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Kyle Hampton Kicks Off New Career As Jockey Agent
Growing up taking field trips to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum, Kyle quickly found a love for horse racing at a young age.
It wasn’t until Kyle’s senior year of high school he decided to get involved in the industry, getting his first job at the track as a hotwalker. But Kyle had bigger plans in mind. Currently pursuing a double major to earn a degree in Equine Business and Accounting, Kyle landed himself an internship with Fox Sports/ NYRA working on the set of America’s Day at the Races at Churchill Downs.Throughout his internship, on-air analyst and jockey agent Frank Lyons was Kyle’s boss.
“I learned a lot from Frank about being an agent and exactly what they do,” said Kyle. “A lot of what they do is handicapping and analyzing racehorses while trying to put their jockey on the best horse. It interested me a lot and I decided I wanted to learn more.”
After finishing his internship, Kyle was eager to learn more and reached out to successful young agent Jose Santos, Jr. Jose represents 9 riders across the U.S and has surely made himself a well-recognized name within the industry.
“I reached out to Jose Santos Jr, because he was a successful young agent and asked if I could intern under him and learn how to be an agent,” said Kyle. “He was very welcoming, and I learned a lot under him.”
While still learning under Jose, Frank Lyons contacted Kyle to let him know Tyler Heard and his partner Grace McEntee were planning on moving their tack to America for the winter and that he should reach out to Tyler. Kyle reached out to Tyler expressing his interest in being his agent and he accepted. Tyler’s partner Grace is being represented by Jose.
“I am very grateful for this opportunity to represent Tyler,” said Kyle. “He is a very enthusiastic and passionate rider, and has a lot of potential here in the states. He is my first jockey that I will be representing as an agent. We are both young and that is why we work so well together. I am thankful that he is willing to take that chance with me and I am looking forward to what the future holds for us.”
