Sandy Hawley

Tenacity. The trait seems to be woven into the very fabric of every jockey. After all, they put their lives on the line every time they break out of a gate perched atop 1,000 pounds of heaving horseflesh. It is also the very thing that propels them to the finish line, driving them to win. Emma-Jayne Wilson is the embodiment of tenacity, the thing that has driven her to the pinnacle of racing and in more challenging times, has helped her overcome adversity. Wilson, who returned to the saddle this...

Sandy Hawley was one of the most successful jockeys of his generation, earning his way into the Canadian and U.S. horse racing hall of fames, and winning championship titles in both countries. But Hawley, the first jockey to ever win 500 races in a single year, grew up knowing nothing about the sport. "I didn't know anything about horses," he tells Ferrin Peterson on this week's Boundless Podcast. "But when I was 16 years old, my uncle said, `you're the right size. You should be a jockey.'" Within a few...

Legendary figures from the sport of horse racing are to be featured in a new podcast hosted by Ferrin Peterson. 'The Boundless Podcast' will feature interviews with Hall of Fame jockeys Steve Cauthen, Chris McCarron, Pat Day, and Sandy Hawley. Available on all recognized platforms, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, and YouTube, the series will kick off Jan. 16 with an hour-long interview with Cauthen, whose outstanding career in the saddle included a historic Triple Crown success on Affirmed in 1978, when he was just 18 years old, before he became...

Retired jockey Aaron Gryder, who currently serves as senior vice president of racing operations for 1/ST Racing, will be master of ceremonies at the upcoming Jockeys and Jeans Fundraiser to be held at Gulfstream Park Jan. 11. Tickets for the event, which benefits the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, can be purchased at http://pdjf.org/purchase-tickets/. "It's a great cause, and I'm excited about hosting the event," said Gryder. "We all go out and compete against each other, and we all understand what happened to those disabled former jockeys can happen to us....

President of Jockeys and Jeans Barry Pearl has officially retired. The 76-year-old headed the annual event that has raised $3.1 million for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund in their nine-year history. A former jockey, Pearl later became the track photographer at Penn National Racetrack and then a top salesperson for West Publishing. He retired in 2009 and moved to Juno Beach Florida with his wife Dee. Hall of Fame Jockey Sandy Hawley, who along with his wife Karou, oversaw relationships with Hall of Fame Jockeys has also resigned. Each year...

Eric Halstrom is vice president and general manager of Caesar's Horseshoe Indianapolis, a position he's held since 2020. He previously served in several executive positions in horse racing, including vice president of racing at Canterbury Park, vice president and general manager of racing at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, assistant director of racing at Prairie Meadows, and vice president of operations at Harrah's Louisiana Downs. Halstrom, who graduated from the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program, is a native of Bloomington, MN, and is a die-hard fan of...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. will welcome a dozen of the sport's top jockeys back to Saratoga Race Course for the sixth annual Jockey Legends Day, presented by Fasig-Tipton, Sunday, August 4. Top riders scheduled to attend include Angel Cordero, Jr., Robbie Davis, Ramon Dominguez, David Erb, Earlie Fires, Sandy Hawley, Richard Migliore, Laffit Pincay, Jr., Nick Santagata, Jose Santos, Gary Stevens and Jorge Velasquez. The riders will be honored with a special video tribute and ceremony in the winner's circle following races four, five and six. The legendary...