Jessica Pyfer, the champion apprentice jockey of 2021 who has struggled to gain mounts this year, plans to start working as an in-house television commentator at Santa Anita this fall while continuing to ride. “I still love riding and the horses I’m riding and the people I ride for,” she said. “I don’t want to quit, but I’m looking at other options. “It’s been a hard time since losing my bug. I want to learn different aspects of the industry.” Pyfer said she will work behind the scenes at Santa Anita at the start of the track’s fall meeting on Sept. 30, observing production teams and how other commentators prepare before taking an on-camera role. The track’s fall meeting ends on Nov. 6. Santa Anita has a winter-spring meeting from Dec. 26 to mid-June of 2019. Pyfer insisted she is not retiring from riding. “No matter what I do, I will always be on a horse in the afternoons or mornings,” she said. :: Get ready for Santa Anita racing with DRF PPs, Clocker Reports, Picks, and more. Shop Now.  Pyfer, 24, the stepdaughter of trainer Phil D’Amato, began riding in the fall of 2020 and rode as an apprentice until last November. In 2021, she won 59 races and was honored as the nation’s outstanding apprentice jockey. This year, Pyfer had 10 wins from 124 mounts through Thursday.