Chris McCarron came to pony Natalie Turner to the post prior to her first win.
The North American Racing Academy is located in Lexington, Kentucky. The mission of the North American Racing Academy is to develop and operate a world-class racing school that will provide students with the education, training and experience needed to become skilled in the art of race riding, proficient in the care and management of racehorses, and knowledgeable about the workings of the racing industry as a whole. Headed by Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron, the two-time Eclipse Award winner hasn't had to go far to see his graduates get their professional start in the saddle as many use River Downs as their first stepping stone into racing.
On Wednesday, 21-year-old apprentice rider Adam Bowman will make his debut in the sixth race aboard longshot Charlie Cool for owner/trainer Ivan Vazquez. "He's a working son of a gun and he wants it bad," said McCarron who will be at River Downs to support his program graduate, as he has for three others who made their career debuts at the track. "Adam was a quick study. He took to my style in that I teach them how to hold a horse to get them to relax for the stretch run. He's a low-key guy, but very intelligent. Adam might be 95 pounds soaking wet, but he is very competitive and was the captain of his wrestling team in high school."
A native of Berwick, Pennsylvania, Bowman did not have any contacts with horses growing up. "I was always small and got picked on as a kid until I started wrestling, " said Bowman, who got his approved gate card one week ago. "After graduation Chris got me a job with John Servis who trained Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones. He had me galloping and jogging. He's an outstanding horseman and I learned a lot." Bowman will be riding against Ben Creed who is aboard the favorite in the sixth race. Creed is the most accomplished graduate of McCarron's program thus far an is scheduled to ride in the $1,000,000 Queen's Plate at Woodbine on Sunday. Asked how he felt 24-hours before his first race, Bowman said, "I'm trying not to think about it. I'm going to do my regular thing, relax and go to bed early."