Apprentice Creed, NARA grad, takes Turfway riding title

Ben Creed accepts his leading rider trophy from Turfway Director of Operations Chip Bach, with Clerk of Scales Vince Clark at right (Pat Lang Photography)

Apprentice jockey Ben Creed, 26, became the first graduate of the
North American Racing Academy (NARA) to win a riding title when he
finished the Turfway Park holiday meet with 25 wins, seven ahead of Tom
Pompell with 18 and eight better than John McKee, third with 17. Four of
Creed’s wins came on Thursday, the meet’s closing day.

“I’m incredibly proud of him,” said Hall of Fame jockey Chris
McCarron, NARA’s founder and executive director. “When he first came to
NARA I wasn’t too sure. All he wanted to do was work in the barn and
ride; he wasn’t much interested in the academics. But the more he worked
around the horses, the harder he worked, and when he started getting
into things like anatomy and causes of lameness, he turned into a really
good student. The lessons he learned are showing up now. 

“He works hard, he’s personable — he’s got the whole package,”
McCarron continued. “If he continues to work as he has been, he has a
bright future.”

“Winning the title is like a dream you don’t want to wake up from,”
Creed said. “I didn’t expect it to come this soon.”

Creed credits NARA with the edge he brings to the track. 

“It’s definitely the school,” he said. “It’s not one big thing. It’s
a bunch of little things that add up: how to get horses to relax;
knowing what you’ve got under you; understanding past performances;
picking up on how the track is playing out. I have a good work ethic.
I’m a hard worker, very hands-on.”