Expat jockey makes more money from one ride in US than in a year in Britain

Expat jockey Tyler Heard celebrated winning a $36,000 (£29,435/€33,238) race on just his second mount in the US then revealed he probably paid for the privilege of riding in Britain last year.

The 20-year-old won an optional claimer at Charles Town in West Virginia on Thursday on Baytown Frosty for Paul McEntee, whose niece Grace McEntee has also been riding in the US since the turn of the year.

Heard, who rode 12 winners in Britain in 2022, said the following day: "It was my first ride on dirt and I earned more last night than in any of the months of the last 12 that I spent in England.

"I did well with a 7lb claim and 5lb but when it came down to 3lb, I was seriously struggling. I didn't make a penny last year, it probably cost me money to ride."

McEntee's father Phil, who trains in Newmarket, said on their departure that the jockeys had gone to the US because: "The prize-money is an absolute disgrace in this country."

And Heard echoed his views on the financial difficulties of riding in Britain, saying: "I drove 45,000 miles last year and spent over 950 hours in the car, that's over a month of my life, and I never made a penny doing it.

"There was nothing holding me back, I couldn't wait to get out here. I feel as though racing in England is withering away."

Heard, who was apprenticed to Richard Hughes in Lambourn for four years, has won 56 races in Britain, including two Class 3 handicaps on Prince Imperial for Highclere Thoroughbreds.

But he found the going tough and said: "There's so much competition between jockeys. They're all equally capable of riding winners and it felt very cliquey to me. You had to be a somebody before you started to get somewhere.

Tyler Heard: 'I can do 8st standing on my head so it made sense to come out here'Credit: Pool

"I can do 8st standing on my head so it makes more sense for me to come out here. I ride out for different trainers and a few have said they'll use me so having my first winner should give them confidence in contacting my agent Kyle Hampton and putting me up."

Heard and McEntee are based at Turfway Park in Kentucky, where he has two further rides to look forward to.

He said: "One is on Saturday in a lower-level race on the card and it's still $20,000. And on Wednesday I'm in a maiden special weight. That's a $70,000 race and I'm riding in it after being here just a couple of weeks. The money you can earn here is in a different league."

Heard does not know how long he will spend in the US and said: "I came out with the plan of spending the winter here and seeing what happens.

"Everyone is very friendly and the Kentucky turf season starts in April – they like European jockeys for that because they ride on turf a lot more than the Americans do."

Now read these:

Phil McEntee blasts 'embarrassing' prize-money as daughter Grace heads Stateside

'We need to take our share of the pain' - Goodwood boss accepts loss of Group 3s

For all our exclusive free bet offers and must-have daily promotions click the free bets button or go to racingpost.com/freebets