Robin Goodfellow’s Racing Tips: Best bets for Saturday, January 1
Sportsmail's racing expert Robin Goodfellow dishes out his tips for Friday's meetings at Fakenham, Catterick, Cheltenham, Musselburgh, Exeter and Southwell.
Month: December 2021
Dream double on the cards for Nigel Twiston-Davies as Guard Your Dreams goes for glory again
It is just three weeks since the six-year-old gamely landed his first Graded win when narrowly seeing off Song For Someone in the Unibet International Hurdle.
Brown, Klaravich Stables and Ortiz Register Year-End NYRA Titles
Chad Brown won his seventh consecutive New York Racing Association, Inc. year-end training title with 140 wins while Jose Ortiz compiled his third riding crown with 185 victories as racing in 2021 was capped with the conclusion of the card on Dec. 31.
Klaravich Stables retained the title as top owner, racking up 55 wins, seven more than the next-closest competitor, Michael Dubb, to finish as the leading owner for the third straight year at NYRA tracks, which include Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct Racetrack.
Brown compiled a 140-104-91 record with 565 starters. He won four individual meets, leading the way at the Aqueduct spring, Belmont spring, Saratoga summer and Belmont fall meets.
“First and foremost, it's a credit to the hard work of my dedicated team and so many people contributing, including a loyal, patient group of owners that supplied our team with a steady supply of talented horses all year–and, of course, all the horses in all different categories and levels giving so many fine efforts,” Brown said.
Brown shared his appreciation for his longtime partnership with Klaravich Stables, which is headed by Seth Klarman.
“Mr. Klarman is our largest account and he's a terrific client and friend. He's been in the game a long time and built up quite a stable. His silks are now recognized around the world,” Brown said. “He had a very strong season and we appreciate his support very much.”
Jose Ortiz entered the final card of 2021 in a tie for most wins with his brother, Irad Ortiz, Jr., but guided Untreated to victory in Race 6 to secure the year-end title outright. He finished with a record of 185-143-135 from 913 starts, compiling purse earnings in excess of $15.2 million.
“It feels great. This is what we work for every day,” said Ortiz, who earned Eclipse Award honors as the nation's Outstanding Jockey in 2017. “I couldn't have done it by myself. I want to thank all the owners and trainers that gave me opportunities and my agent [Jimmy Riccio, Jr.], who does a great job.”
Klaravich Stables won four NYRA individual meets in 2021, leading the way at the Belmont spring, Saratoga summer, Belmont fall and Aqueduct fall meets.
In total, Klaravich Stables sent out 207 starters, going 55-28-41, winning at a 26.57% clip, while racking up circuit-best earnings of more than $5 million in the process. Klaravich Stables won nine graded races in 2021 on the NYRA circuit, including his Grade I wins with the Brown-trained Search Results and Domestic Spending.
The post Brown, Klaravich Stables and Ortiz Register Year-End NYRA Titles appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
Jevian Toledo, Claudio Gonzalez Lead Year-End Jockey/Trainer Standings In Maryland
Journeyman Jevian Toledo returned to the top of the state rider standings for the first time in four years, and Claudio Gonzalez continued his dominance among trainers that dates back to 2017 as Maryland closed the book on its 2021 racing season Friday at Laurel Park.
Toledo, 27, ended the winter meet that began Sept. 9 with 50 wins, seven more than runner-up Jorge Ruiz, and was also tops with more than $1.8 million in purse earnings to earn his seventh meet title, all at Laurel. Overall he won 125 races and $4.6 million in purses, his best single season since 2017.
“It feels great. I feel very blessed for all the opportunities I've gotten my whole career and especially this year. It's been a really great year,” Toledo said. “I hope we get the same support next year coming up and hopefully we can get the job done again.”
Toledo had 108 wins at Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course in 2021, edging 18-year-old Charlie Marquez (102) for the most in Maryland. Represented by agent Marty Leonard, Toledo also went 2-for-7 during the Maryland State Fair Meet at Timonium.
His state championship marked the third time Toledo has led Maryland in wins, following 2015 and 2017. He began 2021 with 14 wins at Laurel's winter meet and tied for second with 39 wins during the extended Preakness Meet at historic Pimlico Race Course.
“It feels amazing. It's really special because I fell in 2018 and it was hard to come back,” Toledo said. “Thank God all the hard work paid off. I work pretty hard in the morning and my agent does a really good job. He's always with me right there. We've been pretty good together.
“This is my home,” he added. “I have to thank all the owners and trainers and all the employees at the barns. They support me. Thank God we're back on top again.”
Toledo, a native of Puerto Rico, won the Weather Vane and Maryland Million Distaff on Hello Beautiful and the Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial with Whereshetoldmetogo, both trained by Brittany Russell. Other stakes wins came aboard Brad Cox-trained Dreamalildreamofu in the Twixt and Ready to Purrform in the Laurel Futurity; Corelli in the Henry S. Clark and Grateful Bred in the Maryland Million Turf Sprint.
“Hello Beautiful, she's a special filly. Whereshetoldmetogo is a nice horse, too. Dontletsweetfoolya for Lacey [Gaudet], she's very nice and that owner [Five Hellions Farm] supports me a lot,” Toledo said. “Every horse is special, to be honest. Every single horse, every single one counts. They put me on top.”
Toledo and his wife, Kimberly, also celebrated the birth of their first child, daughter Kylie, in March.
“I have to thank God. He gave me a lot this year,” Toledo said. “I know it's been a hard year with the COVID, everything's different. It's hard. I want to do so many things with my family that I cannot do now with the COVID, but the main thing is we're healthy and that's all that matters.”
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Gonzalez, a 45-year-old native of Chile and cancer survivor, swept all three full meets in Maryland this year, ending Laurel's fall stand with a 34-25 edge over Brittany Russell. He had 28 during its winter meet and 41 at Pimlico, and for good measure also led the Timonium standings with six wins.
“It's like I always say, if it's not for the grooms, the exercise riders, assistants, everybody,” Gonzalez said. “They're working hard in the morning and it's not easy to be there every day at 4 o'clock in the morning. It's my name they see but they do all the hard work. If it's not for them or the owners, I don't have anything.”
Gonzalez now owns 18 individual meet titles in Maryland, 16 at Laurel and two at Pimlico. He won 108 races at Laurel and Pimlico to lead all Maryland trainers for a fifth straight year, averaging 106.4 per season during his run.
“It's really special. I say all the time, there's a lot of good trainers over here. To win one year is special, and to win five, I don't know. It's really, really special,” Gonzalez said. “There's a lot of trainers here with a lot of experience for years, and to win is very, very special.”
Gonzalez won three stakes in Maryland this year with Miss Leslie – the Weber City Miss, Thirty Eight Go Go and Carousel, the latter Dec. 26. Other local stakes wins in 2021 came with Completed Pass in the King T. Leatherbury, Harpers First Ride in the Deputed Testamony and Buff Hello in the Maryland Million Nursery.
MCA Racing Stable's He's a Shooter rolled to his third straight victory Oct. 14 at Laurel to give Gonzalez his 1,000th career win. He also reached a career high with more than $5.3 million in purse earnings for 2021, to go along with 161 wins.
“A thousand races is a lot of races. When I started, I never thought I'd win that many races so soon. I thought maybe in 10 years or something to get there,” Gonzalez said. “I have to thank all the people working for me and all the owners for giving me the chance to train their horses.”
Notes: Jockey Horacio Karmanos posted a riding double Friday aboard The Walk ($10.60) in Race 4 and Qualy ($8.80) in Race 6 … Laurel will open its 2022 winter meet with a nine-race New Year's Day holiday program. Post time is 12:25 p.m.
The post Jevian Toledo, Claudio Gonzalez Lead Year-End Jockey/Trainer Standings In Maryland appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
