Julien Leparoux made the most of his first mount of Keeneland's Spring Meet by riding Calumet Farm's homebred Gear Jockey to win the fifth race and record his 500th career victory at lthe Lexington, Ky., racetrack. He became the fourth rider to reach that milestone, joining Hall of Famers Pat Day (918) and Don Brumfield (716) and Robby Albarado (526).
Leparoux won his first race at Keeneland during the 2005 Fall Meet, his first season as a jockey. Since then, he has earned 12 leading jockey titles at Keeneland, most recently during the 2019 Fall Meet.
“Keeneland has always been a place I love. This is my favorite track in America,” Leparoux said. “To win 500 here is special. I have my family here with me on a beautiful day. It's perfect.”
Leparoux's Keeneland success has helped him earn two Eclipse Awards for being the best in his field: as an apprentice in 2006 and again in 2009.
In his career, he has more than 2,700 victories and mount earnings of $173.8 million.
Gear Jockey, a 4-year-old colt by Twirling Candy, is trained by Rusty Arnold, who scored his 281st Keeneland win to tie Hall of Famer Bill Mott on second place on the list of Keeneland's all-time leading trainers by wins. Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas has a record 295 victories here.
Leparoux and Arnold increased their win totals in the final race when Reiko and Michael Baum's Illiogami rallied to notch her first victory.
The post Leparoux Joins Select Group With 500th Keeneland Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
