Jockey Tanner Riggs

Born: 02/25/1989, Mitchell, South Dakota

Resides: Mitchell, South Dakota

Family: Unmarried 

“My dad, Ron Riggs, is in to horses and cattle,” son Tanner recounted. “Back home in South Dakota, we race on weekends. A couple of days of racing were coming up and there was a shortage of jocks. My dad looked at me, saying, ‘why don’t you ride our horses?’ So I did.” 

Tanner, who just turned 20, competed in horse shows as a youth. He and his sister, Chelsea, filled a trophy case. 

“I remember winning a saddle,” he said. 

As an apprentice jockey, he won his first race at Columbus, NE. 

“I had a good apprenticeship. I rode at Fonner, Canterbury and into Chicago. I must have won about 100 races with the bug,” he remembered. 

His parents wanted him to graduate from high school, which he did. 

“I had to do the last semester of my senior year, on line,” Tanner noted. 

Mac Robertson, a leading trainer at Canterbury, and Jay Fedor, a prominent agent, suggested he try the Chicago circuit, so last year, Riggs rode at Hawthorne, Arlington and back to Hawthorne.  

He won his first $100,000 race at Hawthorne on April 26, 2008. 

“That was the Lady Hallie Stakes, which I won on Silver Stairs for Andy Hansen.  

This year a number of Chicago horsemen shipped to Oaklawn, Riggs coming with them. 

Tanner is saving his money and, when his riding days are over, he hopes to be established in the cattle business back home. 

Right now, he has eight head, plus some acreage.  He rents additional space from a neighbor. 

The jockey is quick to give credit to horsemen who have helped him along the way in his race riding. 

“Back in the early days, there was Harvey Johnson. Later, Mike Reavis,Joe Berndt, Chris Block and Don Von Hemel really helped,” he said. 

For Von Hemel, Tanner rides the promising young filly Mrs. Cindy’s Walkin, who competes in the Prima Donna Stakes at Oaklawn, March 22.           

“The filly was really aggressive when I started getting on her.  Now she has learned to relax and does everything easily. On the turn, when she makes her move, she even does that easily,” said the jockey. 

Riggs says he is happy with the start he has at Oaklawn.  He has won three races in this, his first year here. 

“I knew it was a tough jockey colony when I came. I figured I’d do my best and hope to catch a break, or two. Things are working out well. “ 

The jockey room locker he shares with Perry Compton is dubbed the “tall boys locker.”  Riggs is right at 5’ 11”, Compton, 5’8” 

Compton was born in Redfield, SD, just north of the Riggs home in Mitchell. 

“Perry has really helped me,” said Tanner. 

“We tall boys must stick together,” laughed Compton.