Robin Goodfellow’s Racing Tips: Best bets for Friday, January 1
Sportsmail's racing expert Robin Goodfellow dishes out his tips for Friday's meetings at Musselburgh, Southwell and Exeter.
Tag: Horse racing news
Brown, Ortiz Register Year-End NYRA Titles
Chad Brown won his sixth consecutive New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) year-end training title with 91 wins while Jose Ortiz compiled his second riding crown with 142 victories as racing in 2020 was capped with the conclusion of the Aqueduct card on Dec. 31.
Klaravich Stables was the runaway winner as top owner, racking up 48 wins, 14 more than the next-closest competitor, Repole Stable, to finish as the leading owner for the second straight year at NYRA tracks, which encompasses Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct Racetrack.
Ortiz posted a record of 142-139-95 in 707 mounts to win his first year-end title since 2016. His 2020 saw him win his 2,000th career race while posting $9.62 million in earnings with a 20.08% winning percentage on the NYRA circuit.
“I’m pretty happy about it and I’m very proud of the work we put into it,” Ortiz said. “This is why you work this hard. It was a tough year. We couldn’t work horses in the morning like we normally could, but we made it through and I’m just happy we’re all healthy coming out of this.”
Brown compiled a 91-81-83 record with 411 starters to become the first NYRA trainer to record six straight training titles since Gasper Moschera from 1993-98. He won two individual meets, leading the Belmont spring/summer with 23 wins and the Belmont fall with 22 victories. He ended 2020 ahead of Todd Pletcher, whose 81 wins were the second-most among conditioners.
The four-time reigning Eclipse Award Champion trainer racked up earnings of more than $7.4 million while winning more than 22% of the time. Brown’s starters finished on the board at a 62.04% clip.
Headed by Seth Klarman, Klaravich Stables won at least a share of four of the five individual NYRA individual meets in 2020. Klaravich won the Belmont fall and spring/summer outright, as well as Saratoga, while tying Repole Stable for the recently concluded Aqueduct fall meet.
In total, Klaravich sent out 171 starters, going 48-30-39, winning at a 28.07% clip, while racking up earnings of $3.23 million in the process. Repole Stable’s stellar 34 wins was second-most on the circuit.
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Former Jockey Bourque Dies Of Cancer At 67
Former jockey Kenneth “Chopper” Bourque passed away in Taylorsville, Ky. on Tuesday at the age of 67, according to Daily Racing Form. The cause of his death was cancer, according to Bourque's son.
Bourque was born in Erath, La. and got his start as a jockey by riding bush races around south central Louisiana. He went on to win his first official race in 1969 at Evangeline Downs. He eventually moved to the East Coast in further pursuit of his career at Charles Town, where he only remained for a short while before returning to Louisiana.
The jockey retired in 1999 with 2,467 wins and $20.4 million purse earnings, according to Jockey Club statistics. He retired to spend more time with his wife and six children.
Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.
Paulick Report contributor Liane Crossley caught up with Bourque in late 2019, at which time he was still working as an assistant clerk of scales in the jockeys' quarters as a way to stay close to the sport he loved. You can find that profile here.
Read more at the Daily Racing Form
The post Former Jockey Bourque Dies Of Cancer At 67 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Laurel Park: Apprentice John Hiraldo Scores First Career Win With 33-1 Longshot
Top Notch Racing's Flat Rate emerged from a three-way photo finish a neck ahead of Proud Enough to spring a 33-1 upset of Laurel Park's sixth race and give 10-pound apprentice jockey John Hiraldo his first career victory.
Flat Rate ($69.80), a 4-year-old Violence gelding, ran 5 ½ furlongs in 1:05.90 over a fast main track in the beaten claimer for 3-year-olds and up to earn his fourth career victory and first since joining trainer Michael Jones Jr.
“It's something very special, unbelievable really. I can't believe it,” Hiraldo said. “I'm very happy. I have to thank God for always watching over me and all the other riders. I'm just very happy. I've worked so hard for this moment and I've dreamed about it since I was a little kid. It's something very special for me.”
Hiraldo, 19, is a native of Puerto Rico who galloped horses for trainer Brittany Russell before making his professional debut running fourth on Maximo Strong Dec. 10 at Laurel. Hiraldo had gone winless in his first 18 mounts including a third on Frontier Woman in Thursday's third race.
“My cousin, Angel Cruz, he has been a big part of my short career. Xavier [Perez], Sheldon [Russell]. Sheldon is one of the best ones in there. He's a great guy on and off the racetrack and he's been a good mentor for me,” Hiraldo said.
Angel Cruz is member of the Maryland track's riding colony who won with Dance and Dance ($16.60) Thursday and finished sixth in the fall meet standings with 20 wins. Hiraldo's father, Joel, won 200 races between 2001 and 2011, the last coming at Charles Town.
“When I was growing up, my dad was a jockey so he was the person I would always look up to. I would go to school and always think about riding. I didn't care about the grades, I just wanted to go to be a jockey when I grew up,” Hiraldo said. “When I grew up I went to the farm and started learning as much as I could. I came back and was here for a couple months working for Brittany Russell. I have to thank her for all her help. I just felt like it was the right time to do it.”
Flat Rate and Hiraldo posing for pictures
The post Laurel Park: Apprentice John Hiraldo Scores First Career Win With 33-1 Longshot appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
