For years one of racing's most nomadic jockeys, Aaron Gryder has settled his tack in New York in recent years and has become a respected member of the year-round jockey's colony there. A 30-year-old native of West Covina, California, Gryder earned his first victory in Tijuana, Mexico, in early 1987 and wasted little time establishing himself on the Southern California circuit, winning a riding title at Hollywood Park and the 1987 Matriarch Invitational Stakes (G1) and `88 Beverly Hills Handicap (G1).

But Gryder left Southern California in the late 1980s and spent most of the next decade drifting from one circuit to another, always enjoying success but never settling down on a permanent basis. In the late 1990s, Gryder decided to settle in New York and was an immediate hit, winning the 1998-`99 Aqueduct inner dirt meet title with 53 victories.

 Through January 2001, Gryder has more than 2,300 victories and $63-million in career earnings.