Stewards Dismiss Jockey Tyler Bacon Following scrutiny of Prairie Meadows Ride

On Sunday morning, the stewards from Prairie Meadows summoned 17-year-old jockey Tyler Bacon to their office to talk about his performance with Time to Sing during Race 3 held on Saturday at their facility in Altoona, Iowa.

The social media response to the race indicated that Bacon was believed not to have ridden the horse to the fullest extent of his capabilities, which sparked worries amongst bettors following his second-place finish in the maiden claiming contest.

After reviewing the race footage and discussing with Bacon, the stewards concluded that Time to Sing tends to veer towards the inner side of the track. The video revealed that Bacon was using the right rein approaching the stretch to prevent bumping into the horses positioned closer to the rail.

Tim Martin, who trains Time to Sing, informed the stewards that several jockeys have previously struggled with managing this horse during races. Following this report, the stewards examined earlier competitions, such as one held on August 19, 2024, where rider Alberto Pusac faced significant challenges when attempting to control Time to Sing.

Pusac was similarly summoned and verified that Time to Sing can be extremely challenging to handle, whether during races or training sessions. Consequently, the horse has been added to the stewards’ watchlist and needs to meet their approval through satisfactory performance before being permitted to compete again.

A rider hailing from Montana, Bacon leads at the current Prairie Meadows race meeting. Throughout his participation in 40 races, he boasts an impressive record of 13 victories, 10 runner-up finishes, and five third-place positions, accumulating winnings totaling $373,970. Additionally, during the Oaklawn winter racing season, he secured fourth place in the rankings among riders after achieving 49 wins out of 289 attempts and earning $3,462,634.

Full Stewards report here: