Oaklawn's leading rider Cristian Torres had another outstanding week, capturing his first graded stakes in the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap and posting a five-win day on Monday, Presidents' Day, for a total of 10 wins for the week.
Torres was voted the honor of Jockey of the Week for Feb. 13 through Feb. 20 by the panel of racing experts. The award recognizes jockeys for riding accomplishments and who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.
On Saturday, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas tapped Torres to ride Last Samurai in the G3 Razorback Handicap for 4-year-olds and up. Largely overlooked in the wagering, Last Samurai was forced to settle near the back of the eight-horse field after a slow start. As expected, the two short-priced favorites, West Will Power and Law Professor, took control. At the top of the stretch, Torres guided Last Samurai toward the middle of the track and collared the leaders, going on to win by 1 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:42.19 for 1 1/16 miles.
“Honestly at the start, when he broke a little slow, I was worried just a little bit,” said Torres. “But when I saw there was a whole lot of pace in front of me, I didn't panic. He got the position the way I wanted and I was just waiting for a hole to open up.”
“He got an excellent ride from Cristian (Torres),” said Lukas, clearly pleased with the win. “Cristian did what we thought he needed to do. Get clear and let him run.”
The win was the fifth stakes victory of the current Oaklawn meet for Torres a native of Puerto Rico. With his five-win day on Monday, Torres increased his lead in the standings to 13 over Francisco Arrieta. Torres captured his first leading rider title of his career last year at Remington Park. On Jan. 7, 2023, Torres became the fastest jockey in Oaklawn history to reach $1 million in purse earnings. His current purse earnings are more than $2.7 million.
Other contenders for Jockey of the Week included Manny Franco with a stakes win at Aqueduct, Irad Ortiz, Jr. with a graded stakes win at Gulfstream Park and 12 wins for the week to lead all riders, Luis Saez with two graded stakes wins at Fair Grounds including the Risen Star, and Jevian Toledo who won two stakes races at Laurel Park.
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