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‘Everything Fell Into Place’: Alvarado Back At Gulfstream Full Time

A year-round force on the New York racing circuit for the past several years, jockey Junior Alvarado has returned to south Florida for the winter months to compete at Gulfstream Park, where he rode his first winner in the U.S. in 2007.

“It's around 12 years since I've ridden full time here. I'm pretty happy to be here again. I love Florida. You can't beat this nice weather in the wintertime,” Alvarado said. “I'm glad things worked out this year. It's very important to start off on the right foot.”

On his first day of riding during the 2020-2021 championship meet, Alvarado guided Barclay Tagg-trained Niko's Dream to victory in the $75,000 My Charmer and finished second aboard Tagg-trained Doswell in the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (Grade 2).

Alvarado's move from Aqueduct to Gulfstream for the winter is hardly a case of needing a change of scenery. The 36-year-old journeyman has been extremely successful during the winter months at Aqueduct where he has won at rates of 27 percent, 24 percent and 23 percent the past three years.

“It was always on my mind, but sometimes you have to measure the right time. Things have to fall into place. I think this year with the COVID, having two kids being able to do school on the computer makes it easy for me to bring them here with me,” said Alvarado, who has three children, sons Adrian and Axel, and daughter Adalyn, with his wife, Kelly. “This year, everything fell into place.”

Alvarado, a son of a jockey, rode his first winner in Venezuela in 2005 before venturing to south Florida in 2007. He rode in his first race in the U.S. at Gulfstream Feb. 2, 2007 and registered his first win aboard Satira in a maiden claiming race at Gulfstream two weeks later. Alvarado moved on the Chicago circuit in 2008, winning the riding title at Arlington Park in 2009 before venturing to New York in 2010. He has become so well-established that he became Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott's year-round go-to jockey in New York.

While he has remained behind in New York in past winters, Alvarado has followed Mott to south Florida this year.

“That was one of the main reasons. Riding a lot of good horses for Bill Mott definitely pushes you to move your tack down here,” said Alvarado, who has ridden 1,760 winners during his career in the U.S.

Although he hasn't ridden regularly in south Florida for several years, Alvarado ventured to Gulfstream in 2016 to ride Kiaran McLaughlin-trained Mohaymen to victory in the Holy Bull (G2) and Fountain of Youth (G2), After a subpar showing in the Florida Derby (G1), Mohaymen finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) while providing Alvarado with his first Triple Crown mount.

Through past experience and close observation of racing at Gulfstream, Alvarado was prepared for the switch from New York to south Florida.

“It's definitely something you have to adjust to. You can't leave a horse with too much to do, because you'll never get there,” he said. “I've been watching races to be able to translate that. Sometimes you need to adjust. That's what I've been trying to do with the first horses I've been riding – to make sure to put them in the right spot, close enough so they don't have too much to do.”

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COVID-19: Jockey Mike Smith Back On Track In Time For Los Alamitos Futurity

Sidelined since Nov. 29 due to a positive test for COVID-19, Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith is ready to make his return this weekend at Los Alamitos, reports bloodhorse.com. Smith said he experienced only mild symptoms of the virus, and tested negative on Dec. 15.

The first start of Smith's return to the saddle will come aboard 2-year-old Petruchio in Saturday's Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity. Trained by Richard Mandella, the gelded son of Into Mischief partnered with Smith to break his maiden last out on Oct. 31. The likely second choice in the betting drew post position two in the six-horse field vying for points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

“From what I hear about him, they thought a lot about him early on, but he was a bit of a renegade. He was ornery. They had to geld him, I believe,” Smith told bloodhorse.com. “After doing so, he put all his ducks in a row and ran a bang-up race. That was pretty impressive. He won within himself and has come back and worked really well on the dirt.”

Graded Stakes Double Propels Emisael Jaramillo To Jockey Of The Week Honors

A Gulfstream Park graded stakes double helped propel Emisael Jaramillo to Jockey of the Week honors for the week of Dec. 7 through Dec. 13. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 active riders in the United States as well as retired and permanently disabled jockeys.

Jaramillo won both stakes in which he was entered on Saturday, Dec. 12 at Gulfstream Park. First, he was aboard Letruska for trainer Fausto Gutierrez in the Grade 3 Rampart Stakes. Racing without blinkers for the first time in her career and favored at 3-2 in the field of six, Letruska completed the one mile in 1:35.03 over a fast main track. He returned later in the card to win the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl with Lady's Island who ran six furlongs in 1:10.46 for trainer Georgina Baxter.

This past May, Jaramillo registered his 1,000th victory in North America. The 43-year-old Venezuelan rode more than 4,000 winners in his native country, where he was a 13-time champion and all-time leading rider. He rode his first professional race in 1996 and the next year was competing at his country's premier racetrack, La Rinconada in Caracas where he won his first title in 1999. He has ridden more than 200 winners in each of the last five years primarily at Gulfstream Park and Gulfstream Park West where he has been a mainstay since moving his tack to south Florida in 2015.

Weekly stats for Jaramillo were 30-3-4-3 with total purse earnings of $187,800.

Jaramillo out-polled fellow riders Adam Beschizza who won two stakes races at Fair Grounds, Kendrick Carmouche who won the Bay Ridge Stakes at Aqueduct, Marcelino Pedroza who won two stakes races at Fair Grounds and Tim Thornton who topped all riders in wins with 11.

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British Horseracing Authority Suspends Jockey 56 Days For ‘Absurd Exhibition’

A disciplinary panel at the British Horseracing Authority handed down a 56-day ban to conditional jockey Callum McKinnes on Friday, reports the Racing Post, for his ride aboard World Trip at Hereford in October. The mare finished fifth of 11 in the novice hurdle event.

“The panel has found Mr. McKinnes's breach of the riding standard required by the rules to be deliberate rather than the negligent breach he admitted,” read the panel's report. “It was behavior aggravated by his untruthfulness both before the Hereford stewards and before this panel. If he had ridden normally, there is every reason to think that World Trip would have improved her placing and finished fourth. Instead he rode in a way that brings racing into disrepute.”

During the hearing, it was alleged that McKinnes rode below the standard required by rules between the second-last and last hurdles, as well as for a large part of the finish. Asked to explain his “very exaggerated style” in those locations, McKinnes claimed he was riding normally; the panel revealed the jockey later admitted that to have been a deliberate lie.

The panel's report calls the ride “an absurd exhibition,” and added: “There can be no doubt that his conduct was deliberate, even if unexplained.”