arnaldo bocachica | Horse Racing Free Tips

Jockey Of The Week: Arnaldo Bocachica Dominates Charles Town Standings For Fourth Year In A Row

With the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town 2021 meet quickly coming to a close, Arnaldo Bocachica has again run away with the leading jockey title. Last week he added eight wins to his already lofty total to earn the title of Jockey of the Week for Dec. 6 through Dec. 12. 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.

The hard-working, personable Bocachica, known as “Boca” at the track, has led the jockey standings at Charles Town in wins and purse earnings for the last three years and is poised to make it four years in a row with 252 wins, 150 more than his closest competitor and nearly $5 million in purse earnings through Dec. 12. His winning percentage is a lofty 35 percent. The Charles Town meet closes this Saturday, Dec. 18.

Riding since 2006, the 33-year-old native of Puerto Rico has made Charles Town his home track riding first call for leading trainer Jeff Ronco as well as other top trainers at the track. The Ronco/Bocachica pair post a 37 percent win rate, and Bocachica won career race 2,000 on March 6, 2021 for Jeff Ronco.

Bocachica began the week on Wednesday by winning two races for Jeff Ronco and one for trainer Anthony Farrior. With no wins on Thursday, Bocachica won three on Friday, one for Ronco and two for Farrior. He continued his winning ways on Saturday with a win for trainer Victor Espinosa and one for Farrior.

Bocachica's weekly statistics included eight wins from 15 starts for 53.3 percent winners and 80 percent in-the-money finishers with total purse earnings of $127,060.

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week were Dylan Davis who won the Garland of Roses at Aqueduct, Mario Gutierrez who pulled the upset win in the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity, Colby J. Hernandez who won the Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds and Luis Saez who won the G3 Mr. Prospector at Gulfstream Park.

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Undefeated Run To Daylight Headlines Saturday’s James F. Lewis III Stakes At Laurel

David Raim's Run to Daylight, undefeated through three starts including back-to-back stakes wins, hits the road for the first time in an attempt to keep his perfect record intact in Saturday's $100,000 James F. Lewis III at Laurel Park.

The 10th running of the Lewis for 2-year-olds and 25th renewal of the $100,00 Smart Halo for 2-year-old fillies, both sprinting six furlongs, join the $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go for females 3 and older going 1 1/16 miles on the nine-race program. First race post time is 12:25 p.m.

Run to Daylight, a gelded bay son of champion sprinter Runhappy, has been favored in each of his first three races, winning by 11 ¼ combined lengths, all at trainer Jeff Runco's Charles Town base. Run to Daylight debuted August 22 and captured the Sept. 18 Henry Mercer Memorial going 4 ½ furlongs, before taking the 6 ½-furlong Vincent Moscarelli Memorial Breeders' Classic Oct. 9.

“So far he's done pretty good. He's a nice Runhappy colt that's won two stakes now, and he's got a little experience,” Runco said. “We stretched him out and he kind of got off a little slow in his last start, but was able to overcome that and ran very well. He kind of pulled away there at the end. He ran a nice race.”

Because of his tardy break last out, Run to Daylight showed a new dimension in the Moscarelli after a pair of front-running triumphs. All of his races have come under jockey Arnaldo Bocachica, who returns to ride from Post 2 in a field of eight. All horses carry 122 pounds.

“Whenever you have a horse that's gone to the lead twice, and won both on the lead, if they get off slow and then they show that they can come from off the pace, its shows that the horse definitely has some talent and he's versatile,” Runco said. “He doesn't have to be in front. I like seeing that; I'm sure any trainer would. He ran a real nice race off the pace last time and finished up well.”

Run to Daylight initially fetched $115,000 at Keeneland's January 2020 Horses of All Ages sale, then was purchased by Raim for $60,000 as a yearling eight months later from the Dromoland Farm consignment. Runco signed the ticket.

“We've liked him all along. I liked him when I bought him as a yearling. I've had some siblings out of same family and they've all run pretty good. He's a real nice-looking colt. Once we got him in training, he worked well,” Runco said. “I'm not sure if he'll go a route or not yet. It's still a little early, but that's a possibility. He definitely looks like six or seven [furlongs] is going to be fine for him as a 2-year-old.”

Runco also entered Coleswood Farm, Inc.'s homebred Amidships, a maiden winner second time out Sept. 18 at Charles Town who ran a decisive second to his stablemate in the Moscarelli, 10 lengths clear of third-place finisher Ryan's Sword. By Midshipman, he is also making his first start outside his native West Virginia.

“He ran a good race, and he had a little bit of a tough trip. He got off just a tick slow, not bad, but he had to chase three wide on a really hot pace. He was three wide around the turn and it just kind of got to him the last part of it.,” Runco said. “I'm not saying which one of the two is better; the other horse won the race. But when you chase three wide, that's tough on a horse that's only run two times. He's a pretty nice colt, too. If he gets a good trip I think he'll be formidable, also.”

Denis Araujo has the call on Amidships from Post 3.

Three other stakes winners are entered in the Lewis – Timonium Juvenile winner Cynergy's Star, coming off a sixth in the Maryland Million Nursery Oct. 23 at Laurel; Local Motive, winner of the Hickory Tree on the Colonial Downs turf Aug. 8 in his second start; and No Sabe Nada, who captured the Sept. 25 First State Dash at Delaware Park. No Sabe Nada was most recently third in the one-mile Rocky Run Oct. 16 at Delaware; the winner, Cooke Creek, came back to be second in the Nov. 6 Nashua (G2) at Belmont Park.

Bird Mobberley's Maryland-bred Local Motive was a debut winner July 24 going six furlongs on the main track at historic Pimlico Race Course, then cut back to five-eighths and switched to turf for the Hickory Tree, rallying by a half-length. In his most recent start, he pressed the pace set by eventual winner Buff Hello into the stretch before tiring to be third by 2 ¼ lengths, beaten a neck for second by Coastal Mission. Both horses were also nominated to the Lewis.

“He chased that horse all the way and he didn't stop. He got beat a [neck] for second but, on a normal basis, I don't think that horse beats him again,” trainer John Salzman Jr. said. “He's doing fine, he's training fine, he came out of that race and everything's good. The only reason I'd hesitate is the three weeks. That horse ran big. It's just going to be up to what the race looks like.”

Salzman is proud of how Local Motive has rebounded from a failed run in the Timonium Juvenile, where he went off as the favorite but was pulled up by jockey J.D. Acosta and vanned off following a freak incident. Acosta rides back from Post 7.

“He's a nice horse. He's done everything I've asked of him. He's won on the turf, he's won on the dirt. Timonium was just a freak thing,” Salzman said. “He got hit in the eye and it scared him more than anything. He was all over the place and he scared the rider. He did the right thing and he pulled him up. He thought something serious was wrong and, knock on wood, it wasn't. He came back and he gave me a big effort.”

Completing the field are Timonium Juvenile runner-up Slaats, a popular waiver maiden claiming winner Oct. 15 at Laurel; Beast or Famine, a winner of two straight; and Tops the Chart, who exits a Sept. 25 maiden special weight victory at Monmouth Park.

The James F. Lewis III honors the late longtime Maryland horseman and first president of Maryland Million Ltd. He bred and/or campaigned a number of prominent runners in the region, led by 1974 Test (G2) winner Maybelline, Flirtation (G3) winner Heartful and multiple stakes winner Swift Attraction. His daughter, Lisa, is a multiple graded-stakes winning trainer based in New York and Florida.

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The Week in Review: Letruska Belongs in the Classic

Minutes after another easy win by Letruska (Super Saver), this time in the GI Juddmonte Spinster S. Sunday at Keeneland, trainer Fausto Gutierrez told reporters that the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, and not the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, would be next for his 5-year-old mare. That was hardly a surprise. Gutierrez and German Larrea, the Mexican billionaire businessman who owns the horse, are looking to play it safe. Letruska is simply better than every other filly and mare in the sport and shouldn't have any problem winning the Distaff. The Distaff is an easier assignment than the Classic. Perhaps much easier.

That's racing in 2021. Don't take a chance. Don't test your horse. Always go for the softest spot.

The problem is that she has nothing to gain by winning the Distaff. That is, outside of the purse money, which can't possibly matter to Larrea. She's already clinched the older filly and mare championship and there's nothing that can happen in the race to embellish her reputation. She's 6-for-7 on the year while racing exclusively against fillies with four Grade I wins and has traveled all over the country. For her, the Distaff is pretty much just another race.

She deserves a chance to prove her greatness and that can only happen with a start in the Classic. Win the Distaff and she's just another very good filly. Win the Classic and she can be mentioned in the same breath as a Rachel Alexandra or a Zenyatta.

It may also be her only real chance of becoming Horse of the Year. Should any of the top three or four horses in the Classic go on to win, they will be named Horse of the Year. For Letruska to win the title, she would need to win the Distaff and have an outsider win the Classic.

This year's Classic is loaded. Knicks Go (Paynter), Essential Quality (Tapit), Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), Medina Spirit (Protonico), Art Collector (Bernardini), Max Player (Honor Code) and Maxfield (Street Sense) headline one of the deepest fields ever assembled for the race. There's also the matter of Letruska's running style. She is a front-runner, which means she'd either have to alter her style in the Classic or go to the lead and risk getting into a suicidal early duel with Knicks Go.

No one is saying this would be easy. As talented as Letruska is she simply may not be good enough to beat the very best males. But the potential rewards outweigh the risks and this terrific mare deserves every opportunity to truly show what she is made of. Is Letruska a great horse? Is she among the best fillies of her era? Give her the chance to answer that question.

Win and You're Not In

The “Win and You're In” program leading up to the Breeders' Cup has been a success. Not only are the races important preps for the Breeders' Cup, but several top trainers have said they gravitate toward these races because a win in one of these races cuts way down on the expenses normally involved with getting a horse into a Breeders' Cup race. Win one of the “Breeders' Cup Challenge” races and pre-entry and entry fees are paid and any horse based outside of the home state for that year's Breeders' Cup will have its travel expenses paid.

Most of the races that are part of the program make perfect sense. Obviously, races like the GI Runhappy Travers S., the GI TVG Pacific Classic, the GI Champagne S., etc. belong. But there are some notable races missing from the series.

Saturday's GII Vosburgh S. at Belmont, which attracted just four starters, is a Win and You're In race. But on the same day, the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. is not. The Sept. 18 Jockey Club Derby Invitational, for 3-year-olds on the grass, qualifies but the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational, run the same day for 3-year-old turf fillies, does not. The other notable omission is the Grade I races at Parx. The GI Pennsylvania Derby has become a very important race, but is not a Win and You're In. Neither is the GI Cotillion S. for 3-year-old fillies. Both deserve to be included.

Lugo Deserved More Than 30 Days

It was announced last week that jockey Carlos Lugo was suspended 30 days by the Gulfstream stewards for failing to persevere when riding Princess Tereska in the fourth race on Oct. 3.

The race was won by Princess Tereska's stablemate Rubysa (Gone Astray), who was hammered down from 15-1 in the morning line to 5-2. Though a $12,500 maiden claiming race, the six-furlong event handled more than any other race on the card. Both horses are trained by Juan Reveriego.

That the Gulfstream stewards took action against Lugo is commendable. A lot of tracks would have just looked the other way. But, under the circumstances, 30 days doesn't seem like enough. And what about Reveriego? If there was a betting coup and he was in on any part of it, he would certainly seem to deserve some sort of stiff penalty.

Runco, Bocachica on a Roll at Charles Town

Though the West Virginia Breeders' Classic card at Charles Town was overshadowed by the many preps run the same day for the Breeders' Cup, it featured one of the standout training and riding feats on the year.

Trainer Jeff Runco won seven races on the nine-race card, all of them stakes. The list includes a win by Muad'dib (Fiber Sonde) in the $300,000 West Virginia Breeders' Classic S. The 4-year-old is 8-for-8 lifetime.

And Runco's regular rider, Arnaldo Bocachica won eight races, a Charles Town record. Bocachica finished fourth in the third race aboard Aaron's Tap (Northern Afleet) for his only loss on the night. It was also a big night for owner David Raim, who had five winners.

Runco is largely unknown outside of West Virginia, but his numbers are noteworthy. He has 4,494 career wins from 20,992 starters, 12th best among all trainers.

Medina Spirit and the Eclipse Awards

If a horse were to win the GI Kentucky Derby, the Shared Belief S, the GI Awesome Again S. and the Breeders' Cup Classic would that be enough to be named Horse of the Year or, perhaps, 3-year-old champion? Normally, the answer would be yes. Four horses have won the Kentucky Derby and the Classic in the same year and three (Authentic, American Pharoah and Sunday Silence) were named Horse of the Year and 3-year-old champion. The fourth, Unbridled, was named 3-year-old champion, but lost out on Horse of the Year to Criminal Type.

So what should voters do with Medina Spirit in the case that he wins the Classic? The way things are dragging along with his betamethasone positive from the Derby, it's entirely possible that the matter will be unresolved by the time voters must make their choices for the Eclipse Awards. That would mean that, technically, Medina Spirit would still be the winner of this year's Derby.

Would that mean he should be given credit for winning the Derby, at least until the matter is resolved? Most voters will likely assume that he will eventually be disqualified from the Derby and vote for someone else. But a case could be made that Medina Spirit would at least deserve serious consideration for year-end honors.

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Jockey Bocachico’s Eight Wins Sets Charles Town Record, Trainer Runco Scores Seven

At Charles Town Races Saturday night, the West Virginia Breeders' Classics card featured nine races for horses bred in the Mountain State, with $1 million in purses on the line. The evening was not only a showcase for state breds, but also for two regulars at the Charles Town, W. Va., track. Jockey Arnaldo Bocachico set a single-card record with eight wins from his nine mounts and the track's leading trainer Jeff Runco scored seven victories from his 16 starters.

Bocachico, a native of Puerto Rico, has called Charles Town his home track since he started riding in 2006. He logged his first career graded stakes win there in 2016, winning the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks on Covey Trace, and scored his 2000^th career victory in March. Saturday, he started the evening with a win in the West Virginia Vincent Moscarelli Memorial Breeders' Classics Stakes on Run to Daylight, the favorite. The streak continued with wins in all but Race 3, where Bocachico finished fourth. Seven of his winners were favorites.

Bocachico's eight victories from nine mounts best the record of seven on a Charles Town card set by jockey Travis Dunkelberger in 2000. In addition to Run to Daylight, Bocachico's winners included The Sky Is Falling (Race 2), Social Chic (Race 4), Door Buster (Race 5), Penguin Power (Race 6), Star of Night (Race 7), Muad'dib (Race 8), and Stowe Angel (Race 9). All but Door Buster were horses trained by Jeff Runco.

Runco, a regular on the West Virginia circuit and currently Charles Town's leading trainer with 101 wins, stands at number 12 on the list of winningest North American trainers, behind such names as Steve Asmussen, Todd Pletcher, Bill Mott, and D. Wayne Lukas. After a short career as a jockey, Runco started training in 1984, and, according to Equibase statistics, has 4,494 wins from 20,992 starters.

Owner David Raim also had five winners from his five starters the West Virginia Breeders' Classics card, all trained by Runco and ridden by Bocachico.

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