jockey | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Everything Looks Good’ As Irad Ortiz, Jr. Eases Back Into The Saddle

Sidelined by a knee injury since Jan. 7, defending two-time Championship Meet titlist Irad Ortiz Jr. returned to action Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

The 29-year-old jockey accepted two mounts for his first day back, finishing fourth in the $75,000 Sunshine Turf aboard Max K. O. in Race 4 and fifth aboard Ideal Breeze in Race 5.

“This is the way we wanted to come back. I haven't been riding for [15] days and we wanted to start getting back slowly and pick it up,” Ortiz said. “I've been coming out in the morning to get on some horses, but it's great to be back in the afternoon and be able to do what I love. It didn't take too long, and I feel great, thank God.”

Earlier in the day, Ortiz was aboard defending Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) champion Colonel Liam during a morning breeze at Palm Beach Downs. The three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey is scheduled to ride Colonel Liam $1 million Pegasus Turf, as well as Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Life Is Good in the $3 Million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream next Saturday.

“We'll see what happens, but everything looks good,” said Ortiz, who sustained a knee injury when a mount reared up in the starting gate Jan. 7. “I'm excited.”

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‘I’ve Seen The Old Ricardo Start To Emerge Again’: Santana In Familiar Place Atop Oaklawn Standings

After the first 18 days of racing at Oaklawn, a familiar name had climbed to the top of the rider standings.

A victory Jan. 16 pulled eight-time local champion Ricardo Santana Jr. into a first-place tie with Francisco Arrieta. Each had 20 victories. Santana topped all riders in purse earnings at the meet ($1,207,239), won at a 21 percent clip, which equaled the best among jockeys in the top 10, and reached a career milestone when he surpassed $100 million in worldwide purse earnings earlier this month, according to the statistical service Equineline.

Interpreting Santana's numbers during the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting that began Dec. 3 is more complex since he is no longer the go-to rider for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen after losing that coveted spot last fall.

Santana's 20 victories had come for 10 trainers – Asmussen (6), John Ortiz (2), Ron Moquett (2), Brad Cox (2), Rene Amescua (2), Mike Maker (2), Tom Amoss (1), Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer (1), Melton Wilson (1) and Bret Calhoun (1). Santana's numbers were straightforward to open the 2021 Oaklawn meeting, with 19 of his first 20 winners for Asmussen. Santana's other victory came for Moquett.

An early conclusion? Different landscape, same ruler.

“I thank all the trainers for the opportunity,” Santana said Jan. 14. “Thank you to Moquett. He was the one that brought me here to Arkansas when I was 17 years old. Thank you to Mr. Steve, that's the main barn. He's given me a lot of great moments. He's given me a lot of great opportunities. I'm really blessed to be a part of the Oaklawn team. Everywhere I go, everybody knows me because of Oaklawn. I'm really blessed with all the success I've had at 29 years old. I pray to God to keep me safe, and we're going to keep fighting to make our dreams come true.”

Santana was barreling toward a career year in 2021 after breaking his single-season Oaklawn record for purse earnings ($5,642,523) en route to an eighth local riding title (all since uniting with Asmussen in 2013). Santana then had a breakout Saratoga meeting last summer, setting personal bests for victories (35), purse earnings ($4,122,471) and stakes victories (5). All five stakes victories were in Grade 1 events. Four were for Asmussen, including Echo Zulu in the $300,000 Spinaway for 2-year-old fillies Sept. 5. Santana was also aboard for Stellar Tap's Aug. 7 victory at Saratoga, which made Asmussen the all-time winningest North America trainer (United States and Canada), according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization.

But momentum stopped, literally, after Santana rode Echo Zulu to victory in the $400,000 Frizette Stakes (G1) Oct. 3 at Belmont Park. The jockey went into a mystifying slump and didn't win a race for more than a month. Santana was 0 for 81 at Keeneland's fall meeting (Asmussen was 1 for 57) and lost the mount on Echo Zulu for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

Coupled with another personal body blow, the Oct. 31 death of his close friend, jockey Miguel Mena, Santana had only 42 mounts at the Churchill Downs fall meeting. He won two races as Asmussen went in other directions and finished with a meet-high 20 victories.

Joel Rosario picked up the mount on Echo Zulu for the Breeders' Cup and guided the unbeaten filly to victory, securing an Eclipse Award. Rosario, the favorite to land an Eclipse Award as the country's outstanding jockey of 2021, rode for Asmussen at the Churchill Downs fall meeting and joined Oaklawn's riding colony Jan. 14. He has already ridden extensively for Asmussen in Hot Springs, booting home two winners for the 11-time Oaklawn training champion.

“I thought that his confidence would be shaken a little bit,” Moquett said, referring to Santana. “I think at first, for sure, it was. I think the thing that got him was the Breeders' Cup a little bit. But that's how it goes. That's how this business is. I've seen since he got back here, I've seen the old Ricardo start to emerge again.”

Santana's 2021-2022 Oaklawn highlights include guiding Hollis to a 5 ½-furlong track record (1:02.17) in a $102,000 allowance race Dec. 10 for Ortiz; winning two races aboard the Cox-trained Coach, including the $150,000 Pippin Stakes for older fillies and mares Jan. 8; and surpassing $100 million in career purse earnings the following day, according to Equineline.

The Equineline figure is based on worldwide mounts, including purse money Santana generated in Canada, his native Panama, Puerto Rico and Turkey.

Santana reached $100 million in career North American purse earnings last weekend at Oaklawn, according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization. Equibase's total ($100,129,502) is based on mounts in the United States and Canada and ranked 64th in North American history entering Saturday. Santana had 1,661 career North American victories entering Saturday, according to Equibase.

Santana said he continues to ride for Mena, who was killed after reportedly being struck by a vehicle while walking across Interstate Highway 64 in Louisville, Ky. He was 34. Santana uses Mena's helmet covers (“MM” is stitched across the back below a peace symbol) as a tribute to the popular Churchill Downs-based jockey, who won more than 2,000 races in his career.

“A lot of people don't know, but that affected me a lot when one of my best friends, Miguel, passed away,” Santana said. “I even talked to my agent (Ruben Munoz) and said I didn't want to ride many at Churchill. I was with him 24/7. I even ate dinner with him every time we came from Keeneland. I always loved him like my brother. That hit me really hard. Like he was my company, 24/7. When I did something wrong, he was the first one to call me. I was pretty heartbroken. (Jockey) Florent Geroux, that's my other best friend. He's always on my side. That's the people that motivate me to keep going. Thank God, now I feel I'm back. I feel my confidence is back.”

Santana recorded one winner opening day at Oaklawn. The following day, Santana won the $150,000 Clasico Confraternidad Stakes (G1) in Puerto Rico. His late-season bounce back produced a career-high $16,976,612 in purse earnings, according to Equibase. Santana's previous high was $16,713,988 in 2019.

Santana rode his first career winner in the United States Sept. 21, 2009, at Delaware Park. Santana began riding at Oaklawn in 2011 and was its leading jockey in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021.

Santana is Oaklawn's career leader in purse earnings ($33,321,365) and ranks No. 8 all time in victories (633). Coach represented his 45th career Oaklawn stakes victory.

Among Santana's earliest supporters was Moquett, who rode the jockey as an apprentice and helped steer him to Oaklawn.

“I thought that he needed somebody to look after him and stuff,” Moquett said. “I thought when he got to Oaklawn, the whole community would take him in. And he's got all kinds of natural ability. If he could get focused, he could be anything. Luckily, he came here one year and showed up the next year (2013), he was here with Asmussen, and the rest is history.”

Through last Sunday, Santana and Asmussen had teamed for 313 victories at Oaklawn, according to Equineline, with purse earnings of $20,657,057.

Racing resumed Saturday at Oaklawn after Friday's card was cancelled because of freezing temperatures.

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Samy Camacho Rides Four Winners Friday At Tampa Bay Downs

Samy Camacho has been performing like a man on a mission over the last six racing days at Tampa Bay Downs.

Camacho, who won last year's Oldsmar riding title with 111 victories, has ridden far more horses this season than any other jockey, a tribute to the rider's skills and athleticism as well as the hustling of his agent, Mike Moran.

And since many of the track's higher-percentage trainers like using Camacho, the winners are inevitably starting to pile up.

The 33-year-old Caracas, Venezuela product rode four winners Friday, giving him 35 for the meet – eight ahead of runner-up Pablo Morales. More notably, Camacho has 14 victories from his last 40 mounts, with 12 seconds and five thirds.

That serious run of success includes a victory last Saturday for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott with the 3-year-old Florida-bred filly Outfoxed in the $125,000 Gasparilla Stakes.

Camacho's most exciting victory Friday came in the seventh race on the turf, a one-mile maiden special weight race for 3-year-olds. Refusing to accept defeat, Camacho kept scrubbing on the Chad Brown-trained first-time starter Napoleonic War, pushing the colt into a dead-heat with another first-time starter, trainer Christophe Clement's colt Seigneur, ridden by Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr.

“I thought I lost it when I crossed the wire, and I was a little mad because I knew he was better than the other horses in the race,” Camacho said. “He was a little bit hyper in the gate, just playing around, and when the doors opened he propped up and lost the break. The pace was slow and I was on heels all the way, but when I asked him he came flying.

“I think that horse wins by 5 lengths if he doesn't miss the break, but I kept trying and we got a dead-heat. When I ride for Chad Brown, I feel like I'm driving a Rolls-Royce,” Camacho said.

Camacho began Friday's card with victories in his first two tries. He won the second race on Mystery Mo, a 4-year-old gelding owned by Averill Racing and trained by Gerald Bennett. Camacho returned to the winner's circle after the third race with Berhanu, a 4-year-old Florida-bred gelding owned by Chuncho Bravo Stable & Farm and trained by Javier Morzan.

In the sixth race, Camacho helped 4-year-old Florida-bred filly Cajun Spice earn her first career victory for owners Karyn Philipp and Tage Boohit. Philipp is the trainer.

Camacho also had a second and a fourth on the card.

Almost two-thirds of the meet remains for Morales, five-time champion Antonio Gallardo and Fernando De La Cruz to carve into Camacho's lead in the standings. But as long as Camacho stays healthy and keeps believing in himself, his rivals will be hard-pressed to prevent him from a successful defense.

“I feel great. I have a lot of confidence in myself and Mike Moran,” Camacho said. “I feel happy when I get to ride a lot of horses, because I have more chances to win more races.”

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Jockey Robbie Dunne Appeals 18-Month Bullying Ban

Jockey Robbie Dunne, last month found guilty of bullying female rider Bryony Frost over a sustained period, has lodged an official appeal with the British Horseracing Authority, reports the Racing Post. A disciplinary panel handed Dunne an 18-month ban for four breaches of rule (J)19, conduct prejudicial to racing; the last three months of the ban were stayed.

“The independent judicial panel has received an appeal from the representatives of Robbie Dunne in relation to the finding and penalty imposed on him by the disciplinary panel after its recent hearing,” reads at statement from the BHA. “The independent judicial panel will now convene an appeal board for the hearing and liaise with representatives of all parties regarding a potential date for the hearing, which will be communicated in due course.”

The chair of the disciplinary panel, Brian Barker, issued the following statement after the decision was handed down in December: “We are unable to accept Mr. Dunne's sweep of denials, criticisms and his reasoning. The tenor and type of language that we find was used towards Ms. Frost is totally unacceptable, whatever the frustrations about her style and whatever the habits of the weighing room. They fall squarely within the ambit of the prohibition set out in the rule.”