2025.04.09 Oaklawn Racing Updates

Racing Press Release
Compiled by Robert Yates

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Outside trainer Kenny McPeek’s barn Monday morning at Oaklawn, jockey Francisco Arrieta and his agent, Cody Autrey, spent several minutes discussing the stock market.

The animated conversation was appropriate because Arrieta’s stock is at an all-time high in early April.

“It’s too late,” Autrey said, jokingly, when asked about buying. “I missed the curve.”

Just five weeks earlier, after separating from his longtime agent Jay Fedor, Arrieta seriously considered a riding sabbatical because his career had stalled.

A stunning turnaround followed.

Arrieta, over the last 11 days at Oaklawn, has 26 victories, including eight multiple-win days, to vault to the top of the rider standings with 50 victories through 50 days of racing. Two-time defending champion Cristian Torres is second with 49 victories. There are 11 days remaining in the weather-shortened 2024-2025 meeting.

“When things go good in this business, they go good,” Autrey said. “When they go bad, they go bad.”

Arrieta’s torrid stretch began March 14 when he rode five winners to equal a career high. He added victories in the inaugural $145,000 Lapatourel Overnight Stakes March 28 aboard Rose Palace for trainer Tammy Hornsby and the $250,000 Matron Stakes March 29 aboard Haulin Ice, now the leading accredited Arkansas-bred female money winner in history, for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. Arrieta swept Sunday’s two $150,000 stakes (Rainbow Miss and Rainbow) for accredited 3-year-old Arkansas-breds.

Arrieta won the Rainbow Miss aboard unbeaten Caliente Star for Hornsby and the Rainbow aboard Lord of Rhymes for trainer Ernie Witt II. Lord of Rhymes was the fourth victory on the card for Arrieta.

“One day you’re down and the other day on top,” Arrieta, 36, said. “It’s amazing. I have to give all the credit to God.”

After riding 24 winners through March 2 – 14 fewer than Torres’ meet-leading 38 – Arrieta fired Fedor, triggering a convoluted series of events that is still evolving more than a month later.

Fedor had cold-called Arrieta, then riding at Fair Grounds, in December 2020 and convinced him to move his tack to Oaklawn for the 2021 meeting and make Arkansas and Kentucky his year-round circuit. Arrieta rode 50 winners to finish third in the 2021 Oaklawn standings and shared the 2021-2022 Oaklawn riding title David Cabrera. Each rode 62 winners. Arrieta rode 83 winners to finish second in 2022-2023 at Oaklawn, but his total dipped to 49 last season.

Citing a desire to spend more time with his family and business that was “stuck,” Arrieta said he asked his valet, Cody Ungles, to “pack up his stuff” after the March 2 card (Day 36). Valets are responsible for the cleanliness and care of a jockey’s tack and other riding equipment

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“He’s my boss,” said Ungles, Arrieta’s valet throughout his Oaklawn career. “If he tells me to do something, I’ve got to do it or there’s 10 other valets that are going to take his tack in a heartbeat. I just went out on a limb. I said: ‘I’m not going to pack your tack. I’m not doing it. Now in a couple of days, if you tell me to do it, then we’ll do it then, but I’m not packing anything tonight.’ Like I said, I kind of had to take a chance telling him that.”

Ungles said he told Arrieta to take a deep breath and sleep on the decision, adding that he was having a productive meeting.

Arrieta decided not to hit the pause button, but he still needed an agent. Arrieta turned to Torres, a friend who makes Arkansas and Kentucky his year-round circuit, and asked if he believed Autrey would be interested. Autrey represents Torres and had also been booking mounts at Oaklawn for Harry Hernandez before he decided in early March to return to Turf Paradise. Under Arkansas rules, an agent can represent two journeymen riders.

Torres gave Arrieta the green light to contact Autrey, who initially wasn’t receptive because of his friendship with Fedor.

“I told Cody that I had already fired Jay,” Arrieta said. “He said: ‘Let me talk to Jay and I’ll let you know.’ Jay told him it was OK to take my book, so he took my book.”

Arrieta didn’t ride March 7-9 (two days were a HISA suspension for crop violations), meaning his return to the saddle was a memorable March 14, when he teased Oaklawn’s single-day record for victories (six), shared by retired Hall of Famer Pat Day and the late Larry Snyder. Arrieta’s flurry of recent stakes victories has pushed his meet-high total to eight.

“The suspension, probably, came at a great time because he had that week off to clear his head,” Ungles said. “I think jockeys are a lot like these horses. You can have the best one, but you just can’t lead them over week after week. They need a break.”

Arrieta said his deal with Autrey is only through the end of the Oaklawn meeting (May 3). Autrey said Torres will be the only jockey he represents in Kentucky.

“I called a couple of agents and didn’t get an answer back,” Arrieta said. “I talked to my wife and told her that we still have a few weeks left here and let’s see if we get a call. But it looks like we’re going to have a vacation. I will take some time off if I don’t get any calls from Kentucky. I talked to Cody the other day and appreciate his honesty. He said it’s tough there and he would like to take just one rider, which is Cristian because he’s been working with Cristian. I’m still very happy with how it’s gone with Cody. I’m riding with a lot of confidence.”

Arrieta has tasted success in Kentucky, highlighted by his first career North American graded stakes victory aboard Senor Buscador in the $300,000 Ack Ack (G3) in October 2022 at Churchill Downs and winning the $350,000 Bourbon Stakes (G2) aboard Can Group in October 2023 at Keeneland.

Trainer Jade Cunningham has been among Arrieta’s biggest supporters at Oaklawn and said she’s “pretty shocked” the jockey hasn’t secured another agent.

One of Arrieta’s 26 victories the last 11 racing days at Oaklawn was aboard Cunningham’s promising Gateskeeper in a $110,000 maiden special weight sprint for 3-year-olds March 29.

“Ever since I’ve known him, he’s just worked really hard,” Cunningham said. “He’s worked for everything he has and to see it be fruitful this meet has been really cool. He’s very diligent about how much he cares about the horses. Even when he wins, sometimes he’ll still tell you something he thinks that he can improve on a horse. He genuinely cares about the horse, as well as the trainer. He rode my ($12,500 claiming) horse just as hard he rode Gateskeeper.”

A native of Venezuela, Arrieta had ridden extensively in New Mexico, Arizona and Minnesota before becoming an Oaklawn regular. Arrieta has also collected riding titles at Turf Paradise and Canterbury Park

Arrieta rode his first United States winner in 2015 at the Meadowlands and has 1,038 career North American victories, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization, including 294 at Oaklawn.

Arrieta raises his right arm and points his right index finger to the sky following each victory. He recorded his 1,000th career North American victory Dec. 28 at Oaklawn, according to Equibase.