Penelope P. Miller
Tampa Bay Downs

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Hilton Garden Inn Jockey of the Month Willie Martinez has had an outstanding week at the Oldsmar oval, booting home five winners from nine starters at average odds of 13-1. One of those wins was in the March 6 Challenger Stakes, when Martinez guided Bold Start to victory in track record-setting fashion, besting the previous fastest time set by Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense for the 1 1/16 miles distance.

Willie Martinez has been a mainstay at Tampa Bay Downs since 1989, when he won the first race of his career here and was the leading apprentice rider in that year.  From 1992 through 2007, Willie Martinez, along with William Henry, held the jockey’s record at Tampa Bay Downs for the most wins in a single season with 123 victories to his credit. 

Martinez emigrated to the U.S. in 1988 to work as a hotwalker and groom for his sister’s godfather at Finger Lakes Race Track in Farmington, New York.  In 1997, at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, he rode Cryptocloser to victory in the Prince of Wales Stakes, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown series.

During his career, Willie Martinez has won riding titles at Tampa Bay Downs, Ellis Park, Turfway Park, Keeneland and Hialeah Park. His nine titles at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky are more than any other jockey in the track’s history; also at Turfway Park, Martinez rode seven winners on July 6, 1993.

Martinez was the regular rider of multiple Graded stakes winner Brass Hat. He rode the gelding to victory in several important Graded stakes, including the Grade I Donn Handicap on February 4, 2006; on February 2, 2008, the duo went after the Donn again at Gulfstream Park, this time finishing fourth only three lengths behind the winner.

Finish Lines…  Blind River Fox, an eight-year-old Florida-bred son of Foxtrail bred by Adena Springs, owned by Winning Stables, Don Louderbeck and Partick Scanlon and trained by Gerald Bennett, set a new track record for the five furlong main track distance today under jockey Ronne Allen, Jr. Blind River Fox traveled the five panels in :57.04, besting the old record set by Arion Fair 28 years ago.

Jockey Daniel Centeno notched three wins on Wednesday’s card, giving him 81 wins through 58 days of racing at the Oldsmar oval.  Centeno got his first victory aboard Hoho Tow, a nine-year-old Florida-bred Demaloot Demashoot gelding under the care of Barbara McBride for owner Ronald Burch.  Centeno stuck again with Vamos a Ver, this time for trainer H. Graham Motion and owner Augustin Stable.  Centeno rounded out his hat trick with Count Catamount in the evening’s closer. The Langfuhr gelding is owned by Crossed Sabres Farm and conditioned by Seth Benzel.

Racing resumes March 11 with a 10-race card; there is a Pick Six carryover of $1,207.