Eclipse-Winning Apprentice Jockey Concepcion Joins Colonial Downs Colony

[Wandering Eyes]

Eclipse Award-winning jockey Axel Concepcion, who was named top apprentice in 2023, will return to the Mid Atlantic and make his first appearance at Colonial Downs this summer as the 20-year-old has joined the local riding colony for the 2025 summer session.

“It feels great to be here,” Concepcion said. “I want to take advantage of these opportunities that the trainers are giving me. My goal is to win as many races as I can and to try to win a title.”

No stranger to the Mid Atlantic circuit, Concepcion won the Laurel Park riding title as an apprentice and those connections. Along with his familiarity with the Maryland jockey colony, put him in a good position to have success at Colonial.

“I know a lot of these riders from my first years based in the Mid-Atlantic,” Concepcion said. “I rode not just at Laurel but also Charles Town, Delaware Park, and Monmouth. There are so many good riders here. I am very blessed to be able to compete with them. You need to know all the riders who you are in the race with, you need to know all the horses, and how all that comes together to win a race.”

“We hope to ride for [Vicki] Oliver, as well as Mike Tomilson, Keith Desormeaux, and others,” said Concepcion's agent Liz Morris. “We'll also be looking to rekindle some of Axel's East Coast connections from when he was leading apprentice, as well as continue success with other Kentucky trainers who will be shipping in.”

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