Frey liking SoCal so much that he may stick around
Suddenly, since marrying his wife Miya, jockey Kyle
Frey has a new perspective on life. Welcoming a daughter into the world will do that to a guy.
Ten-month-old Skylar has caused the 29-year-old Frey to settle down in one spot. No more traveling around the country to Parx Racing, Monmouth Park, Atlantic City, Penn National, Delaware and other tracks.
“I’ve moved around a lot,” Frey said this week during a respite from what so far has been a successful Del Mar meet. “I wasn’t too committed to one place long enough to let it develop.”
He’s hoping to change all that by making the Southern California circuit his permanent home. If not now, perhaps by the beginning of Santa Anita’s 2021-22 winter-spring meet.
“Now, with a 10-month old daughter, it’s made me be more calculated about moves,” Frey said. “It’s not about me anymore. It’s about her and my wife.”
Frey’s move to Southern California has been fast-tracked somewhat after a quick start at Del Mar. The Northern California native originally planned to ride only opening weekend at the seaside track and then head home to Golden Gate Fields, where he claimed this year’s riding title 117-90 over Evin Roman by winning at a lofty 26% clip.
“That was the original plan,” Frey said of a quick trip to Del Mar. “I thought I had a few decent horses that maybe could get the job done (opening weekend) and then I’d go home. From there, a lot of people were approaching my agent (about staying).
“I wasn’t expecting this at this time. I was thinking more about maybe next season (Santa Anita’s 2021-22 meet). Now, let’s see how I do at Del Mar and then we’ll see about Santa Anita (fall meet that begins Oct. 1). When you get that momentum, sometimes you just gotta ride the wave and see where it crashes.”
Frey was fifth in the Del Mar jockey standings with eight victories (23%) heading into the fourth week of the meet Thursday and now plans to ride here until the season ends Sept. 6.
As for beyond that, he says, “Nothing is really set in stone at the moment.”
A keen racing observer might conclude that Santa Anita’s three-day race weeks opposed to Golden Gate’s four-day weeks might discourage Frey from relocating south, but he said that’s not the issue. He cares more about field size than anything else.
“At Del Mar, you get a lot more horses,” Frey said. “It’s a little bit easier for a guy to slip in and steal a race. I feel like large fields are way easier to ride. In a smaller field, if you’re on a competitive horse, it’s so much easier for guys to look for you and target you and really ride two horses. In bigger fields, you blend in more, people don’t see you coming until it’s too late.”
But again, family will be the determining factor.
“The biggest thing would be my wife’s comfort zone,” he said. “That’s more what I take into consideration than anything.”
Frey was the Eclipse Award winner as top apprentice in 2011 after winning his first race at Golden Gate in 2010. His late grandfather, Paul Frey, also was a talented jockey while riding on the California and Washington circuits in the 1960s. He became only the second jockey to win more than 100 races at Longacres when he finished with 103 victories during a 62-day meet in 1964.
“He was a talented jockey in his own right,” Frey said.
Frey has missed a lot of time because of injuries since earning his license. He said he’s most proud of his consistency this year, which is a trait he believes makes for a top jockey.
“This year has been a very consistent year,” he said. “That’s one thing I’ve really focused on this past year is being consistent. That’s where the champions are separated from just your regular guys. The champions are always right there. Even if you don’t win, you’re improving a horse or you’re always moving forward. Currently, right now, I’ve become more consistent with my mounts, my calculations and all that.”
Frey has won races for Southland regulars Peter Miller and Simon Callaghan this summer and hopes he’s established himself enough so that he can call Southern California home on a regular basis.
“I kind of have my goal and that goal is in front of me,” he said. “If I get my quota, reach my goal, I will commit to L.A. Until then, anything can happen.”