Cal jockeys are better
 

San Diego Union-Tribune:

"Matos, the agent for Gryder and Espinoza, contends that the Southern California jockey colony has never been stronger.

“Garrett Gomez showed he's a top rider when he went back East and won back there. I think he showed that we have the best riders in the world out here in California,” Matos said.

“I think we have the best riding colony in the world. And I think most people want to come to California because when you do you become a better rider. It's like a tennis player, when you play against the better players, you get better. You can go to the next level.

“As a jockey, you stay in New York, you stay at a certain level. But when you come to California, I think, because we have the better riders, you have to get better.” "

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports...s7jockeys.html

This gets into East/West Biggy Tupac territory...In the winter, Cal has a better group. In the summer, the NY tracks are deeper with Saratoga being the strongest contingent over a meet during the entire year.

LOL. It's hard to make a comparison. Tony Matos is a very sharp guy and very astute. He's been in the game a long time. That doesn't mean I agree with him, but I would certainly listen to his opinion. As far as Aaron Gryder is concerned, I think he is a very underrated jockey and his strong points don't neccessarily get the accolades they should.

Regardless, I don't believe you can automatically judge a jockey colony by a single, one dimensional view by saying "jockey X" was doing terrible here, and he went there and is doing well. There is far more to the equation.

Eric

Gryder couldn't sniff other jocks jocks when East.

All I have to say about this thread is "Give me a break". I wonder if Mato's has any of that smoke for sale.

than what......if you make it in the east you can dominate the west..lets take a look

arroyo..yea right not good in the east still did good in the west
mig ownes the west
rafie went out westand won 6 of 6 mounts in one day
kent is ok and could go and stay at each coast
prado yeh right p-val will get kicked to the curb if he moved his tack

gyder sucks on both coasts and still makesa living out west

blanc got schooled the last 4 years in the midwest goes out west hes a star..

And for the record. Biggie is the best rap artist that ever lived.

The winter meet at the Big A aside, the talent at Belmont and Saratoga is unbelievable. A Good jock like The Mig had to go out west because he was getting like 2 mounts a day at the Spa. I don't follow Cali racing as much, but who were the Top 3 jocks at Del Mar this past summer? Compare them to the Top 3 at the Spa meet. You can even throw out Gomez, so you are left with Prado, Cornelio and Johnny V. I think at Del Mar it was Espinoza, Martin Garcia and Corey Nak. I just do not even think it is close, east is better and it is also much deeper.

The jockey colony in SoCal is a friggin joke.

I agree, I will give SoCal the Santa Anita Winter meet but once Churchill and Belmont get going, it's not even close.

During the summer in SoCall Channing Hill would be a Rock Star out there!!!!

Without getting into the Gomez "great/not great debate", the above highlighted segment of Matos' comments is perhaps the dumbest thing I've seen on this topic. Gomez showed he's a top rider when he went back East? Yup.. real hard showing how top you are riding 30 Pletcher mounts a week. That will test your horsemanship like little else.

Not convinced? Do the words 'Chris DeCarlo' help?

He's making a hell of a living riding Pletchers 2nd stringers

Next thing ya know,we will be reading that New York has the better weather.....LOL.....I don't see either colony being dominant over the other.You have a couple of great jocks in Prado and J.V.,but you also have a very inconsistent rider in Javi(when that boy is hot......look out.........but when he is cold...there is no way he can get a win.)For the record,Arroyo did not do well out here.His agent(who brought him out here) dumped him.Maybe he will come back out.That temper is his biggest problem.Watch the head-on of the race North America won at the Oaktree Meet(10/27..race 8.) Dude can get pretty dangerous.

Nakatani would be great in the East, Gomez wins big no matter where he's at, but it seems most of the rest of the SoCal colony is speed crazy, which doesn't translate well to the East coast.

This sounds like a "my dad can whip your dad" post. Very nice on both sides . So cal appears to be the strongest in Winter but when the big races move to Ky and NY the eastern bunch gets stronger but you have them diluted by the division of some in Ky and some in NY until Toga and then its hands down.Both venues have top jocks. Maybe the better baramoter of the colony is the bottom tier and not the top tier.

Ever notice how people in the East never bring up these silly discussions?

What is this paranoia people out west have about their horses and now their riders? The " East Coast Bias " is a figment of people's imaginations who are out West. If they have a good horse, and they have had plenty, then it is a good horse. The simple fact is the prestige of East Coast major races tilts the table for us to get more decent horses. It's a numbers game. A good horse is a good horse...whether it comes from Mars or California. But, out west they say " we don't get no respect ". Horses earn respect...wherever they come from.

For MANY years California had a far better riding colony than we did in the East. I don't recall any easterners making claims similar to this foolish, and indefensible one, by Matos. Their colony was better...it was a given. Ours is WAY better now. There's no discussion needed.

If the Eclipse Award voting for best jock wasn't East Coast biased,then you'll never, ever, admit there is such a thing.