DEL MAR — Kyle Frey had the best day of his riding career last Saturday.
The jockey rode 22-1 long shot Mixto to victory in the $1 million Pacific Classic five races after winning the Grade II Del Mar Handicap aboard Gold Phoenix.
“This is the biggest day of my racing career,” said Frey, who won $780,000 for connections. “No doubt. This is so sweet. This is a tribute to the glory of God.”
Frey was not at Del Mar a year ago for the Pacific Classic. He was on a seven-week, self-imposed break from the sport to get better control of his mental health.
Had he been riding at Del Mar last summer, Frey said he might not be alive today.
“To be honest, hadn’t I stepped back and away, I’d probably be dead now,” said Frey. “Over the last year and a half, two other riders that I had known … one of them being like a little brother to me … got into the ups and downs of internal conflict. The struggle that we face, a lot of it is pride-driven. We feel like we should be doing better and it shatters our finite identity of ourselves and you feel less than everybody around you, as opposed to just being happy to be alive.”
Frey said he was rocked by the suicide death of 23-year-old jockey Avery Whisman in January of 2023 – which was just one of the events that led him to step back and seek help and health. Frey said his faith helped him realize his plight and build a path for the future.
“I’m totally sure God can cure all things,” said Frey. “The one true way for me is Christianity and Jesus Christ.”
It was after the first weekend of the 2023 summer season at Del Mar that the signals became clear to Frey.
“I was feeling very discontented for a couple years,” he said. “But I’d have a couple good weeks and I’d shrug it off. Six months before I walked away, I moved down slowly but progressively. Then things snowballed in that direction.”
Frey said he went through extensive therapy, including for alcohol abuse. But what carried him most was his faith.
“What that did was give me enough power that I was able to see the truth. I did a deep dive into mental health from different aspects, including religious faith,” he said. “With me, and an alcoholic tendency, the use was to celebrate or self-medicate. If I was doing good, it was a good reason to go party. If I was going bad, it was a way to shrug it off. I’m what I call a recovered alcoholic. I saw things from a warped perspective.”
Frey said he’s in a much better spot than he was 14 months ago. And he was pleasantly surprised upon his return that he had the support from other jockeys and trainers.
“I’m forever grateful to be able to step back and then come back and do very good,” said Frey. “That’s a testament to what I felt was calling me to step away and get myself right. That was a very difficult decision to make as a father of two, a husband and an athlete.
“If you have that little voice telling you to do something, the Holy Spirit, follow it and things will work out in the end. I totally believe that.
“Then, to return and learn how many people were very supportive of the decision that I made. Not only that, but other people who might have questions about where they are mentally have approached me. For a long time, what the reaction might be from people in the sport weighed on my thoughts when I contemplated seeking help. And they had my back.”
And now Frey has the best memory of his career … as well as a punched ticket to the Breeders’ Cup.
Notable
Graduation Stakes winner R Heisman is the 6-5 morning-line favorite going into Friday’s I’m Smokin Stakes — a six-furlong dash for Cal-bred 2-year-olds. But trainer Peter Miller could scratch R Heisman from the $100,000 race and run him in the Grade I Del Mar Futurity on Sunday. That would leave Shea Brennan (Frey) as the horse to beat in a field reduced to five.
• Hot Girl Walk wasn’t disqualified from her win in Sunday’s Generous Portion Stakes, but jockey Antonio Fresu drew a three-day suspension for altering course without sufficient clearance on the far turn.
• Jockey Juan Hernandez (44 wins) and trainer Bob Baffert (21 wins) lead their respective races going into the final three days of the summer meeting. The pair have combined on 19 wins – 43 percent of Hernandez’s total and all but two of Baffert’s wins.
• Diamond Bar Gal ($3.10, Armando Ayuso) won Thursday’s feature — a five-furlong, $76,000 allowance for older fillies and mares.
First post Friday is 3 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
