Background
Growing up fifteen minutes away from the Santa Anita racetrack, as a boy Gryder had no contact with horses other than his father and his grandparents" interest in attending the nearby races.
Growing up fifteen minutes away from the Santa Anita racetrack, as a boy Gryder had no contact with horses other than his father and his grandparents" interest in attending the nearby races.
But from as early as he could recall all he wanted to be was around horses as a professional jockey. At the age of 13 he left home to learn to ride at the invitation of retired jockey Rudy Campas. At 16, he made his first attempt to ride professionally at Santa Anita, but within days, exercising a horse, his saddle slipped, throwing him to his left side, His right foot was trapped in the iron (stirrup).
Foreign this, he was asked to leave the track by the racing stewards for being green and unready.
Aaron was advised to go to Tijuana, Mexico and hone his skills at its Agua Caliente Racetrack. Short by a few wins of becoming the track"s leading rider, he was persuaded to return to California and try again.
Once he returned to the United States he led Hollywood Park’s fall meet as an apprentice jockey in 1987 which was his breakout year. Gryder has ridden on both coasts as well as in the Midwest.
In the 1999–2000 meet he repeated his success with 94 wins.
This was 32 more than his nearest competitor. In 2007, he was ranked in the top 40 jockeys by earnings. Over the years, Gryder has kept this rank, always in the top 40 or 45.
Later in 2009, Gryder decided to ride in Hong Kong.
In 2010 he returned to the United States and rode at Oaklawn Park, Lone Star and Remington Park. Gryder rode the entire meet (from August through early December) at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Gryder continued to be one of the leading jockeys on the Northern California circuit.
In the fall of 2012, Gryder relocated to Southern California. Gryder is involved with children"s charities, among others, he is involved with the Oscar de la Hoya Foundation.
Gryder, like jockey Gary Stevens, has also tried his hand at acting.
He has appeared in television"s Dellaventura with Danny Aiello and The Sopranos, both times playing a jockey. Gryder is one of the jockeys featured in Animal Planet"s 2009 reality documentary, Jockeys.