Report: Golden Gate jockey Shawn Spikes missing after boating incident

Family members have identified a missing California boater as the 22-year-old jockey Shawn Spikes, a Golden Gate Fields-based rider, according to a report from local news station KRON4.

Per KRON4, Spikes went overboard on Tuesday at Del Valle Regional Park in northern California. After an overnight halt, the search for him continued into Wednesday morning. A body was later found and believed to be Spikes.

The San Francisco native won his first race in March of 2016 and went on to take two more from 141 mounts, though, according to Equibase, he was not riding this year.

Golden Gate publicity noted that Spikes grew up attending the races with his grandparents, mom and aunt.

"It was fascinating to me," he said. "The more I went, the more I wanted to ride. Once I turned 15, I went to the ranch with (trainers) Tirso Rivera and Frank Lucarelli. I was jumping horses with (riding instructor) Marguerite Barrier. The work paid off. I feel accomplished because I didn't grow up on a ranch. It's an amazing feeling to have accomplished something like this."