Ryan Curatolo

If you are playing Belmont, you better watch young apprentice rider Ryan Curatolo. He started to get some attention this winter when Patrick Biancone was putting him on live mounts down at Gulfstream Park, and he now has set up shop on the NYRA circuit. Curatolo is currently fifth in the riders' standings with 14 wins from 76 mounts for a healthy 18 percent strike rate.



Curatolo is represented by Tony Micallef and is under contract to Flying Zee Stables. At the age of 19, the native of France is taking a similar path like Julien Leparoux as both started out exercising horses for Biancone before becoming apprentice riders. The Flying Zee connections means you will see him riding for Carlos Martin, Phil Serpe and Frank Martin but now that he has made his presence felt at Belmont � four winners last Saturday � he is showing up on the entry sheet for the likes of Kiaran McLaughlin, Barclay Tagg, Rudy Rodriguez and Christophe Clement.



He is currently getting seven pounds allowance but that will drop to five when he wins his 35th race. From that point forward, he will have a five-pound apprentice allowance for the following 12 months. It's going to be real exciting to watch him grow as a rider and for those that do not think that weight means much, explain to me why the best trainers on the grounds are now competing for his services as young and inexperienced as he is.


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