On Valentine’s Day, 2008 jockey Ron Allen, Jr. rode in a race for the first time in four years. The 42-year-old was mounted on his father’s trainee Tricks of Glory, and the two swept the lead to win the third race by three lengths. "It was a great feeling," said Allen, a three-time leading rider at Tampa Bay Downs who in his career has won 2,166 races and amassed mount earnings of more than $15 million. "There's just no feeling like riding in a race. I really missed it." He continued, “This is where I love to be, with the excitement and action.”
In the 1980s, Ronnie Allen, Jr. was a major force in the Tampa Bay Downs jockey colony. After falling in with the wrong crowd at the end of the race day, Allen found himself with fewer mounts and he finally left the race scene and went to work on a farm for Jerry Campbell, who is one of his father’s (trainer Ron Allen, Sr.) major clients. Ronnie Allen said of his experiences on the farm, “Even though I wasn't riding, I was working with horses every day, thank God, because that's all I've done all my life is be around horses." He continued, "I actually learned quite a bit working on the farm. I learned things most riders never pick up."
Since his return to the Oldsmar oval, Allen has amassed 25 victories in just 38 days of riding; he is tied for ninth place with Tammi Piermarini in the jockey standings for the current Tampa Bay Downs meet through April 11, 2008. Since his return to the track, Allen often rides nine or more races daily. “It feels wonderful. It’s a dream come true again. I thought my career was about over, and I got the urge to get back into it and it’s working out fabulous right now. A lot of people remember me from years back, when I was leading rider. They all gave me a shot, and they see that I still have it. I appreciate everything, the way everybody’s helping me.” Allen says that his favorite moment on the track since he got back into the irons was a tie between his first win on February 14th for his father and his four victories on a single card on March 29.
Allen’s family includes his brother Mike, also a jockey at Tampa Bay Downs; his half-brother Kevin Allen; a sister named Kimberly who is a successful horse owner; his father, trainer Ron Allen, Sr.; as well as a son Christopher Allen, of whom Ronnie says, “He’s sixteen; he doesn’t have anything to do with the horse racing at all. He wants to be a basketball player, or something along those lines.” When he’s not in the irons, Ronnie Allen, Jr. says he likes to, “Rest! Usually rest. I like to go golfing, too - something relaxing.”