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Marcelino Pedroza Wins Third Leading Rider Title At Indiana Grand; Andrea Rodriguez Leading Apprentice

Marcelino Pedroza Jr. has been on a mission the last week of racing at Indiana Grand. Already way ahead in the jockey standings, Pedroza completed the four-day work week with an additional 10 wins to earn his third Leading Thoroughbred Jockey Award in Indiana.

Pedroza was honored in the winner's circle following the sixth race on closing day with the award. He also brought home the title in 2017 and 2019.

“It's always great to win races and it's a great feeling to win the title,” said Pedroza, who was flanked by his family for the trophy presentation. “Thank you to all the owners and trainers that supported me and to my beautiful family, who have been with me when we weren't winning races.”

Pedroza scored 105 wins during the meet, more than 20 more than second place finisher DeShawn Parker. With purse earnings in excess of $3.2 million for the year, he moves into third place on the list of all-time leading riders at the track with more than 640 career wins. He also holds several riding records with most purse money in one season ($3.4 in 2019), most wins by a jockey in one day (6 in 2019), and now joins Orlando Mojica, Leandro Goncalves and Rodney Prescott for most jockey titles at the track with three.

“I've been riding Fair Grounds and Indiana Grand the past few years and that's worked out well for me,” added Pedroza. “I plan to go back to Fair Grounds (New Orleans, La.) and hopefully do well there again and hopefully be back here again next year.”

A native of Panama, Pedroza Jr. attended the Laffit Pincay Jr. Jockey Academy before venturing to the United States in 2010. Now a Graded Stakes winning jockey, Pedroza celebrated his 1,000th career victory last year and has more than 1,200 career wins with earnings of more than $32 million.

Andrea Rodriguez has worked many hours to become a jockey. Her hard work has paid off this year as she was the recipient of the eighth annual Juan Saez Leading Apprentice Jockey at Indiana Grand for 2021. The award is named in honor of Juan Saez, who passed away following a racing incident in 2014. Saez was the Leading Apprentice at Indiana Grand that same year.

A native of Puerto Rico, Rodriguez attended her country's famed Escuela Vocacional Hipica Agustin Mercado Reveron Jockey School at Camarero Race Track outside of San Juan. After winning her first race at Camarero, she ventured to the United States in 2019 with a short stint in the saddle before stopping and working as an exercise rider. While galloping for Trainer Ian Wilkes, she decided to give a career as a jockey one more try.

“Trainer Ian Wilkes is the one that pushed me back to riding at Turfway Park,” said Rodriguez. “Then, I came to Indiana Grand prepared to gallop and Bones (Kerry Wirth, her agent) and trainers Randy Klopp and Marvin Johnson told me to try to ride, so I did. It's been so great for me to ride in my first year at Indiana Grand. It's been an amazing experience. First, I have to thank God and then the trainers who have supported me.”

Working in the mornings has brought a special bond with several horses to Rodriguez, who places special posts about them on social media after her wins. But one horse, has stolen her heart this year at Indiana Grand.

“I would have to say Polo Art is my favorite,” said Rodriguez, who won four races aboard the seven-year-old gelding this season. “He has such a big heart, and he tries so hard.”

Rodriguez was joined by her mother, Camille, who is visiting from Puerto Rico, for the trophy presentation as the track's Leading Apprentice. She adds the award to a Leading Apprentice title she won at Ellis Park earlier this year. The young jockey follows in the footsteps of several family members who have been involved in racing in her home country.

“My grandfather was the first trainer from Puerto Rico to qualify and race in the Kentucky Derby,” added Rodriguez. “Also, my 'auntie' was the first female trainer in Puerto Rico.”

Rodriguez will move her tack to Turfway Park for the winter and plans to return to Indiana Grand when racing resumes Tuesday, April 19. Until then, she will continue to work at a career she thoroughly enjoys and continue to connect with horses that are her passion.

Rodriguez completes the 2021 racing season at Indiana Grand with 28 wins and a victory in her final race of 2021 aboard Double Advantage. She earned a spot among the track's top 15 jockeys. Horses she has guided this season have earned in excess of $550,000.

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Laurel Park: 16-Year-Old Apprentice Bryson Butterfly Celebrates First Career Victory Friday

In his only mount of the day and 11th since bringing his tack to Maryland at the start the month, 16-year-old apprentice Bryson Butterfly picked up his first winner at Laurel Park when Alpha Queue cruised to a front-running 7 ¼-length triumph in Friday's opener.

It was the 18th career win from 179 mounts for Butterfly, who launched his career in May at Grants Pass in Oregon and currently rides with a seven-pound weight allowance. Alpha Queue ($6), owned and trained by Lacey Gaudet, ran six furlongs in 1:10.84 over a fast main track.

In the claiming event for 3-year-olds and up, Alpha Queue was pressed through an opening quarter-mile in 23.19 seconds by Pet's Night before gaining separation after going a half in 46.59. Butterfly and Alpha Queue straightened for home with a five-length lead and rolled through the stretch to earn his second lifetime win from 10 starts.

“It's insane to just even win a race here. The course is beautiful,” Butterfly said. “The horse felt really good. I knew coming to the quarter pole when I smooched at him I had so much horse left. He finished really nicely. It was a great win. It felt awesome.”

Butterfly is a Native American originally from Washington State with family in the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana. Established by treaty in 1855 and located on 1.5 million acres along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in the northwestern part of the state, Blackfeet Nation is one of the 10 largest tribes in the United States with 17,321 members.

“My brother has won a few championships in roping, and my other brother was riding Indian relay, so we're all kind of a big part of horses,” Butterfly said. “My mom is a horse trainer. I was galloping horses when I was 8. I rode my first gate race when I was 12. I owe it all to my mom. She was the one that helped me get here.”

Butterfly's mother, Amy Nelson, is an ex-jockey who rode briefly in Canada and now has a stable based in Arizona. Her most recent starter was April 22 at Turfway Park. She has 21 career wins as a trainer since 2004.

“When I was little, we used to break horses for people and we used to go up in the mountains and ride them. She was the one that got me into a gallop saddle,” Butterfly said. “She used to ride before I was born. I always just wanted to try it. I galloped my first horse, which was my barrel horse at the time, and just fell in love with it from there. She's just helped me through so much. She's gotten me to where I am now.”

Butterfly picked up his first winner June 1 at Grants Pass aboard Hey Wilmaaa. He split time between there and Emerald Downs in Washington with stops at Oregon Livestock and Crooked River in Oregon and Arizona Downs before landing in the Midwest.

He rode at Ellis Park and Indiana Downs from July 30 to Sept. 23 before coming to Maryland, where his first race came Oct. 1 on You Can Never Tell. He is represented by agent Marty Leonard, who also has the book for Jevian Toledo and the injured Sheldon Russell.

“Jimmy McNerney is from Indiana. He's the announcer at Ellis Park. He's an agent and he was asking if I'd like to go back and forth and ride Kentucky and Indiana,” Butterfly said. “It's always been a dream of mine to ride in Kentucky, so I went over there and did that for a while. It was fun, a great experience. I loved it.

“He and I split ways and then Ron Anderson was talking to a friend of mine and asking about me and asking how I was and if I had an agent, so I gave him a call,” he added. “He referred me to Marty and Marty asked if I'd like to come over to Maryland.”

Before Friday, Butterfly's best finish was a third with Little Man Farm's Double Fireball, trained by Anthony Aguirre, Oct. 3. Butterfly, who stands 5-foot-7 and doesn't turn 17 until April 6, 2022, is staying with fellow jockey Richard Monterrey.

“The transition has been great. Everyone has been so nice. It was great for Richard to give me a spot to stay. It's been my dream since I was 11 years old,” Butterfly said. “It was a big adjustment at first, but it's getting easier. A lot more people around and a lot of help.”

Butterfly noted the influence of late jockey Eduardo Gutierrez-Sosa on his career. Gutierrez-Sosa, 29, was killed in a fall during a quarter horse race July 14 at Crooked River when his mount, Godfather Advice, struck the inside rail. Butterfly also rode in the race, finishing second.

“He was the one jockey in the room where you'd go in there and he was always smiling and always taking care of everyone before himself,” Butterfly said. “He's just been a big inspiration for me. I talk to him before every race and I pray. He was always there and always helped me out. He helped everybody.”

Butterfly is the second teenager riding regularly in Maryland. Charlie Marquez, 18, leads all jockeys with 84 wins in Maryland this year and was the state's top apprentice with 58 victories in 2020. He won his first meet title at the Preakness Meet at Pimlico stand that ended Aug. 22.

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Former Boxer: Jockey Joey Martinez Making A Name For Himself At Gulfstream

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Joey Martinez is a proud New Yorker whose boyhood dream came true when he rode his first career winner at Aqueduct Dec. 9, 2016.

The 27-year-old jockey, an avid New York Yankees fan, went on to enjoy a productive apprenticeship while riding at Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga.

He couldn't imagine riding anywhere else.

However, Martinez would find himself at a crossroads that would eventually lead him to Gulfstream Park instead of Saratoga this summer following a business slowdown upon losing his apprentice weight allowance, sustaining a broken collarbone during a training-hours mishap, and the passing of his grandmother.

“I'm from New York. I'm not a name rider yet like I want to be. Going to Saratoga, they want the Top 5, I understand that,” Martinez said. “I'm a Yankees fan. If you're in the ninth inning, you're going to put in your best closing pitcher, rather than the guy just starting out. Of course, they want the bigger names instead of Martinez. I'd rather go somewhere else and show who Joey Martinez is.”

A third-generation jockey, Martinez rode his last race in New York at Aqueduct on Dec. 13.

“Unfortunately, my grandmother passed away last November and I went to Ocala, Florida to take care of my grandfather,” he said. “That's why I haven't been riding.”

Martinez rode a couple of races at Penn National in April before calling jockey agent P.J. Campo in New York.

“I reached out to him. I said, 'What do you think of me going to Gulfstream with you representing me, if you're interested?'” Martinez said. “He said, 'How soon can you get there?' I said, 'I'll pack my stuff can go now.'”

Martinez, who was a promising amateur boxer during his teen years, has brought a fighter's mentality to Gulfstream Park.

“I didn't go to the Olympic Trials to officially make the U.S. Olympic Team in 2012 because I wanted to ride horses and be a jockey,” said Martinez, who finished third aboard the 39-1 shot Northern Transit Sunday. “I had an offer from Golden Boy Promotions to turn professional, but I still said, 'No, I want to be a jockey.'”

Martinez, who regards veteran jockey Jose Lezcano as a mentor and friend, may be still fighting to make a name for himself, but it isn't due to a lack of confidence in his abilities.

“I'm not a cocky man at all, but I'm very, very confident. Coming down the stretch, I feel like nobody can beat me. That's the confidence I have,” Martinez said. “I finish really strong and I think what helps me get a lot out of horses is that I'm always relaxed and very patient. I believe the more comfortable and relaxed you are on a horse, they'll be as comfortable as you are. I go you there and have fun. I come out of the gate and try to find my position and let the horse tell me what he wants to do. Let him find a comfortable rhythm.”

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Pyfer, Bravo Combine To Win Five Of Eight On Friday Card At Del Mar

Veteran Joe Bravo and apprentice Jessica Pyfer combined to win five of the eight races on Friday's program. Bravo scored with Kuora (1st, $27.80) for Richard Baltas, Gregory's Pride (7th, $5.80) for Phil D'Amato, and Doncic (9th, $8.20) for John Sadler; Pyfer's wins came aboard Illapawnie (2nd, $27.40) for Jonathan Wong and House Limit (3rd, $6.00) for Mark Glatt.

Bravo is fifth in the rider standings with 18 wins from 86 mounts and over $1 million in purse earnings. Pyfer is ninth with 9 wins from 88 mounts and purse earnings of $390,672.

Their situations are different but their smiles were similar in the stable area this morning.

Bravo, who will turn 50 on September 10, left Monmouth Park, where he was an institution referred to as “Jersey Joe,” for a summer at Del Mar. He was asked if he's now “getting the hang” of the new place.

“Good horses make us all look good,” Bravo said. “I'm very happy to be out here riding good horses for really good trainers. I'm pleased with how they've accepted me and trying to do my best for them all.”

Equibase statistics show Bravo with 5,513 wins from 30,540 career mounts. He recently rented a place in Pasadena and intends to ride next winter and spring at Santa Anita. As for Del Mar in the summer of 2022?

“Does anybody know where they're going to be a year from now?” he said. “But it's a great place and I don't see why not.”

Pyfer, 23, recorded 36 wins and finished sixth in the jockey standings for the long Santa Anita meeting. Through Friday, Equibase statistics show her with 64 wins from 536 mounts. She will maintain apprentice status into November with her mounts receiving a five-pound break in weight assignments. She is a prime candidate for an Eclipse Award in the apprentice jockey category.

“Santa Anita was a good meet for me but everybody knows Del Mar is a little bit tougher,” Pyfer said. “I kind of set in my mind a goal of finishing in the top 10 and hopefully I can keep it going and achieve that. I started off really well, then kind of layered out but I'm hoping to finish strong.”

The time when apprentice status ends and journeyman begins is a crossroads for any rider.

“I'm just going to keep doing as well as I can and hopefully the (owners and trainers) who have supported me will continue to stand by me. I think I've shown that I do really well on fillies, they respond really well to me and I believe that will help when the time comes.”

On Eclipse Award possibilities:

“That's the dream, but I try not to think about it. I'm just trying to win as many as I can and hopefully, it happens.”

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