craig lewis | Horse Racing Free Tips

A Pair of 22-Year-Olds, Apprentice Centeno And Agent Arroyo Celebrate Rider’s Initial Stakes Success

Alexis Centeno, a 22-year-old apprentice rider from Puerto Rico, won his first stakes race Saturday piloting Brickyard Ride to a front-running victory in the $150,000 Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

“First, I want to thank God and (trainer) Craig Lewis who has helped me a lot, and my agent,” Centeno said immediately after the victory. “I'm happy. … Brickyard Ride is so special for me. I won two races in a row with him. I love this horse.”

Centeno is represented by 22-year-old agent Erick “Goldy” Arroyo. They have been together since last June.

“He works hard and he's a humble kid,” Arroyo said of Centeno, who attended Puerto Rico's celebrated jockey school, Escuela Vocacional Hipica, which has produced riding greats Angel Cordero Jr., Eddie Belmonte, John Velazquez and the Ortiz brothers, Irad Jr. and Jose, among others.

Arroyo was studying business at Pasadena City College before taking a respite to work as an agent. His long-range goal is to become a teacher.

As to how he got the nickname of Goldy, Arroyo explains, “When I was born my father thought my forehead shined like gold, and said, “That's it. From now on, you're Goldy.”

The post A Pair of 22-Year-Olds, Apprentice Centeno And Agent Arroyo Celebrate Rider’s Initial Stakes Success appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Apprentice Centeno Wins First Stakes Aboard Brickyard Ride In Cal Cup Sprint

Quick from the blocks and completely dominant thereafter, the Alfred Pais homebred Brickyard Ride made every pole a winning one as he registered an impressive 3 ¼-length win in Saturday's $150,000 Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Trained by Craig Lewis and ridden by Alexis Centeno, the 4-year-old chestnut colt by red hot California-based stallion Clubhouse Ride got six furlongs in a rapid 1:09.42.

Named in honor of the longtime owner/breeder Donald Valpredo, the Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint is part of the CTBA's lucrative Golden State Series for eligible California-bred or sired horses.

With a two-length advantage at the quarter pole over Jamming Eddy, Brickyard Ride widened late and easily prevailed over post time favorite Tigre Di Slugo.

“I felt pretty good about it because I thought we had them double teamed, we knew we were going to try to speed away with Brickyard because he's got wicked speed,” said Lewis, who had also ran late-running Club Aspen (who finished sixth) and trained the winner's sire, Clubhouse Ride. “We've learned now that he just watches (when running head and head), so we don't try to take him back, we just let him roll.”

Well beaten in an open classified allowance going five furlongs at Los Alamitos Dec. 12, Brickyard Ride, in his first stakes assignment, was off at 9-2 in a field of 11 older horses and paid $11.80, $6.60 and $5.00.

“I believed in my horse and just went to the lead and (didn't) look back, just go,” said Centeno, an apprentice who recorded his first-ever stakes victory and has now won three out of his four engagements with Brickyard Ride. “I love this horse.”

Out of the Southern Image mare Brickyard Helen, Brickyard Ride improved his overall mark to 12-6-0-2. With the winner's share of $90,000, he boosted his earnings to $260,277.

Tigre Di Slugo, who had to wait for racing room around the turn, finished well at the rail to be second by a nose over highly accomplished Fashionably Fast. Off at 2-1 with Joel Rosario, Tigre Di Slugo paid $3.80 and $3.20.

Ridden by Tiago Pereira, Fashionably Fast finished a neck in front of Loud Mouth and paid $3.40 to show while off at 3-1.

Fractions on the race were 21.63, 44.35 and 56.50.

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Margot’s Boy, Heck Yeah Among 11 Entered In Cal Cup’s Turf Classic

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From Teenage Years With Hirsch Jacobs To 1,000-Win Milestone, Lewis ‘Fortunate’ And ‘Grateful

Craig Lewis did a little bit of celebrating Saturday night after Warren's Showtime won Saturday's Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., to give the 73-year-old trainer career victory No. 1,000.

He watched a baseball game and a boxing match on TV, then it was business as usual and he was back on the beat early Sunday morning.

“I stayed up till 10 o'clock,” said Los Angeles native Lewis, who began training in 1978 and who holds a bachelor's degree in history from Cal Berkeley.

“I was a little disappointed early yesterday when we ran second with the first two horses I ran (Warrens Candy Man in the first race and Dancing Dana in the fourth), but I guess we won the one that mattered and it kind of worked out well.”

Lewis started in racing as a teenager, learning the ropes under legendary Hall of Fame trainer Hirsch Jacobs, who claimed the iron horse Stymie for $1,500 as a 2-year-old. Stymie would go on to run in an amazing 135 races, winning 35 and also earn Hall of Fame recognition.

Not only did Lewis win a graded stakes for his milestone victory, he trained both the sire (Clubhouse Ride) and the dam (Warren's Veneda) of Warren's Showtime, both multiple stakes winners in their own right.

“I've been very fortunate,” Lewis said after the victory. “I've had a lot of great horses in my career. Cutlass Reality beat back to back Derby winners Alysheba and Ferdinand in the (1988) Hollywood Gold Cup, Music Merci, winner of the (1988) Del Mar Futurity and (1989) Illinois Derby, and many other big races, and of course Larry the Legend (game winner of the 1995 Santa Anita Derby).

“I've had multiple other good horses and a lot of great owners. I'm very thankful and feel very fortunate, very grateful, to be in this situation.”

Said winning owner/breeder Benjamin Warren: “This is just wonderful and it's great that this is Craig's 1,000th win. This puts her at $500,000 in earnings at age three and that's pretty good. … I went partners with (former Major League baseball star) Irv Noren on my first horse in 1980, so to have this filly doing this well is tremendous.”

Warren's Showtime was fifth of seven early in the Autumn Miss but responded to strong urging by Flavien Prat to win by a neck as the 7-10 favorite. Victory didn't come easy.

“What was going through my mind was she might not get there,” Lewis admitted. “But as usual she did not disappoint. She's really a genuine filly who gives it every time.”

That usually results in a happy ending, none so happy as yesterday.

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