Nation’s leading woman rider wins Pimlico’s all-female competition

Mike Gathagan
Vice President-Communications
Maryland Jockey Club

BALTIMORE, Md. – Rosie Napravnik made a triumphant return to the state where she kicked off her career seven years ago, winning the second edition of the $31,000 Female Jockey Challenge on Friday at Pimlico Race Course.

Napravnik, 24, won two of the four Challenge races and claimed the $10,000 top prize with a total of 34 points, 16 more than runner-up and event newcomer Tammy Piermarini. Rosemary Homeister and Maryland-based Forest Boyce tied for third with 12 points apiece.

In separate wagering on the four-race Challenge, Napravnik paid $6.20 for the win on a $2 bet. The Napravnik-Piermarini exacta was worth $49.20.

“I haven’t had much luck in these challenges, but I guess it all changed today,” said Napravnik, who leads all female riders in the United States with 93 wins and $4.6 million in purses in 2012. “We had a great run. I had a couple of price horses that came in and ran well, so it’s great. I’m really glad to come back on my home turf and represent a little bit.”

Held in conjunction with the Lady Legends for the Cure III, a pari-mutuel race featuring eight retired female riders, the Challenge was part of The People’s Pink Party, a joint effort between Pimlico and Susan G. Komen, the world’s largest breast cancer organization, to help raise money and awareness in the fight against the disease.

Twelve points were awarded for finishing first among Challenge participants, six for second, four for third and three for fourth in the second, third, fifth and seventh races. Riders whose mounts were scratched were represented by the post-time race favorite.

Rounding out the finishers were defending champion Emma-Jayne Wilson, who was fifth with 11 points; newcomer Greta Kuntzweiler (10 points) and Vicky Baze (three).

Fourth in the 2011 Challenge, Napravnik kicked off the competition with a one-length victory on Silver Tie Affair ($9.40) in the second race. She also won the fifth with Share Out, a 22-to-1 long shot trained by Todd Wyatt that paid $46.60.

“He ran a great race,” Napravnik said. “The way he moved forward on the turf, even though he didn’t run a huge number, I thought with the time off he could move forward even more, so I had confidence. I know Todd Wyatt from a while back, so I had confidence in him, too. The horse ran a great race.”

Napravnik was also the first Challenge participant to cross the wire in the third race, but earned six second-place points after Piermarini’s mount, My Lucky Shoes, was scratched. Represented by the post-time favorite, Piermarini was awarded the win when Smoldering Beauty, sent off at even-money in the field of 10, won the race.

Heading into the final Challenge race, Napravnik held a 30-18 lead over Piermarini. She clinched the title by being the third Challenge participant across the line in the seventh, aboard Great Motion, good for four points, and Piermarini finished off the board.

“It’s nice to come out here, just run good, get around here good and see the nice, big crowd,” Piermarini said. A 45-year-old mother of three based at Suffolk Downs in Boston, Piermarini is one of five female riders with 2,000 career wins.

“I came back to Maryland back in ’87 lasted a little while, and then I went back home. Everybody has been very nice and accommodating, and it’s been a great experience. This is probably one of the best challenges I’ve been to so far, and I’ve been to a lot of girls’ challenges. They are very warm and welcoming, and the girls have been great.”

Napravnik won her first race aboard Ringofdiamonds on June 9, 2005 at Pimlico. Earlier this month, she became the first woman to win both the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs and the Grade 2 Peter Pan at Belmont Park, and is the first female to win riding titles at Fair Grounds and Delaware Park.

“I just rode the races like any other race. This is the elite group so it feels great to win the challenge,” Napravnik said. “I enjoy riding in Maryland altogether. I love coming here, because everybody’s friends of mine and they all root for me. To win a challenge here is great.”

Piermarini earned $7,000 for finishing second, followed by Boyce ($5,000), Homeister ($5,000), Wilson ($2,000), Kuntzweiler ($1,000) and Baze ($1,000).

The Challenge brought together seven riders who have won a combined 9,750 races and $175,030,658 in purses in the United States and Canada. Homeister (2,497), Piermarini (2,105) and Baze (2,092) are three of only five women to top 2,000 career wins.

Expanded to eight riders this year, the Challenge was without Abby Fuller, who was forced to drop out following the death of her father, owner-breeder Peter Fuller, on May 14.

PHOTO CREDIT- Jerry Dzierwinski, Maryland Jockey Club
Rosie Napravnik, blue cap, win the Jockey Challenge.

BALTIMORE, Md. – Jennifer Rowland Small won 192 races as the top pioneering female rider in Maryland during the 1970s, but the biggest win on her hometown track came Friday afternoon.

The 59-year-old Small took Class Rules gate to wire to win the $45,000 Lady Legends for the Cure III race by 2¼ lengths at Pimlico Race Course.

Trained by Maryland-based Vernon Allinson, Class Rules ran the six-furlong allowance for 3-year-olds and up in 1:12.50 on a fast main track. Bellagio, the 6-to-5 post-time favorite, finished second.

This marked the third consecutive year that eight retired female jockeys competed in the pari-mutuel race, staged in a partnership between Pimlico management and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest breast cancer organization.

Seventy-five percent of the funds raised on Friday will go to the affiliate to use for community outreach programs in Maryland. The remaining 25 percent will go toward breast cancer research.

Small was one of six Lady Legends participants to have taken part in all three races.

“Certainly, this means a lot,” Small said. “I think this is a wonderful opportunity, not only for Maryland racing but for women and certainly for the Susan G. Komen. It brings out the people, and the donation is specifically targeted for breast cancer research. I think we’ve all been touched by some sort of cancer, in all of our lives. I’ve lost dear friends. That’s why I do it. That’s why we all do it.”

Pimlico made a donation of $21,496 to the Komen Maryland affiliate, equal to the amount wagered to win on Class Rules. Second choice in the field at odds of 3-to-1, the 6-year-old Peace Rules gelding paid $8.80 to win on a $2 bet.

Sixth in last year’s Lady Legends race, Small won 192 races and $696,965 in purses from 1971 to 1977, following in the footsteps of Kathy Kushner, who in 1969 won the legal right for women to ride in pari-mutuel races, and Barbara Jo Rubin, who later that year became the first woman to win a pari-mutuel race in the United States.

“I was in high school when Kathy Kushner was licensed,” Small said. “She was a show rider and she broke her leg in a jumping accident, and then Barbara Jo was able to get her license and won at Charles Town. A year later, Barbara Jo had to stop riding because of injuries, so there wasn’t much progress in the way of women riding.

“I started riding in 1971 as a way of paying my tuition at the Maryland Institute College of Art. I got up at 3, came here and got on horses, and then had to be at my first class at 9:30. I think this race was good because we’ve all had help in our lives, and I think it’s a good way to pay back the community.”

The win was the second in six starts this year for Class Rules, the other going 5 ½ furlongs at Laurel Park on March 17 in his 2012 debut. He had been ridden by Erick Rodriguez in each of his last three races.

“My wife has battled cancer. She’s had melanomas twice, so I felt like I wanted to run in it if for no other reason than because it was for the cure,” Allinson said. “I told Jennifer, just take a light hold of him and pray for the best, and hopefully nobody comes and gets you.”

Class Rules was never threatened after leading through splits of :23.79, :47.11 and :59.37.

“I went to see him on Thursday, and he said, ‘I love you,’ and I said, ‘I love you, too,’” Small said. “I reminded him of that when we went to the gate. He’s a lovely horse. He’s very quick out of the gate, and he just went about his business. He didn’t want to pull up.”

Mary Russ Tortora, the first female rider to win a Grade 1 race in the 1982 Widener Handicap, finished second on Bellagio.

“My horse is a sweetheart,” she said. “He was really nice to ride. I expected [Class Action] to come back, but he didn’t. My horse ran beautiful. The winner kind of snuck away early. It’s wonderful to be out there. I want to ride him back. I want to ride the next race. I exercise horses, so that kind of keeps me in striking distance.”

Mary Wagner Wiley, a breast cancer survivor and the wife of Maryland Jockey Club starter Bruce Wagner, was the defending Lady Legends champion, winning last year’s race with Mass Destruction. She ran third on Friday with Fleeter.

“It felt great,” she said. “The horse ran great, and you can’t ask for any more than that. It takes a lot of work, and people take for granted how fit jockeys are or aren’t.”

Officious, ridden by Lady Legends newcomer Jill Jellison, a winner of 1,853 races between 1982 and 2010, finished fourth.

“It was exciting to ride against these women riders that rode for years,” Jellison said. “Getting the chance to ride with them, I have a lot of respect for them. I was hoping to be first or second but the race didn’t come up the way I thought it would. I thought the five horse would stop but he didn’t.”

Fifth in the race was Muscadine, ridden by Patty “PJ” Cooksey, one of only two women to ride in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and a breast cancer survivor.

“I had a great trip, but the speed did not come back,” she said. “He ran some through the lane when I hit him left-handed and he passed a few of them. I am more winded from trying to pull him up than from the race.”

Another Lady Legends newcomer, Zoe Cadman, who won 311 races from 2000-04 and now works as an analyst for HRTV, was sixth aboard Salt and Light.

“He started a little slow, and it seemed everybody was sending from the gate and I’m not in that good of shape,” she said. “It was a lot of fun. Next year, make it one mile on the turf.”

Cheryl White, the first African-American female rider, and The Devil You Say crossed the wire in seventh.

“We got a little dirty out there,” she said. “He ran really good. We were laying fourth. He just flattened out. This is a most wonderful event, and I look forward to it each time.”

Rounding out the field was Bandidos Yanquis and the 62-year-old Rubin, whose victory aboard Cohesion at Charles Town on Feb. 22, 1969 was the first for a female against males in a pari-mutuel race at a recognized track.

“He ran good,” she said. “He came out a bit slow and started going good down the backside. He just didn’t have enough.”

PHOTO CREDIT-Jim McCue, Maryland Jockey Club
Jennifer Rowland Small and Class Rules wins the Lady Legends race at Pimlico.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Calvin Borel, who won the Kentucky Derby aboard Street Sense, Mine That Bird and Super Saver, inched closer to a couple of milestones with his win aboard School’s Out in the first race at Churchill Downs on Saturday.

The victory put Borel just 10 wins from 1,100 victories beneath the Twin Spires and 50 wins from 5,000 career triumphs. Only 25 jockeys have reached the 5,000-win mark. 

With 30 days of racing left in the 2012 Spring Meet at Churchill Downs, agent Jerry Hissam is hopeful Borel can achieve both milestones at his home track before the meet concludes on July 1.

“I’d love to get it (5,000 wins) done this meet,” Hissam said. “It’s not impossible, but it’s going to be really close. We’re shooting for two wins a day.”

Borel is ranked second in victories at Churchill Downs behind Pat Day, who rode 2,482 winners at the Louisville track.

“When he won 1,000 at Churchill, I told Calvin congratulations for winning number 1,000 and you’ll have to ride till you’re 84-years-old if you want to catch Pat Day,” Hissam joked.

Borel rides in Races 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10 on Sunday at Churchill Downs. His mounts were scratched in Races 2 and 9. He has seven scheduled mounts for Thursday.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Thrust from relative anonymity to the national spotlight with a victory aboard I’ll Have Another in last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, Mario Gutierrez has not only kept his ego in check, he’s thoroughly enjoying the whirlwind ride.

The 25-year-old learned to ride from his father, Mario Gutierrez, Sr., a quarter horse trainer, in Veracruz, Mexico.  On a visiting Canadian trainer’s advice, the younger Gutierrez made his way to Hastings Park, where he started his career as an apprentice in 2006.  He soon hooked up with one of Hastings’ premier trainers, Troy Taylor, and the pair enjoyed great success.  When Taylor was ready to try Southern California, he invited Gutierrez along.  Taylor returned to Canada this year but persuaded the rider to remain.

Through a series of “right place, right time” events, Gutierrez got to ride I’ll Have Another to victory in the Santa Anita Derby and despite pressure to get a more experienced pilot, owner J. Paul Reddam stuck with Gutierrez and was rewarded with a victory in the world’s most famous race.

Since his Derby win, Gutierrez has been on the ride of a lifetime.  He’s been interviewed by ESPN and various other media outlets, attended his first NBA game (Lakers-Nuggets Tuesday night at Staples Center) and threw out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium Wednesday night.

“That was a lot of fun,” smiled the jockey. “I got the ball across the plate and everyone was cheering.  I went up to the Spanish broadcast booth later and met Fernando Valenzuela,” referring to the former star pitcher for the Dodgers.

By Thursday, it was evident Gutierrez was starting to show effects from the long week.  “I didn’t get home until 11 p.m. last night.  It’s hard to say no to anyone and I’m doing my best to make everyone happy.  But I don’t want my life to change.  I just want to get back to riding.”  Gutierrez will have his chance in Friday night’s first race at Betfair Hollywood Park, where he’ll ride Blake for trainer Vladimir Cerin.  He finally got some help Wednesday when Gary Stevens’ wife, Angie, offered to answer his phone and take over his scheduling.

Gutierrez has kept what amounts to a journal on his twitter page (@Mario_Hastings), making it easy to understand why everyone’s rooting for him. 

Three weeks after winning the Santa Anita Derby, he was happy that he was approaching 200 followers.  “3 followers away from 200 J,” the jockey wrote.

Before heading to the airport, his enthusiasm increased.  “My breeze went great this morning 1:13 4/5, catching my flight tomorrow for Louisville!! #letsgo

He also tweeted a photo at the post position draw for the Derby and just before he rode his first race at Churchill Downs that Friday, he paid his respects by saying, “Riding with the best of the best.”

After he won the Derby, he still seemed amazed people were paying attention to him.  He wrote, “OMG, almost 1000 followers J”  He spent much of the next week trying to thank as many fans, friends and trainers via Twitter that he could fit into the day.

But as he soon found out, it’s hard to keep a low profile when you’re that much in demand.

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Tampa Bay Downs presented trophies in the form of handsome equine statues to the meeting’s top trainer, jockey, owner and apprentice jockey. Although there has been virtually no suspense about the recipients for several weeks, honoring the season’s best is always a much-anticipated highlight on the final day of racing.

LEADING TRAINER: JAMIE NESS

In the competition for top trainer, Jamie Ness established his dominance early and never looked back en route to  claiming his record sixth consecutive Tampa Bay Downs title (he tied for first last season with Gerald Bennett and two seasons ago with Kathleen O’Connell).

Ness, who trains exclusively for Midwest Thoroughbreds, Inc., sent out 79 winners from 168 starters, an almost-unheard of 47 percent win rate. He topped his previous track record of 68 wins, which he set during the 2007-08 meeting, on April 1.

Ness trains two of the three leading winners at the meeting in the 9-year-old gelding Stumbling Block and the 7-year-old mare Kitty City, who was 5-for-5 at Tampa Bay Downs this season. Stumbling Block was deprived of his sixth victory by a scant nose in a starter allowance on April 21 by Gold Brew, the other five-race winner this season out of the barn of trainer Bernell Rhone.

Entering Sunday’s action, Ness led the nation in 2012 with 148 victories, 25 more than Steven Asmussen. Even more impressive for a trainer who deals mostly with claiming and allowance horses, Ness is ninth in earnings with more than $2.3 million. He earned $875,384 this season at Tampa Bay Downs, more than twice the total earned by runner-up Gerald Bennett.

Ness credits his wife and assistant, Mandy, and exercise rider Trisha Walter for much of his stable’s success, along with the roughly 20 other employees who help with his operation.

On Jan. 19, Ness sent out four winners, tying the track record set by Kathleen O’Connell in 2003 and equaled by Ness three seasons ago. That gave him 24 winners from 51 starters, and amazingly he never fell off that pace the remainder of the season.

Mandy Ness and Walter accepted the trophy from Vice President and General Manager Peter Berube for Ness, who sent out four horses Sunday at Pimlico in Baltimore.

LEADING JOCKEY: LEANDRO GONCALVES

The leading jockey at Tampa Bay Downs this season, Leandro Goncalves, was the go-to rider for the Ness stable for much of the season. Make no mistake, though: The 30-year-old Goncalves won the title on his own merits, displaying a work ethic and professionalism worthy of the top spot.

Goncalves rode 88 winners from 384 starters to finish eight victories ahead of 2010-11 track champion Ronnie Allen, Jr. (who rode nine winners over the final three days). The Brazilian-born Goncalves posted mount earnings of $1,299,954, almost $200,000 more than runner-up Angel Serpa.

Goncalves achieved a major career milestone Dec. 28 by riding his 1,000th career winner aboard the then-6-year-old gelding Rich Hero for Ness and Midwest in a starter allowance. He finished 2011 with 298 victories, third-best in the nation.

He was at his best on Florida Cup Day on April 7, when he won the $75,000 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore Stakes on Tarpy’s Goal and the $75,000 Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies Stakes on Xunlei. Both winners were trained by Dale Romans.

Goncalves also enjoyed a streak of 18 consecutive racing days at Tampa Bay Downs with at least one winner. He is competing at Indiana Downs currently and his trophy was accepted by 16-year-old Jessy Smith, who is the daughter of Mandy Ness (and Jamie’s stepdaughter) and one of Goncalves’ biggest supporters. Peter Berube made the presentation.

LEADING OWNER: MIDWEST THOROUGHBREDS, INC.

Midwest Thoroughbreds, Inc., the mega-stable owned by Richard and Karen Papiese of University Park, Ill., was the runner-up for an Eclipse Award last year in the Outstanding Owner category. It didn’t come as a huge surprise, then, to see the outfit finish atop the Tampa Bay Downs owner race for the third consecutive season with a record-shattering 79 victories.

The Papieses own a 137-acre farm in Anthony, Fla., where they keep lay-ups and horses in training. Their ‘blue-collar’ stable relies on their proficiency is claiming the right horses and entering them in the right spots and keeping their legions of runners fresh.

Clearly, Midwest’s success extends beyond Tampa Bay Downs. Through Saturday’s action, Midwest had won 206 races in 2012, 124 more than runner-up owners Billy, Donna and Justin Hays.

Mandy Ness, accompanied by Trisha Walter and Jessy Smith, accepted the owner trophy on behalf of Midwest and the Papieses from Peter Berube.

The Papieses – who own and run Midwest Store Fixtures, a family business that outfits display cases, kiosks and other custom products for retail establishments – are also benefactors of the sport of Thoroughbred racing.

On Saturday, it was announced Midwest Thoroughbreds, Inc., has made generous donations to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, Thoroughbred Retirement of Tampa, Inc. (TROT) and the Racetrack Chaplaincy of America-Tampa Bay Downs Division.

Midwest donated $10,000 to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and $5,000 apiece to TROT and to the Racetrack Chaplaincy of America-Tampa Bay Downs Division.

LEADING APPRENTICE JOCKEY: ERIK BARBARAN

Before Erik Barbaran’s arrival at Tampa Bay Downs this season, the apprentice jockey had won 32 races in his lifetime – 16 at Hipodromo de Monterrico in his hometown of Lima, Peru and 16 last season at Suffolk Downs in Massachusetts.

Early in the Tampa Bay Downs meeting, after winning a turf race, Barbaran was tossed from his mount upon returning to the main surface en route to the winner’s circle. He was unshaken, but worried his mount might be disqualified for the mishap (it wasn’t).

It happens to the best of them; in fact, it happened to probable Hall of Fame rider Corey Nakatani after a winning ride Saturday at Churchill Downs. However, when it happened to Barbaran, some observers had questions about the new kid trying to break in against the deepest jockey colony at Tampa Bay Downs in memory.

Man, did he show them.

With his 27th victory at the meeting Sunday, the 20-year-old moved into a tie with Dean Butler for 11th place in the final standings. Fittingly, Barbaran loses his apprentice allowance Wednesday (two years from his fifth career victory, in Peru) and will begin competing as a journeyman at Suffolk.

“There are many good jockeys here, and I got a lot of experience,” Barbaran said through a translator, Mariluz Espada. “I learn something every time I go to a different track. I’m really happy about how I did here and being leading apprentice.

“I just plan to start all over again when I lose my ‘bug’ (allowance) and keep going.”

Barbaran is the son of trainer Horacio Barbaran, who was an accomplished jockey in Peru. The elder Barbaran, who now owns HB Farm in Ocala, won numerous stakes in his homeland and rode briefly from 1996-99 in south Florida. Not coincidentally, Erik’s grandfather Horacio also was a jockey.

After early training from his father, Erik attended the prestigious Jorge Bernardini Yori Jockey School in Peru for two years before heading to the racetrack.

Although he opened eyes throughout the meeting, Barbaran had most observers bug-eyed Saturday when he piloted 87-1 shot Sunday Cruisin’ to her maiden-breaking victory in the fourth race for owner Wendy L. Brown and trainer Luis Dominguez.

Sunday Cruisin,’ a 5-year-old mare who had not finished in the money in 13 previous starts, paid $177.60 to win, $77.80 to place and $25.80 to show, the highest across-the-board mutuels of the meeting. It was Barbaran’s first time riding Sunday Cruisin,’ although he had galloped her in the mornings.

Barbaran, with several family members including his father joining the ceremony, accepted the leading apprentice jockey trophy from Vice President and General Manager Peter Berube.

TRACK RECORDS

The 2011-12 meeting witnessed eight track records, four on the main dirt surface and four on the turf. On the dirt, 4-year-old filly It’s Me Mom set a six-furlong record of 1:08.67 in the $75,000 Florida Cup Hilton Garden Inn Sprint on April 7, bettering Sneaking Uponyou’s mark of 1:08.69. It’s Me Mom, who was ridden by Jorge Vargas, is owned by Jean and Thomas Bosch and trained by Lynne Scace.

Other dirt track marks were set by 5-year-old gelding Action Andy, 1:15.47 for six-and-a-half furlongs on March 10; 6-year-old mare Lady of Greatness, 1:02.79 for five-and-a-half furlongs on March 14; and 6-year-old gelding Bear Always, 1:39.07 for a mile-and-40-yards on April 20.

On turf, Jr’s Exchange, a 6-year-old gelding owned by Patrick Scanlon and trained by Gerald Bennett, set a five-furlong mark of 54.92 seconds on Jan. 26 under jockey Angel Serpa.

The other new marks were set at ‘about’ turf distances. Lentenor, a then-4-year-old horse, raced about a mile-and-a-sixteenth in 1:40.95 on Dec. 23; Wait’n On Sumthin, a 5-year-old gelding, raced about one mile in 1:34.38 on Feb. 24; and 5-year-old French-bred mare Zagora won the Grade III, $150,000 Hillsborough Stakes at about a mile-and-an-eighth in 1:46.97 on March 10.

BALTIMORE, Md. – Saturday’s 11-race card also included a Jockey Challenge featuring four riders visiting from Venezuela competing against four from the Maryland colony.

Jean Carlo Rodriguez captured the top prize and earned a $10,000 check by edging Pimlico-based riders Abel Castellano and Malcolm Franklin. Horacio Karamanos finished fourth.

Rodriguez, a 23-year-old with more than 1,050 career winners, including victories in the Clasico Juan Antonio Paez (G1) and the Clasico Comparacion (G1) aboard Il Macchiato, won the opener aboard Hideaway Moon ($14.80) and finished third in the third (Fashion Princess) and seventh (Girl Wonder).

“I had never ridden on the turf before and three of the races were on it so it was certainly different but what a great event,” said Rodriguez, who was riding in the United States for just the second time of his career. “I am very thankful to Pimlico for bringing us to the United States and having the chance to ride at a track where one of the Triple Crown races takes place.”

Franklin (Swing Even-race 3), Castellano (Sir Rabbit-race 5) and Karamanos Charged Cotton-race 7) won the other three races of the challenge.

The day was exciting for Castellano, who was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela but has spent the last 12 years in America.

“These guys had a ton of fun and I am so happy for Jean Carlo,” said Castellano, who leads the Pimlico rider standings with 27 winners. “I did not have much of a chance to ride in my home country and was very proud to ride against some of my country’s best and to represent the USA in the competition. I feel like this is more like home for me, my wife and kids.”

Francisco Arrieta (fifth place), Edgar Perez (seventh place) and Santiago Gonzalez (eighth place) also represented Venezuela.

Julian Pimentel (sixth place) was the fourth local rider.

PHOTO CREDIT-Jim McCue, Maryland Jockey Club
Jean Carlo Rodriguez accepts the winning check.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – If the first month of racing at Calder is any indication, the battle for leading rider at the 85-day Calder Meet should be a contentious one as the top of the table was shook up again on Sunday following multiple win days by Luis Saez and Orlando Bocachica.

Saez, who was temporarily supplanted atop the standings following a four-win day by apprentice jockey Joe Rodriguez Saturday, is now tied at the head of the leader board with 14 wins after posting Sunday victories aboard Wicked Night for trainer Ron Spatz and Team for Christophe Clement.

Meanwhile, Bocachica drew nearer to the dueling co-leaders with a riding triple Sunday, enjoying success with Viva Mongolia for Luis Ramirez, Courtney Ryan for Joe Calascibetta, and Corinthian Leather for Kirk Ziadie. In his second full season riding at Calder, Bocachica, who finished seventh in the standings at the 2011 Calder Meet, has now won with 13 of his 49 mounts.

STICKNEY, Ill. – The trials and tribulations of rider Francisco Torres’ career have been abundantly covered, most recently by a Hawthorne program cover, but this talented jockey, who has been leading in the standings since fairly in the meet, showed just why so many continue to give him a chance despite his checkered past.

Mr. Torres had a career day at Hawthorne on Friday, just three days before the end of the meet.

He was listed to ride all nine races. His chances were compromised in the first when he and his mount, A Brush of Beauty, had considerable traffic problems but after that he went on a major roll.

He rode four straight winners, the second through the fifth. The $2 Pick 4 for those races paid $2611.80. The internal $2 Pick 3s paid (2-4) $212.80 and (3-5) $145.60. He booted home two more winners on the afternoon, giving him six for the day.

Only one rider, Johnny Heckmann on October 1st, 1956, won more. He scored with seven winners, only one favorite, on that day. Only two others, Chris Emigh and Tanner Riggs won with six.

“I couldn’t have done this without the horsemen. My hat is off to them and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart.

“I had some trouble in the first. I kind of beat myself up for that ride. I didn’t do what I could have, what I should have. But, I shook it off and came back in the second race and everything fell in place.

“This was a great day for me but also a sad day”, said Torres tearfully. “We lost Eddie Razo this week. He was a good friend, a brother, a comrade. Just an all around good guy.  He was the person that would come to you if you were down and try to cheer you up. He would tell you that nothing could be that bad. He’s in our hearts and in our prayers.

Torres winners: 2nd race Hangover Cure $21.40, 3rd race Justa Average Joe $2.60, 4th race Maritime Man $11.00, 5th race Turn N’ Fire $20.00, 7th race Eyema Delight $7.80, 8th race $25.00. He also finished second with Afleet Paddy in the sixth.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Brilliant performances, tight finishes, large fields and a celebrity visit – or two – highlighted opening day at Belmont Park, hinting at even bigger things to come over the course of the 56-day spring/summer meet.

The day began with an impromptu late morning flyover by the decommissioned space shuttle Enterprise, which flew past the track atop a 747 before landing at nearby John F. Kennedy International Airport, and included a visit from NBC Sports hockey analyst and racing fan Eddie Olczyk, a member of the 1994 Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers.

“There’s something about the prestige and the history of this track,” said Olczyk. “Being able to come here as a fan and being able to watch it on the simulcast back home in Chicago, I’ve been known to get my feet wet every once in a while when Belmont is going, so I have always had a great respect for the horse racing and the people and obviously the track here at Belmont.”

With average daily purses at Belmont expected to reach $620,000, a number of high-profile outfits have opened up shop full-time in New York. Dale Romans, Ian Wilkes, Graham Motion and Mike Maker are among those joining established New York trainers Todd Pletcher, Bill Mott, Kiaran McLaughlin, Chad Brown, Linda Rice, Christophe Clement, and Jim Bond.

“It’s fantastic to be back at Belmont,” said Bond, who won race 7 with Strolldownbroadway ($4.70). “We have nice stock, and we’re excited about the purses. New faces, new riders, it really is a lot of fun. Everyone is excited. We’re going to have quality racing, but that’s what the game is. We want to have the best racing, and we’ve always had the best racing in New York. This is going to make it even tougher. The strong are going to survive, but that’s the way the game should be.”

Traditionally deep, the riding colony at Belmont is expected to become even more competitive this spring with newcomers such as two-time Eclipse winner Julien Leparoux and Rosie Napravnik riding full-time in New York. The battle for leading rider got off to a contentious start, with Cornelio Velasquez, who won the recently concluded spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack, taking the first two races aboard Modern Child ($15.20) and Crepuscolo ($6.50) and Junior Alvarado taking race 3 with Unstoppable U ($4.70) and race 8 aboard Silver Over Gold ($16.40).

But Ramon Dominguez, the two-time defending Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s top jockey and leading jockey on The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit for the last three years, came right back to take a one-race lead, winning race 5 with favored Street Thug ($6.10), race 7 for Bond, and race 9 with Fourseventeen ($4.50). 

“Between the great weather and racing at its best, I’m always happy to be back at Belmont,” said Dominguez, in the winner’s circle for the first time since returning on April 6 from a separated collarbone. “The competition, before the newcomers, was pretty difficult to begin with and with the addition of Julien Leparoux and Anna Napravnik, along with Junior Alvarado being a full-timer, it’s going to be definitely challenging.”

Racing continues at Belmont Park Saturday with the Grade 3, $150,000 Westchester, featuring a trio of Grade 1 winners; To Honor and Serve, Boys At Tosconova and Jersey Town. The Westchester is the first of 35 stakes worth more than $9 million, topped by the 144th running of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 9.

NYRA/Adam Coglianese
Ramon Dominguez’ third win of the day aboard Fourseventeen.

ARCADIA, Calif. – I’ll Have Another, who was dismissed as an “overnight sensation” when he won the Grade II Robert B. Lewis Stakes in a 43-1 upset on Feb. 4 but subdued skeptics when he returned at 4-1 to nose out 4-5 favorite Creative Cause in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on April 7, was named Horse of the Meet in Santa Anita’s 2011-12 Winter/Spring Media Poll.

“This is a huge honor,” said Doug O’Neill, who trains the 3-year-old son of Flower Alley for owner J. Paul Reddam, whose horses led in earnings at the meet with $635,360 to be named Outstanding Owner.

“We’re grateful to every member of our team who contributed to the colt’s success,” O’Neill said. “The award carries even more significance for me, because this is Santa Anita’s big meet where so many great horses compete.”

It marked the second Horse of the Meet honor for an O’Neill trainee. Rags-to-riches Lava Man won in 2006-07.

I’ll Have Another also was named the meet’s outstanding 3-year-old, while the Santa Anita Derby was named Race of the Meet. The first three horses in the $750,000 race decided at 1 1/8 miles were separated by just a half-length after a thrilling stretch battle, with 42-1 pacesetter Blueskiesnrainbows finishing third, a half-length behind I’ll Have Another.

Hall of Fame conditioner Bob Baffert won his record 10th Santa Anita training title and was voted Trainer of the Meet for the second straight campaign.  Baffert won for the eighth time since balloting was initiated in 1972-73, a poll record. The 59-year-old Arizona native won 46 races from 158 starters,

Joel Rosario also won honors as outstanding jockey for the second straight year. The 27-year-old native of the Dominican Republic won 89 races from 409 mounts to                                       outdistance runner-up Rafael Bejarano by 17 victories.

Ron the Greek, who shipped in from the East Coast for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, won the Grade I, $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap to earn honors as Older Horse.

Selections in other categories: Include Me Out, winner of the Grade II La Cańada Stakes and the Grade I Santa Margarita Stakes, Older Filly or Mare; Bourbon Bay, who captured the Grade II San Luis Rey Stakes and the Grade II San Juan Capistrano Handicap, Grass Horse; Vamo a Galupiar, winner of the Megahertz Stakes and the Grade II Santa Ana Stakes, Grass Filly or Mare; Willa B Awesome, who won the Grade III Santa Ysabel Stakes before posting a 13-1 upset in the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks, 3-year-old filly.

Also, Breeders’ Cup Sprint champion Amazombie, winner of the Grade II Potrero Grande Stakes, was top sprinter for the second consecutive year.  The victory for trainer Bill Spawr, who owns the California-bred son of Northern Afleet with Tom Sanford, gave Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith win No. 5,000 in his illustrious career.

Eswan Flores, 19, was top apprentice rider by virtue of 54 victories, placing him fourth in the standings behind journeymen Bejarano, Rosario and Joe Talamo.

Achievement of the Meet was awarded to Peter Eurton, who saddled what is believed to be a Santa Anita record of eight consecutive winners. The 54-year-old trainer began his streak on April 5 with Belle Passe and capped it when Chickie Charms won on April 14. None of his horses paid more than $8.80 to win.

Crossing The Line, a 10-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding trained by John Sadler, was named Claiming Horse of the Meet. A son of Cape Cross owned by Richard Templar of Chicago, who races as Doubledown Stables, Inc., Crossing The Line won twice at the $22,500 level on Santa Anita’s downhill turf course at about 6½ furlongs, coming from next to last in a field of 10 on March 22 to capture his last start

In 20 career starts, Crossing The Line has 10 wins and earnings of $376,448.

2011-12 Santa Anita Winter/Spring Media Poll

Horse of Meet: I’ll Have Another                               Sprinter: Amazombie

Older Horse: Ron the Greek                                     Claimer: Crossing The Line

Older Filly/Mare: Include Me Out                              Trainer: Bob Baffert

Grass Horse: Bourbon Bay                                       Jockey: Joel Rosario

Grass Filly/Mare: Vamo a Galupiar                           Apprentice: Eswan Flores

3-Year-Old: I’ll Have Another                                     Race: Santa Anita Derby

3-Year-Old Filly: Willa B Awesome                           Owner: J. Paul Reddam

Achievement: Peter Eurton, 8 straight  wins

Benoit Photo
I’ll Have Another