Those in the Thoroughbred industry are always searching for a winning combination, and finding one can often take a significant amount of time.
Yet, jockey agent Tyler Conner and rider Gavin Ashton became a winning combination in their very first attempt, and that victory was a surprise to both the gamblers and the duo.
In Ashton's first mount booked by Conner, the British jockey guided 67-1 longshot Lewis the Robber from the back of the pack to victory by three-quarters of a length in a starter optional claiming race at Penn National Race Course May 28. The Wagon Wheel Farm homebred was making several changes from his May 2 maiden win: stretching from 6 furlongs to a mile while swapping from dirt to turf.
"That was a very pleasant surprise for sure," Conner said. "I did not expect the horse to run that way."
Conner was not even officially Ashton's agent yet when he offered him the mount, instead attempting to fill the saddle for his stepmother, trainer Erin McClellan. Ashton, who has ridden in the United States since 2023, had recently moved his tack from Kentucky to Delaware Park after spending the winter and spring in Dubai. With a massive longshot and a two-hour drive between tracks, Conner made sure Ashton knew he didn't have to say yes.
"I even told him he didn't have to come ride him, I could find somebody else," Conner said. "But he came up and rode him and rode a very good race. It worked out."
Conner, a former jockey, had become friends with Ashton as they rode against each other the last few years, and decided to provide a helping hand when Ashton relocated. As an agent, Conner had just taken his first rider, Pennsylvania-based Inoel Beato, in December.
"We were in touch and he said if he could help me, he'd do his best," Ashton said. "I told him, 'Listen, if you're serious about it, I'd love for you to try and take my book if possible.' He said, 'Let me have a look at what business I have and see who I can pitch you in with.' He got back to me and said, 'I'd like to give it a go, I think we can do well together.'"
The official agreement to partner came May 27, and 24 hours later they were in the winner's circle. Having given the advice to not bother coming for the winning ride if he didn't want to, Conner was susceptible to some teasing from Ashton.
"I did joke with him after the race. I said, 'Oh I don't need to come for it? You're fired,'" Ashton said.
Recovering from a Severe Injury
Joking and success aside, both Conner and Ashton are thankful to even have the opportunity to work together. On July 24, 2025, the two were riding in a maiden special weight on the turf at Colonial Downs. Conner's mount, Stanza, clipped heals when another rival drifted into his path and both he and Conner fell onto the turf.
Out of contention and trailing the field by that point aboard Dual Citizen, Ashton watched the whole situation unfold.
"That was very scary. I saw Tyler rolling," Ashton said. "I'll never forget the thud that I heard when his back hit the floor. It was right as I went by, he just went thud and stopped."
The fall caused Conner to break his C1 vertebra at the top of his spine and his T5 vertebra. He also bruised his spinal cord due to the hyperextension of his neck. As he lay in the Colonial grass, he had no movement in his legs.
"It was weird. Most injuries you're in pain, you kind of panic a little bit and your body is in shock," Conner recalled. "But that one I had zero feeling. It was very odd; I was very calm. I was just like, 'I guess this is where we're at.' Obviously, it was a bit of a panic for everybody else because we didn't have answers or anything like that. It was a different experience for sure; it's hard to explain."
After guiding his own horse back to the groom and hopping out of the saddle, Ashton and jockey Victor Carrasco went sprinting out to the ambulance and found Conner being loaded in on a backboard.
"We said, 'Tyler, you all right buddy?'" Ashton recalled. "I'll never forget what he said, 'Boys, I can't feel my legs.'
"What do you say to that? You can't say, 'Oh don't worry buddy, you'll be all right.' It was just so horrible, my heart just sunk. Me and Victor just looked at each other. We said, 'Listen buddy, we're with you.'"
Luckily for Conner, feeling started to return in his legs once at the hospital. He had a long road to recovery ahead of him, and he is able to walk. Today his recovery is nearly complete, though he still has nerve issues and pain, but the accident did prematurely end his 12-year career as a jockey.
READ: Conner: Full Feeling 'Slowly Coming Back' After Spill
Becoming a jockey was not on Conner's radar growing up, though it seems a natural option for someone growing up in a racing family. His mother, Sandra, is a former jockey, exercise rider, and racing official. His father, John, was a trainer from 1990-2019 and now acts as an assistant for his wife, McClellan, as well as a blacksmith for the barn's horses.
Tyler Conner grew up with an interest in motorcycles, saying riding those was all he wanted to do. But after a couple of injuries riding motorcycles and the need for a job, Conner turned to the racetrack. He began galloping horses, and quickly picked up the skills.
"I went from not galloping a horse to riding in like nine months," Conner said. "It happened pretty quick. It turned out I liked it."
Conner rode his first race in June 2014 and broke through with his first winner less than two months later. He quickly rose up the ranks at his home base of Pennsylvania, which allowed him to travel and ride across the country. A four-time graded stakes winner, he won 1,272 races from 7,997 starts with his mounts earning $29,289,724.
The life of a jockey is not an easy one, however. On the heavier side for a rider, Conner found it difficult to keep his weight where he needed to be and said he struggled mentally with the lifestyle. Still, he enjoyed riding, and always thought he'd be able to go out on his own terms.
That all changed with his injury.
"I was forced to quit," Conner said. "Going out that way sucked. At first I was okay with it. But the first six months were tough just because I didn't have anything to do. Going from working every day and having all that pressure and purpose to doing nothing was hard. That made it difficult. But initially I was fine with it, to be honest. It's not how I thought it would happen, but it was okay. I thought I'd be all right afterward."
Becoming an Agent
Just as he did earlier in his life, the 32-year-old turned to the track as he debated his next step in life. Once his recovery allowed him to, he was on the Penn National backstretch in the morning and attended the races at night. Never before in his life had he ever considered being an agent, but then an opportunity arose when he felt like Beato, whom he'd ridden with for years, needed a change.
"I knew Inoel needed a change, something fresh," Conner said. "My old agent retired shortly after (the injury) and my dad kind of pushed me to do it. He thought I'd be good at it and obviously I would ride their barn, so I already had some immediate business, which was nice."
A native of the Dominican Republic, Beato trained to be a jockey at the same school as Hall of Famer Joel Rosario. He began riding in the United States in late 2007 and has won more than 1,000 races.
"He's very talented, and I've always liked the way he rode," Conner said. "I think he's a really good finisher, has really good hands. It's worked out pretty well; I think he's riding really well right now. We've had some business growing."
Conner has held his head high throughout his recovery. Having such a serious injury with life-changing consequences has led many people to feel defeated. But five months later, Conner had already begun his new career and was doing it well.
"It says everything to Tyler's personality and his character," Ashton said. "I remember when I broke my leg, even though I was going to make a full recovery, you want to be back as quick as possible. I know exactly how hard it is, you have those frustrating days where people are winning on horses that you had ridden. It can leave a very sour taste in your mouth.
"I've never been through what Tyler has been through; I can only imagine mentally that was 10 times harder. It does take a different type of mental strength, because I know this game can turn you sour very quick. It's a win-at-all-cost game. We are selfish sometimes as riders—you want to be out there and doing the best for yourself."
While Conner was getting started with Beato, Ashton was still riding in Kentucky. As the weather changed to winter, the Kentucky racing scene had shifted to Turfway Park. The jockey colony there was numerous, and having just switched agents and lacking business, Ashton knew he was "up against it."
Ashton's fiancé, Isabella Leslie, works as a bloodstock agent and adviser and has several connections in the Middle East. With a move to Delaware Park in the spring in mind, Ashton decided to freshen up in Dubai.
"I knew for the summer I needed to make a change, and the plan was always to come to Delaware," Ashton said. "I didn't want to turn up at Delaware having ridden 50 horses at Turfway and had one winner. It doesn't look good stats-wise. We took the opportunity to go to Meydan, build some connections there. I had a good winter over there. But it was always the idea that I wanted to come to Delaware fresh."
Once he made it to Delaware, he and Conner reconnected. Ashton has been amazed to see the recovery that Conner has made over the last year.
"It's an absolute blessing the recovery he's made now," Ashton said. "To see him out in the morning in good spirits and the recovery that he's made is absolutely incredible. We really didn't think it was going to be like that at one point. I'm just grateful that he's okay."
Looking Toward the Future
Ashton sees pairing with Conner as a huge opportunity to improve his own riding. Over the years in Kentucky, Ashton has had the opportunity to work on making his riding style more American with the help of top riders like Hall of Famer Mike Smith and Tyler Gaffalione. Of course, their busy schedules didn't allow for regular sessions on the Equicizer, so having someone like Conner constantly there to help will be beneficial.
"He'll be able to develop me as a rider even better now that he's watching me day in and day out," Ashton said. "I think Tyler's expertise is going to be priceless for me.
"I think it's the love for that horse that led him back down this path to be involved in the industry. It would be a shame if he wasn't in the industry because he's so well-liked; he's got such a great reputation. He's also very talented. He knows his horses inside out, where they should be running. If he can't be riding, the next best thing is him being involved and providing his expertise."
Just as Conner is a perfect fit for Ashton, Ashton is exactly the type of rider Conner wants to work with.
"He works really hard, probably almost too hard some days, but he's always very willing to work and a very classy person," Conner said.
Connor now finds himself with business expanding, representing two riders based at two separate tracks. Luckily, following his own agents around the barns for over a decade prepared him well for what has now become his new career.
"It's kind of the same idea; trying to sell a product as a rider," Conner said of the similarities of being an agent compared to a jockey. "It's the same kind of hustling and seeing trainers. It's only different because I'm selling somebody else instead of myself. I wouldn't say it's harder, but it's a different technique."
Thinking long term, Conner said he'd like to grow to four or five riders. His goal is to get them to at least where he was at in his career: being able to travel and riding good horses.
"I like to coach a little bit," Conner said. "I want to be able to teach, give insight, and be helpful. Winning is always fun no matter what level you're doing it at. I just want to have happy riders and make guys successful."
