joel rosario | Horse Racing Free Tips

Red-Hot Rosario Teams With Pixelate To Win Mint Million At Kentucky Downs

Monday was officially WinStar Day at the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs. To bettors across the country, it was Joel Rosario Day. The jockey won on five of his eight mounts, including the featured $1 million, Grade 3 WinStar Mint Million as Godolphin's late-running Pixelate blew past Somelikeithotbrown for a 2 1/2-length victory.

On Sunday's opening card, Rosario went 5-for-11, including winning the $500,000 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Oaks aboard Godolphin's 3-year-old filly Adventuring. He would appear to have the Kentucky Downs riding title sewn up, with four days remaining (Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday).

Rafael Bejarano holds the record for victories on a single card at Kentucky Downs when he went 6-for-8 on Sept. 21, 2004, while en route to the riding title with 12 wins, still the most by a rider at a meet. While quite the feat back then, Rosario is competing against arguably the strongest jockey colony in the country as riders from all over migrate to the track in pursuit of some of the largest purses in the world.

No rider has dominated the meet for two days since Florent Geroux won five races twice in 2015 en route to taking the riding title with a record-tying 12 victories that he matched in 2016.

Rosario rode eight races on Labor Day, taking the second aboard Heaven Street ($7.20) for Steve Asmussen, the fourth on Super Divine ($11) for Wesley Ward, the seventh on Honor Hop ($5.80) for Brian Lynch, the eighth for Ward on Gypsy King ($5.60) and then the 10th on Pixelate. After Rosario's quintet Sunday, horseplayers were pounding his mounts. Pixelate was 10-1 in the morning line and bet down to about 9-2, paying $11.20. For the two days, Rosario has gone 10 for 19, with his horses earning $1,683,731.

“When you got a rider who's won 10 races in two days on a track, he's the guy you want,” said Mint Million winning trainer Michael Stidham. “This has got to be some kind of record.”

Jimmy Bell, president and racing manager of owner-breeder Godolphin, said he felt “all the confidence in the world” with Rosario aboard.

“We were joking in the paddock, any one of your previous (nine) ways of winning would work here,” Bell said. “He just rides with confidence. In our case, he just said the horse fit the course very well. Pixelate continued to find more, find more and just that slow momentum he built up to the rising ground and the long stretch. He said (Pixelate) relished the going. So that was fantastic.

“What a great weekend it's been for Sheikh Mohammed and the breeding program, obviously with Adventuring winning and to come back today with another homebred today in Pixelate,” he added of Godolphin's owner and the Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum. “It's just been magical.”

Bizzee Channel set a sizzling pace of 21.83 seconds for the first quarter mile and 44.95 for the half, with Somelikeithotbrown in closest pursuit and taking command turning for home. But Flavius, last year's winner and the 7-5 favorite, kicked into gear to go after Somelikeithotbrown before giving way to fifth.

Meanwhile, Pixelate came seven-wide down the late, swooping to the lead in the final sixteenth-mile while covering the mile in 1:34.04. Somelikeithotbrown and jockey Jose Ortiz held off his Mike Maker-trained stablemate Monarchs Glen, who closed from last of 10 older horses to finish another two lengths back in third under 2020 meet-leader Tyler Gaffalione.

“With the speed in front of me, it looked like they were going good,” Rosario said. “The key for me was trying to find a way through the track. He kept building, building, building, and with the long stretch, that helped get him there.

“He was in a nice gallop, he kept going and getting better, and I could see it when we caught up to the horses on the lead. I started thinking that we're going to get it.”

“It was a fast pace, I was aware of it,” said Ortiz, Kentucky Downs' 2018 and 2019 riding champion. “I was trying to wait as long as I could. But at the eighth pole, the favorite came up outside of me, so I had to go with him. I was able to beat him, but I wasn't able to hold on. Pixelate got by me. I set up a good trip for him.”

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Pixelate won for the sixth time, with another six seconds and four thirds, in 20 starts, earning $1,098,850 with the $509,850 payday. It was his second graded-stakes victory, having won the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby exactly a year ago.

“He deserves it because he finally got his day in the sun and got to make up for some of those times when we reached out and ran in some of the big races and he was only beaten 2-3 lengths,” Stidham said. “And today was his day. It was a beautiful thing. I'm so proud of the horse and what he's accomplished.

“Certainly when I looked up at the time and saw 21-and-change and 44-and-change and we were sitting back about nine or 10 off of it, I thought, 'Well, that's the perfect spot to be in.' And I think that helped us. But this horse, if you look at his form, he goes out and runs his heart out every time we run him, no matter what type of spot we pick. He's always trying. Today things set up nicely for him. And he tried like he always does and it put him in the winner's circle.”

As a New York-bred, Somelikeithotbrown was racing for the base purse of $550,000 with the Mint Million's remaining $450,000 paid out only to Kentucky-bred horses. He still picked up $104,500 for second, enough to put him over $1 million in earnings.

“He ran his butt off, didn't he?” said Dr. Harvey Diamond, co-founder of the Skychai Racing partnership that is majority owner in Somelikeithotbrown. “It looked like in mid-stretch that he was going to make it, and I saw this horse moving on the outside. We ran a good race. I think the pace was a little too quick for us.”

Agreed Rosario: “It was a fast pace, I was aware of it. I was trying to wait as long as I could. But at the eighth pole, the favorite (2020 winner Flavius) came up outside of me, so I had to go with him. I was able to beat him, but I wasn't able to hold on. Pixelate got by me. I set up a good trip for him.”

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Adventuring Finds Winner’s Circle In Dueling Grounds Oaks

Once around the undulating course at Kentucky Downs, Adventuring braved the yielding ground and a field of six others to find the winner's circle in the $500,000 Dueling Grounds Oaks. In making nearly post a winning one, the 3-year-old daughter of Pioneerof the Nile gave jockey Joel Rosario his fourth win on the first day of racing at the Franklin, Ky., track.

Adventuring and Serene, both owned by Godolphin, broke fastest, with Rosario putting his filly on the lead as James Graham on Serene was content to take up third positon, with Oliviaofthedesert in second. Adventuring held onto the lead for much of the race, setting a manageable pace of :26.10 for the first quarter, :51.49 for the half-mile, and 1:16.89 for six furlongs. Rosario gave the filly a breather about halfway through the 1 5/16-mile Dueling Ground Oaks, allowing Oliviaofthedesert to briefly take over the front as they approached the final bend. Entering the long Kentucky Downs stretch, Rosario easily put Adventuring back on the lead, with Oliviaofthedesert and Serene still second and third.

Down the stretch, Adventuring was able to hold on to her lead on the outside despite challenges from Viburnum and Oliviaofthedesert. She crossed the wire two lengths in front, with Viburnum, Oliviaofthedesert, and Inthewinnerscircle rounding out the top four.

The final time for the 1 5/16-mile Dueling Grounds Oaks was 2:12.33. Find this race's chart here.

Adventuring paid $4.20, $2.80, and $2.60. Viburnum paid $13.80 and $8.20. Oliviaofthedesert paid $6.00.

Bred in Kentucky by her owner, Adventuring is out of Hard Spun mare Questing. She is trained by Brad Cox. With her win in the Oaks, she improves to three wins in eight lifetime starts.

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Full Brother To Songbird Will Debut Saturday At Saratoga

OXO Equine's Galt, a full-brother to two-time champion Songbird, will make his career debut in a seven-furlong maiden special weight on Saturday [Race 7, 3:53 p.m.] at Saratoga.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the son of Medaglia d'Oro, out of the graded stakes-winning West Acre mare Ivanavinalot, was purchased for $400,000 as a weanling from the 2019 Keeneland November Sale, where he was consigned by Eaton Sales.

Galt has breezed consistently over the Oklahoma training track since late June and most recently went a half-mile in 48.15 seconds on Aug. 29.

Mott said Galt has developed well in his time at Saratoga.

“He's made a lot of progress,” Mott said. “He was very backwards when he came in, and he's progressed probably as rapidly as you could possibly expect. He still is a big, gangly colt, but we have enough work into him and he's improved enough that we think we can get a start in him. He's a big, handsome leggy colt that's come around well enough that makes us think we can get him started.”

Jockey Joel Rosario has the mount from post 8.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle Misbehaved for owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Robert V. LaPenta.

The bay son of leading sire Into Mischief was bought for $875,000 from the OBS April Sale from DeMeric Sales. He is out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Loveofalifetime, making him a full brother to Into Mystic – a multiple turf sprint stakes winner.

Misbehaved worked a half-mile from the gate over the Oklahoma training track in 49.21 on August 21 before drilling through a half-mile over the main track in 47.66 on August 29.

“He's trained like a horse that will run well in his debut,” Pletcher said. “His last gate work was particularly good, so hopefully he gets away cleanly and runs the way he's been training.”

Leading rider Luis Saez will ride from post 4.

Olympian, owned by Gatsas Stables, R. A. Hill Stable and Swick Stable, makes his debut for trainer George Weaver.

The gray or roan son of American Pharoah worked a half-mile in 48 seconds flat from the gate on August 29 over the Saratoga main track.

Olympian is out of the Unbridled's Song mare Alpha Mama, who produced turf graded stakes-winner Alpha Kitten.

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano will ride from post 5.

One race prior, juveniles will contest 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf course featuring Bass Racing's regally-bred Annapolis for Pletcher.

The homebred son of War Front is out of graded stakes winner My Miss Sophia, who also was Grade 1-placed on turf.

Annapolis has several turf works under his belt, including a seven-furlong move on August 15, where he went the distance in 1:28 flat. He last went five furlongs in 1:02.77 over the Oklahoma training turf on August 29.

“He's been training well. He seemed to take to the turf course when we breezed him,” Pletcher said. We're looking forward to getting him going. He's a big, strong colt. There could be dirt in his future but right now, it looks like he's a little better on the turf.”

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride from post 6.

Mott will send out Juddmonte homebred Calloway Peak. A son of Arrogate, who won the 2016 Grade 1 Travers in record time, Calloway Peak is out of the Mizzen Mast mare Filimbi, who was a graded stakes winner at one mile over the grass. Her grand dam is 2001 Kentucky Oaks winner Flute.

“He's worked well,” Mott said “He's still a very immature colt. He's green, but we feel like we'll benefit from getting him started.”

Breaking from post 3, Calloway Peak will be piloted by Joel Rosario.

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Five Stakes Wins Net Joel Rosario Jockey Of The Week Title

The New York Racing Association presented 16 stakes races at Saratoga during the week of August 23; Joel Rosario had a mount in every one. He won five of those stakes including two Grade 1s and one Grade 2. His accomplishments earned Jockey of the Week honors for Aug. 23 through Aug. 29. 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.

Rosario's five stakes wins for the week began on Friday, New York Showcase Day. Given a leg up in the Fleet Indian Stakes by trainer Bob Dunham, Rosario and Byhubbyhellomoney tracked in fourth before finding a seam along the rail to post a neck victory in 1:52.07 for the 1-1/8 miles contest for 3-year-old fillies. Rosario won his second straight stakes of the day riding City Man for Christophe Clement in the West Point Handicap for 3-year-olds and up on the turf. City Man ran the 1-1/16 miles in 1:41.30.

On Saturday, trainer Chad Brown saddled three entrants in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa with Rosario on Viadera. Under Rosario, Viadera saved ground in third, advancing up the rail through the final turn then angled to the three-path and dug in to overtake High Opinion and Luis Saez at the wire in a final time of 1:41.82 for the 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for older fillies and mares.

“Turning for home, I was clear,” said Rosario. “She always tries really hard. She's a very good filly.”

In the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, trainer Steve Asmussen gave a leg up to Rosario, regular rider of Jackie's Warrior. Rosario and Jackie's Warrior tracked in second as Life Is Good led the field of 3-year-olds through the half. At the top of the stretch, Jackie's Warrior capitalized on running room from the inside and held off a resurgent Life Is Good to prevail by a neck in 1:21.39.

“I felt confident, but Life is Good was not giving up and a lot of credit to him, too, it was a very good race,” said Rosario.

Rosario captured his second Grade 1 of the day in the Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer aboard Gufo for trainer Christophe Clement. Last of seven, the duo saved ground first time past the wire, advancing down the backstretch, rallying outside of Tribuvan and Channel Maker and staving off European invader, Japan, to win by a neck in 2:28.30 for the 1-1/2-mile inner-turf contest.

“He ran a really good race today and turning for home, it was just a really good performance,” said Rosario.

Rosario's weekly statistics were 39-11-2-3 for a 41 percent in-the-money rate and total purses of $1,663,476.

Rosario out-polled Arnaldo Bocachica who won three stakes at Charles Town, Paco Lopez who led all riders in wins with 14, Luis Saez who won the Grade 1 Travers and Ricardo Santana, Jr, who won the Grade 1 Forego with Yaupon.

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