Jockey Ramon A. Vazquez earned his richest career victory last Saturday after pulling off a 75-1 upset in the Grade 2, $1 million Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park aboard Un Ojo.
For the surprising win, Vazquez was voted Jockey of the Week for Feb. 22 through Feb. 27. The honor, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.
Trainer Ricky Courville's son, Clay, gave a leg up to Vazquez on New York-bred gelding Un Ojo who broke from post position four in the field of 11.
Un Ojo, whose name means “one eye” in Spanish, stalked the early pace from the inside while patiently handled by Vazquez. Sitting in fourth, Un Ojo joined the leaders on the turn and into the stretch, taking the lead from front-runners Ethereal Road and Barber Road near the wire to score a shocking half-length win.
Un Ojo completed the 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Derby points race in 1:45.69 to earn 50 points toward the first Saturday in May. Un Ojo, who lost his left eye before his racing career began, came into the Rebel off a second-place finish in the G3 Withers at Aqueduct.
Vazquez was understandably very happy with the trip.
“He gave me everything he had,” said Vazquez in a post-race interview broadcast by Oaklawn Park.
The 38-year-old Vazquez, a native of Puerto Rico, rides primarily between Lone Star Park, Remington Park and Oaklawn Park and has won multiple leading rider titles. He is a graduate of the famed Puerto Rico Vocational Jockey School and began his riding career in Puerto Rico, moving his tack to Delaware Park in 2011.
Vazquez' first graded stakes win outside of Puerto Rico was the G3 Count Fleet at Oaklawn Park in 2016 aboard Subtle Indian. This year, he has also won the G3 Bayakoa at Oaklawn Park aboard Miss Bigley. He currently sits in fourth place in the Oaklawn standings with 25 wins and more than $2 million in purse earnings.
Vazquez's weekly statistics were 20-3-6-1 to be 50 percent in-the-money and earn $768,902 in purses. He led all jockeys in stakes and total purse earnings. He has three mount assignments in graded stakes races on Saturday at Santa Anita.
Other nominees for Jockey of the Week were Dylan Davis who won the Stymie at Aqueduct, Armando Martinez with eight wins at Fonner Park, Irad Ortiz, Jr. who led all jockeys for the week with 16 wins, and Jose L. Ortiz who won the G3 Royal Delta with Eclipse Award winner Letruska.
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