand, White Shield was an apprentice, but he lost the allowance about two months ago, he said. White Shield is a native of Bismarck, N.D., and his introduction to racing came at the fair meets in North and South Dakota.

“I started my bug in Nebraska, where I rode my first race, at Fonner Park,” White Shield said of his 2012 career launch. “From there, I went to Chicago, and I was up there for the summer, and from there, I went to Turf Paradise.”

To date, the rider has won 90 races from 866 starters for mount earnings of $792,249.

Don Pettinger, a retired jockey who won 3,338 career races with mount earnings of $45 million, is representing White Shield.

◗ Sam Houston will close out its Quarter Horse meet Sunday with a stakes double, running the $68,490 Texas Juvenile Challenge and the $58,860 Texas Derby Challenge. First post is 1 p.m. Central.