cristian torres | Horse Racing Free Tips

Jockey Cristian Torres On A Hot Streak At Oaklawn

Jockey Cristian Torres picked up where he left off last spring at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Ark., recording winners on the first two programs of the 2021-2022 meeting that began Friday.

Saturday's victory came in the fourth race, a $101,000 allowance event at 1 1/16 miles, aboard Taishan ($5.40) for Southern California-based trainer Richard Baltas.

Despite missing the first six days of the 2021 meeting after moving his tack from Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., Torres finished seventh in the standings with 22 victories in his Oaklawn debut. Torres, 24, recorded his first career Oaklawn stakes victory on the penultimate day of the meeting in the $200,000 Arkansas Breeders' Championship aboard Tempt Fate for Hot Springs owner Jerry Caroom.

“It was awesome,” Torres said. “Like everything, the beginning was a little slow and then I met people. Hopefully, this year will go better. We were here early and starting the meet from the beginning. Expecting a good meet.”

Dating to April 29, Torres, through Saturday, had ridden a winner five consecutive racing days at Oaklawn. He won the first race of the 2021-2022 meeting aboard Take Charge Erica ($9.40) for trainer Aaron Shorter.

A native of Puerto Rico, Torres was attending the country's Escuela Vocacional Hipica Agustin Mercado Reveron when Hurricane Maria devastated the island in September 2017, roughly two months before he said he was to graduate from the famed jockey school.

Torres moved to Florida and eventually New York, where he began exercising horses for future Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse in 2018. Among the horses Torres said he got on for Casse were multiple Grade 1 winner Got Stormy, millionaire Awesome Slew, and 2019 Preakness champion War of Will.

Torres began his riding career in April 2019 at Gulfstream Park and won 122 races that year to finish 76^th nationally. He won 120 races the following year to finish 43^rd. Torres was fourth in voting for an Eclipse Award as the country's champion apprentice jockey of 2019 and finished fifth for 2020.

After Oaklawn's 2021 meeting ended May 1, Torres returned to Gulfstream Park and rode 44 winners. He returned to Hot Springs late last month and said he plans to ride at Oaklawn until the meeting ends May 8.

“Last year, I did pretty good, and when I went back to Gulfstream, I had it in my mind to come back here,” Torres said. “I like it here. I like this track. I like the people.”

Torres is represented by Ruben Munoz, longtime agent for perennial Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr.

“He knows everybody,” Torres said of Munoz. “He knows how to do it.”

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‘Luckiest Thing In The World’: $40,000 Claim Tempt Fate Captures Arkansas Breeders’ Championship

Hot Springs owner Jerry Caroom was seeing double late Friday afternoon at Oaklawn. In this case, it was a good thing.

Caroom capped a stellar meeting when favored Tempt Fate, under Cristian Torres, posted a two-length wire-to-wire victory in the $200,000 Arkansas Breeders' Championship Stakes for state-breds, 3 and up, at 1 1/16 miles.

It was the 10th victory this season for Caroom, who ranked fourth in the owner's standings entering Saturday's closing-day program, and pushed his purse earnings to $526,605. Much of the heavy lifting was done by Tempt Fate, who bankrolled $313,800 and became the meet's first four-time winner.

Caroom also won the inaugural Arkansas Breeders' Championship in 2019 with Hoonani Road, who, like Tempt Fate, capped a perfect Oaklawn meeting (4 for 4) with a wire-to-wire victory in his two-turn debut. Tempt Fate, a 4-year-old son of Hamazing Destiny, paid $5.80.

“It's just the luckiest thing in the world,” Caroom said in the winner's circle following the race. “Clearly, Oaklawn and what they've done here needs to be (commended). All the horsemen, we're very grateful for what the Cella family has done for racing here. Look at this? This is magnificent. This is a great place to be.”

Prior to the Arkansas Breeders' Championship, Tempt Fate won the $150,000 Nodouble Breeders' Stakes March 27 and two allowance races at the meeting (Hoonani Road did the same in 2019). Trainer Carl Deville, on behalf of Caroom, claimed Tempt Fate for $40,000 out of a third-place finish in his second career start, Feb. 14, 2020, at Oaklawn. Talk about the perfect Valentine's Day gift.

“Actually, it was 100 percent Carl Deville,” Caroom said. “I had absolutely nothing to do with it. I paid for it. So often that's the way it is. And he's fun. You see how big he is? He's like as wide as a Volkswagen.”

Deville, who broke Hoonani Road, said Tempt Fate “probably” will be freshened before making “a couple” of starts later this year. Tempt Fate collected $120,000 for his second career stakes victory, pushing his career total to $376,100. The colt is 5 for 11 overall.

Caroom said Tempt Fate can now be mentioned in the same breath as Hoonani Road, who won his first seven Oaklawn starts – all against state-breds – including the $100,000 Rainbow Stakes in 2018. Tempt Fate finished third in last year's Rainbow, but has blossomed in 2021.

“I think he's clearly there,” Caroom said. “We'll have to look, but I think he's clearly there.”

As for Hoonani Road, Caroom said he privately purchased the 5-year-old gelding last week and retired him to a farm around Opelousas, La., where Deville's grandchildren reside.

“He's got a whole other good life that's not at risk,” Caroom said. “He's retired and well taken care of and I'll get to see him periodically. We need to thank that horse as well.”

Hoonani Road did his best work for trainer Wayne Catalano before the gelding was claimed for $25,000 out of an Aug. 15, 2020, victory at Ellis Park. Hoonani Road was winless in three starts this year at Oaklawn and was claimed for $10,000 by trainer Greg Compton, an Arkansas native, April 11. The gelding finished third in what would be his final career start.

“I'm assured that the horse will be well taken care of,” Caroom said. “I paid a little premium to buy him privately. Took him and gave him a good home.”

Hoonani Road, a son of Jonesboro, retires with a 9-2-2 record from 21 lifetime starts and earnings of $499,941.

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Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Has $500,000 Guarantee At Gulfstream

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $500,000 Sunday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the seventh consecutive racing program Saturday, when multiple tickets with all six winners were each worth $866.96.

The carryover jackpot is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Isolate Distances Himself in Gulfstream Feature for 2-Year-Olds
Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's Isolate distanced himself from his five rivals in Saturday's featured Race 10 at Gulfstream Park, where juveniles took center stage on an 11-race program that also included a pair of 2-year-old maiden special weight events in Races 1 and 5.

Isolate ($4.20) followed up his Aug. 6 debut victory with a thoroughly authoritative 8 3/4-length triumph in the six-furlong optional claiming allowance for 2-year-olds, in which he took the lead shortly after the start and drew off under Cristian Torres.

The Kathy Ritvo-trained son of Mark Valeski ran six furlongs over a sealed sloppy track in 1:10.97.

Slam Dunk Racing's Drain the Clock ($5.20) kicked off Saturday's program with a stylish debut victory in Race 1, taking the lead shortly after the start of the five-furlong dash and romping to a six-length score in 58.73 seconds over a sealed sloppy track. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained son of Maclean's Music gave leading rider Edgard Zayas his first of four winners of the day.

Shadybrook Farm Inc's Briella ($5.20) just held on to win after leading the way throughout Race 5, scoring by a nose in the five-furlong maiden special weight race for Florida-bred juvenile fillies. The daughter of Cajun Breeze, who ran five furlongs in 59.39 seconds, gave jockey Miguel Vasquez the first of his two winners Saturday. The Michael Yates-trained filly had previously finished second in her May 20 debut behind Princess Secret, who went on to win the $200,000 Susan's Girl, the second leg of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes, Aug. 29.

Zayas, the defending Spring/Summer Meet titlist, leads Vasquez in the standings, 130-120.

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