“Looking Forward To The Next Chapter” – Jockey Louis Steward Retires At 27

Ebor-winning jockey Louis Steward has announced that he will retire from race-riding after an 11-year career in the saddle.

Steward, 27, started as an apprentice and achieved plenty of success, including winning the Cambridgeshire and the Balmoral Handicap with Bronze Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in 2014 for Marcus Tregoning.

Steward rode close to 200 winners in his career, with a season-best of 37 in 2014, the year he partnered Mutual Regard (Ire) (Hernando {Fr}) to a 20-1 success in the valuable Ebor Handicap at York for Johnny Murtagh.

“After some long and careful thoughts I've decided my time in the saddle has come to an end,” Steward announced on Twitter.

“Thank you to everyone from my family, friends, owners, trainers and the stable staff that have given me some wonderful memories that I'll never forget. Looking forward to the next chapter!”

The post “Looking Forward To The Next Chapter” – Jockey Louis Steward Retires At 27 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Go Fund Me Page Organised For Holland’s Family

A Gofundme fundraiser for the family of the late Australian jockey Dean Holland was launched within 24 hours of the jockey's death and, at the time of writing, it has raised over A$500,000 for Holland's wife Lucy, and their four children.

The page was created by Tony Ottobre in Victoria, who made a personal donation of A$100,000, and overnight and into Tuesday it had attracted over 2000 donations. Dean Holland died as a result of his injuries from a fall on Monday afternoon at Donald. His death has incurred widespread grief across the racing industry.

On Tuesday, Racing Victoria released a statement on behalf of the Holland family, in particular from his partner Lucy and his parents, Belinda and Darren Holland.

“Grief is completely overwhelming us after losing our beloved Dean yesterday at Donald races,” the statement read. “We are aware of the thousands who are sharing our pain as we come to the reality we have lost a once-in-a-lifetime person, a much-loved partner, an amazing father of four beautiful young children in Harley, Luca, Frankie and Lily, as well as a special brother and a wonderful son.

“The outpouring of love for Dean and the care and support for us is helping us deal with our loss. We are thinking of Dean's colleagues in the jockeys' rooms, as well all in our industry that he loved so much.”

The statement requested privacy as the Holland family comes to terms with its loss and, in the meanwhile, Racing Victoria has pledged A$100,000 to the fundraising effort, with all money raised eventually going into a trust to support the family.

Click here to donate.

The post Go Fund Me Page Organised For Holland’s Family appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Charles Town Jockey Fined A Grand For Deep-Stretch Gaffe

Jockey Carlos Eduardo Lopez, currently third in earnings and fourth in wins at Charles Town Races this year, was fined $1,000 by the track's stewards for losing a win at the wire after his mount was clear by five lengths at the sixteenth pole and he apparently thought he could coast to victory without additional effort.

“Jockey Lopez eased his mount, Stylish Paint, coming to the wire in the ninth race on Saturday, Apr. 8, 2023, causing his horse to get beat on the wire,” stated the Apr. 14 stewards' ruling. It was unclear at deadline for this story if Lopez would be appealing the fine.

Lopez, 32, knows Stylish Paint well, having ridden the 6-year-old Paynter mare for owner/trainer Ronney Brown in nine of her last eleven races dating back over a year, a span during which he twice won aboard her by narrow margins of a nose and a head.

But he ended up on the wrong end of the photo finish in the ninth and final race Apr. 8, a $5,000 claimer over seven furlongs that attracted a $53,250 win pool and was the concluding leg of double, pick three, pick four and pick five pools.

After pressing the pacemaker into submission, the 3-1 Stylish Paint took over with a half-furlong to go. The 3-2 favorite, China Cat (Justin Phillip), was gaining under Andre Ramgeet, but was seemingly left with too much work to do to win.

Lopez chose to hand-ride Stylish Paint after making the lead, then geared her down as the line loomed. But Ramgeet continued driving with China Cat, apparently catching his rival unaware at the finish.

“Oh, it got very close! Carlos Lopez thought he had it won on Stylish Paint, and it got very tight on the wire!” announcer Paul Espinosa, Jr., exclaimed in his race call.

The Equibase chart stated that Stylish Paint “dueled for the nod nearing mid-stretch and drew briefly clear, was allowed to relax in late yards and was nipped under the wire.”

The post Charles Town Jockey Fined A Grand For Deep-Stretch Gaffe appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Jockey Alex Canchari Passes Away

Midwest-based jockey Alex Chanchari passed away Wednesday at the age of 29.

His passing was confirmed in a tweet by Canterbury Park, where Canchari had 334 career winners.

“Alex Canchari achieved his dream as a jockey, following in the footsteps of his father and brother,” the tweet read. “The news of this talented and genuine young man's death has deeply saddened the Canterbury Park family.”

Though no cause of death had been revealed by Thursday morning, it appears that Canchari's death involved mental health issues.

“My heart physically hurts,” his sister, Ashley, wrote on Facebook. “I'm so sorry you were in so much pain Alex and thought there was no other way out. I know you're happy again with Dad. I don't even know what else to say, this is an unbelievable loss.”

The Canchari family has had to deal with a number of devastating setbacks in recent years. Family patriarch Luis Canchari, who came to the U.S. from Peru and was a jockey and a trainer, passed away in December of 2020. That same year, Canchari's brother Patrick suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car wreck near Turf Paradise. Doctors told his family the injury could keep him in a vegetated state the rest of his life, but he has made notable progress in recent months.

“This family has gone to hell and back several times,” said Terry Meyocks, president and CEO of the Jockeys' Guild.

Canchari, a native of Shakopee, Minnesota, where Canterbury Park is located, began his career in 2011. He had one of his best years in 2012, winning 101 races. He had 1,044 wins during his career and has career earnings of $28,619,989. Canchari had not ridden since Oct. 2 at Prairie Meadows.

Canchari's death came about seven weeks after jockey Avery Whisman passed away at 23. Whisman's family also brought up mental health issues when discussing his death.

“We've been talking to HISA about jockeys and the mental health issues they face since November,” Meyocks said. “It's on the top of our list and is something that needs to be discussed. This is a tough game. Hall of Fame jockeys win at 18-20 percent and regular jocks when less than that. They get taken off of horses. The foal crop is down and there's fewer opportunities for them. With the daily trials and tribulations of being a jockey it's clear to see why depression sets in.”

The post Jockey Alex Canchari Passes Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights