Fernando De La Cruz | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Family Comes First’: Fernando De La Cruz Wintering At Tampa To Aide In His Brother’s Recuperation

After winning 67 races last season at Indiana Grand, Fernando De La Cruz had planned to shift his winter base from Oaklawn Park, where he'd competed the last four years, to Fair Grounds.

But when younger brother Walter De La Cruz, also a jockey, suffered a concussion and a neck injury last fall, plans changed. With Walter out of action for an unspecified length of time, Fernando decided to return home to Tampa Bay Downs, where he excelled for seven seasons.

Fernando, 35, invited Walter to live with him and his family – wife Rosa and their children, Brian and Norma – at their Tampa home during his recuperation. Walter, who is single, hopes to return to action soon (“he is about 90-percent recovered,” Fernando said), but in the meantime, the unexpected family reunion is working to everyone's benefit.

“Walter is enjoying time with the kids, taking them to the beach, the movie theater, Busch Gardens,” said Fernando, whose return to Oldsmar has resulted in him winning the Salt Rock Tavern Jockey of the Month award. “I ride horses to make a living, but family comes first, no matter what. He is excited to start riding again, and hopefully he will get a release from the doctor to start soon.”

Trainers, owners and fans have welcomed the return of Fernando, who has climbed to fourth in the Tampa Bay Downs standings with 20 winners, raising his career mark to 2,170. Included in that total are back-to-back victories in the Grade 2 Woodford Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select with Bucchero in 2017 and 2018.

“He fits a lot of my horses, and I'm happy to have him on my team at Tampa,” said trainer Anthony Granitz, who also employs De La Cruz at Indiana Grand.

De La Cruz and Granitz have combined for six victories at the meet, including today's second race with Bellarific, a 5-year-old mare owned by Tri County Stables. “He can get a horse to rate and relax, and he's a strong finisher,” Granitz said. “He rides the turf course well, he's patient and he listens to my instructions. Fernando is a hard worker in the morning. He's willing to get on any horse and work with you, and if he doesn't like a horse he'll tell me, which is important because horses are smart and they can sense that.”

At Indiana Grand, where he worked with agent Mike Moran last season for the first time, De La Cruz's victory haul included four stakes races. On Sept. 8, he won both the $150,000 Indiana Grand Stakes with (then)-3-year-old filly Burning Ambition and the $150,000 Caesars Stakes with 3-year-old colt Royal Prince. Both were trained by Brad Cox, best known as the conditioner of Longines Breeders' Cup Classic winner and presumptive 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go.

De La Cruz also won a pair of stakes with trainer Tim Glyshaw's 3-year-old filly, Pearl Tiara: the $150,000 First Lady Stakes on Aug. 4 and the $100,000 Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Stakes on June 23. And the rider also won two stakes for Cox at Prairie Meadows in Iowa.

Moran, who also represents defending Oldsmar jockey champion Samy Camacho, said De La Cruz's versatility is a big reason he is successful everywhere he goes. That trait was on display in his two victories Wednesday, when he won a 7-furlong sprint in gate-to-wire fashion on Himelstein and captured a maiden claiming race on the turf with a come-from-behind rally on Golden Rocket.

De La Cruz has won two meet titles at Indiana Grand and one at Hoosier Park, and is showing signs he could contend in Oldsmar.

“Fernando is always focused on riding and goes out and performs to the best of his ability every day,” Moran said. “He's competitive, he likes to ride every race and he wants to contend for leading rider. He's a hard worker who does whatever you ask him to do, and he's a good family man.

“He's the total package for a jockey.”

When De La Cruz returns to the jockeys' room after a winning effort, he is uplifted by bettors and well-wishers who make him feel as though he never left.

“Thanks to God, they remember me. I'm healthy, I'm winning races and I'm competing against a lot of the same guys, so I can't ask for more,” he said. “Tampa is home, and this is such a nice place to live and to ride horses.”

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French-Bred Wootton Asset Takes New Kent County Virginia Derby; Flippant Rallies In Oaks On Record Wagering Day

Winning for the first time In the U.S. since leaving his native France last year, Madaket Stables LLC's Wootton Asset extricated himself from traffic moving around the far turn, took command in the stretch and then held off a late rally from Slicked Back to win Tuesday's Grade 3, $250,000 New Kent County Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Virginia.

Trained by H. Graham Motion and ridden by Jose Ortiz, Wootton Asset – a 3-year-old colt by Wootton Bassett – finished three-quarters of a length to the good of the Brad Cox-trained Slicked Back and jockey Fernando De La Cruz. It Can Be Done finished another 1 3/4 lengths back in third, and he was followed by Hidden Energy, 2-1 favorite Experienced, Indian Lake, Draft Capital, Doubleoseven, Eye of the Cat and Search for Truth.

Time for the 1 1/8 miles on a firm turf course was 1:46.79. Wootton Asset paid $11.20 to win as the second choice in the wagering.

Wootton Asset, making his sixth start in the U.S. since last October, saved ground early while racing in seventh position as Indian Lake established a moderate early pace, with fractions of :23.96, :48.13 and 1:11.24 for the opening six furlongs.

Rounding the far turn, Ortiz angled Wootton Asset to the outside from a tight spot along the rail and went five wide into the stretch. He seized the advantage just outside of the eighth pole after a mile in 1:34.76 and was never seriously challenged by the late run of Slicked Back.

Stewards lit the inquiry sign and Slicked Back's jockey De La Cruz lodged a claim of foul against the first-place finisher alleging that Wootton Asset interfered with him when he angled off the rail and into his path.

Stewards allowed the original order of finish to stand.

“I knew what I was doing out there,” Ortiz said of the foul claim. “Fernando was running out of horse at the three-eighths pole. He didn't have enough horse to keep me in there so I just went on. I never made contact with him. If we did it was very slight brush. My trip was great. My position on the backside is where I won the race. I just had a lot of horse. He did his job. The horse moved very smooth on the grass. I really like this turf course.”

“Jose was pretty confident (that the result would stand),” said Motion. “He just had a lot of horse. He's a cool horse and he finally got his good ground. He hasn't done much wrong since he's been here. He came to this country to run on firm ground which is what he got today.”

Flippant and Rafael Bejarano winning the Virginia Oaks

In the companion race for 3-year-old fillies, G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s homebred Flippant took advantage of a quick pace to rally from far back and win the $150,000 Woodford Reserve Virginia Oaks by 1 1/4 lengths under Rafael Bejarano.

Invincible Gal finished second under Jose Ortiz, with Gold for Kitten and jockey Joe Rocco third.

The gray 3-year-old filly by Tapit out of Frivolous, by Empire Maker, was winning her third consecutive race for trainer Victoria Oliver. She ran 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in 1:46.47, establishing a new course record. Flippant paid $6.60 to win as the favorite.

Bejarano allowed Flippant to settle near the back of the 12-filly field as Belle Belisa carved out quick fractions of :23.31, :46.35 and 1:10.20. With just over a quarter mile left to run, Fliippant still had her work cut out for her while racing in 11th position. She split horses at the top of the stretch and gradually wore them all down, drawing clear in deep stretch.

“The first time I rode her I didn't know a lot about her,” Bejarano said. “This is the kind of filly that likes to come from behind. She likes to get settled and relax. She has a better turn of foot. I learned my lesson. My strategy was to have her in a good position right behind the speed to make one move from the three-eighths or half-mile, wherever she was ready. There was a lot of pace in my race which was good. I had to wait a little in the stretch and when I was clear she came flying.”

Wagering on Virginia Derby Day Card Establishes New Record
New Kent County Virginia Derby Day set a new all-source handle record of $4,875,792, bettering the old record of $4,469,223 set on July 19, 2008 – the date of Gio Ponti's victory in that year's Virginia Derby.

“I'd like to thank the fans, horsemen and our great staff for tremendous support today,” said Jill Byrne, VP of Racing Operations. “To generate an all-time record handle in just our third year since racing returned to Colonial Downs is quite an accomplishment.”

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Pearl Tiara Shines As Majestic Harbor Fillies Go One-Two In Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Stakes

Pearl Tiara and Fernando De La Cruz pulled away from the field for an impressive upset in the 13th running of the $75,000 Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Stakes, Filly Division, at Indiana Grand Wednesday, June 23. The duo covered the one and one-sixteenth mile event in a time of 1:45.60 to score their second consecutive victory in 2021.

Starting from post three, Pearl Tiara broke well to get into early position as Found My Man and Sammy Bermudez set the early tempo. The leader was joined by Pearl Tiara at the midway point for a challenge with Pearl Tiara taking over in the final turn of the race.

In the stretch, De La Cruz asked Pearl Tiara for another gear and she responded, posting an eight and three-quarter length advantage at the wire. Diamond Solitaire and Alex Achard finished second with Verry Amelia and Santo Sanjur rounding out the trifecta.

Pearl Tiara paid $13.80 for the win. The homebred daughter of Majestic Harbor is now two for three in 2021. Overall, she has three wins in nine starts and increased her career bankroll to more than $119,000.

Pearl Tiara was born and raised by David Osborne, Loren Hebel-Osborne and Carol Hebel at their Deerfield Farm in Prospect, Ky. The sophomore filly is by their stallion, Majestic Harbor, who stood at Swifty Farms in Indiana before relocating to California.

Both Pearl Tiara and Diamond Solitaire, the second-place finisher in the Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Filly Stakes, were part of Osborne's breeding operation and have grown up together. Diamond Solitaire, who lost her mother two weeks after she was born, has truly shined on the track, pushing over the $90,000 mark in earnings. The filly became syndicated and is the reason a large partnership is trackside every time she races at Indiana Grand. The partnership includes the Osbornes and Gene McLean, who are breeders on the filly.

“Having Pearl (Tiara) and Diamond (Solitaire) finish one-two in the stakes race for Majestic Harbor is a thrill,” said Loren Hebel-Osborne. “And, this is the first time Pearl has beaten Diamond. We saw Diamond start moving toward her and thought she might catch her, but Pearl said, 'not today.' And, it marks the first stakes winner for Majestic Harbor.”

Majestic Harbor was named Leading First Crop Sire in California last year. The latest tag of stakes winning sire also makes him the current Leading Second Crop Sire for California as well.

“He earned leading first crop sire in California without a stakes winner,” said David Osborne. “Although it's based on his Indiana foals, it is determined in the state where he currently stands.”

The Osbornes still have Pearl Tiara's dam, Pearl Pendant, and she is currently in California back in foal to Majestic Harbor. In addition to sharing “jewelry themed names,” both Diamond Solitaire and Pearl Tiara also share space when at the Deerfield Farm.

“These two (Pearl Tiara and Diamond Solitaire) spent the winter together and were in the same paddock and same barn,” added David Osborne. “So, they are very familiar with one another.”

Majestic Harbor's first crop consisted of 10 foals, nine of which were fillies, including Diamond Solitaire and Pearl Tiara. Tim Glyshaw trains Pearl Tiara, who is not the first representative for the Osbornes. Glyshaw also trained Unreachable Star, second on the list of All-time Leading Indiana Sired money earners with more than $784,000 in career earnings.

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‘Can’t Put Into Words What This Means’: DeShawn Parker Wins First Indiana Grand Riding Title

DeShawn Parker has accomplished a lot in his 32-year career as a jockey. He doesn't experience many firsts in this phase of his career, but he did Thursday, Nov. 19, to close out the 2020 racing season at Indiana Grand. Parker earned his first leading jockey title at the Shelbyville, Ind., track with 106 wins for the season.

When asked what the highlight of the season was for him, he replied, “This right here (winning the leading jockey title). This is the best thing of the meet and of my year. I had some chances the past couple of years to win (the title), but I got hurt and it just didn't work out. My agent, Jimmy (McNerney), always does a good job but he did an exceptional job this year for me, and I was able to stay healthy. I can't put into words what this means. This means so much to me.”

Parker is a member of an elite group of jockeys who have scored more than 5,000 wins during their career. With 5,821 wins and in excess of $74 million in purse earnings, the multiple graded stakes placed jockey continues to stay at the top of his game year end and year out. He led the nation in wins twice in 2010 and 2011 and adds the leading jockey title at Indiana Grand to multiple titles from Mountaineer Park and Sam Houston.

“A special thank you to all the owners and trainers for letting me ride their horses this year,” added Parker. “I got lucky to ride a lot of horses for local trainers. It's been a great year, and I appreciate their support.”

Parker completed the shortened 96-day meet with 106 wins, six ahead of second place finisher Fernando De La Cruz with 100 wins. Both Parker and De La Cruz are only one of eight jockeys who have ever eclipsed the 100-win mark at Indiana Grand, especially impressive with the shortened racing season due to Covid-19 shutdowns earlier this year.

With 106 wins for 2020 at Indiana Grand, Parker moves into eighth place on the list of all-time leading jockeys at Indiana Grand with 391 wins. He has won at least 100 wins each year since 1997. Parker plans to accompany McNerney to Turfway Park this winter.

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