Jockey Bryan McNeil

JockeyBryan McNeil Born: 03/07/1984, Long Island, New YorkResides: Edmond, OklahomaFamily: Unmarried             Bryan, son of a jockey, began his career as a rider of quarter horses.  He was protégé of Jack Brooks, the hall of fame quarter horsetrainer. McNeil is proud to have been a protégé of Jack Brooks, "I started out with Jack, one of the greatest trainers of quarter horses ever," recalled Bryan. When Brooks retired, McNeil switched to thoroughbreds.             Bryan, 26, is riding on a regular basis at Oaklawn for the third year. He is son of Tony McNeil, a jockey so proficient that he has been riding 21 years, handling both quarter horses and thoroughbreds. Said Bryan McNeil,  “At first my mom didn’t want me to be a jockey. She remembered the times Dad was injured. But, after I began riding, mom became my greatest fan.”             McNeil's agent Larry Spraker was a leading rider at Oaklawn in the1960s and was the champion here in 1962.  Spraker pulled off a rare win double by winning the 1965 Arkansas Derby on Swift Ruler, then taking the 1966 Oaklawn Handicap on the same horse.              As of now, the jockey's regular circuit is Oaklawn, Lone Star and Remington.