joel rosario | Horse Racing Free Tips

Churchill May Require Derby Jockeys to be in Kentucky by Aug. 24

Churchill Downs may require all jockeys riding during the short meet surrounding the GI Kentucky Derby to be in the state of Kentucky by Aug. 24. Churchill Downs Senior Director, Communication & Media Services Darren Rogers said the rule is being considered but no official decision will be announced until later in week.

Rogers added that Churchill is also expected to announce shortly a complete list of protocols that will be in place for the Derby, including how many fans will be allowed to attend the race.

For jockeys who regularly ride in New York and in California, meeting the Kentucky requirements would mean missing the final two weeks at Saratoga and Del Mar. Once returning to their home base they would likely have to undergo another quarantine period before being allowed to ride again. In New York, anyone traveling to a number of states, Kentucky among them, must go into quarantine for 14 days upon returning to the state.

Anticipating that his rider will be required to be in Kentucky by the 24th and under quarantine, agent Angel Cordero, Jr. said that Manny Franco will not be giving up the mount on possible Derby favorite Tiz the Law (Constitution).

“We have to go,” Cordero said. “You don’t just find horses like this one. It’s going to be tough for all the jockeys because they’re going to have to spend two weeks without riding and then have to ride in an important race like that.”

Cordero said he was hoping that riders would be allowed in on the eve of the race if they could provide evidence that they did not have the coronavirus.

“I don’t know why they just don’t test them and if they test clean they should let them ride,” he said. “We will be missing the last part of Saratoga and then maybe another two weeks after that. All together, we’ll miss about a month. I know everyone is dealing with the same problem, but I’m a believer that if you test clean, they should let them ride. Why don’t they test them three days before the Derby or one day before the Derby and if they don’t test clean just take them off the horses.”

Mike Smith, who rides top GI Kentucky Oaks contender Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) and has been riding top Derby candidates Honor A.P. (Honor Code) and Authentic (Into Mischief) said he’s not sure what he is going to do.

“I just don’t know what to do,” he said. “What they’re asking us to do seems very difficult to do. You’re going to have to be there 10 days out. I’d rather be somewhere where I feel safer and just fly in, test and ride. This way, I think you have more of a chance of picking it up, being outside of your house and having to go out to eat. I’m not saying I won’t be riding at Churchill. It’s just that this is going to be really difficult.”

Bob Baffert, who trains a number of Derby contenders, including Authentic, said he also hopes Churchill will come up with another way of dealing with out-of-town riders. Baffert took part in a virtual town hall meeting Monday with horsemen in which Churchill Downs President Kevin Flannery discussed the potential rules the track is considering for Derby week.

“I hope they are still working on this and just threw this out there,” he said. “To me, they’re playing with fire bringing them in there 10 days before. That gives them a chance to get sick. Let them come in like Monmouth Park did for the Haskell. They went to a place there and got tested and within 15 minutes they got their results. It seems to me that they should let them come in, test them, let them ride and then let them get out of there. That is as long as they come in there with a negative test. I told Kevin Flannery that this was a bad idea. If they wanted to do all this they should have just run the race in May.”

Baffert said he had yet to discuss Derby week plans with any of the jockeys who might ordinarily be riding in Kentucky for him.

Ron Anderson, the agent for John Velazquez and Joel Rosario, said Monday he wasn’t sure what his riders would do.

“Churchill Downs can do what they want to do,” Anderson said. “I don’t think it is a proper decision, but it’s their ball game. We will have to play the cards we are dealt. How many days would they have to sit out when coming back? I don’t know how to weigh any of this. I have multiple decisions to make on behalf of both of my jockeys. Right now, I have no idea what to do. This is a huge predicament for everybody.”

During the meeting with trainers, Flannery discussed several other protocols the track is considering, among them allowing only two owners per Derby horse to come on the backstretch. Under the proposal, jockeys riding Derby week must take at least two coronavirus tests before being allowed to ride, one on Aug. 24 and another on Aug. 31 A rider who tests positive during the first phase would be required to quarantine for 10 days, which would still allow them to rode in the Derby and/or the GI Kentucky Oaks.

A jockey coming into Kentucky to ride for the Churchill September meet might be inclined to stay. Returning to their home base would also likely require an additional quarantine period, while staying in Kentucky would allow them to ride uninterrupted at Kentucky Downs, the fall meet at Churchill and then the Breeders’ Cup, which will be held Nov. 6 and 7 at Keeneland.

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Joel Rosario Will Be Back Aboard Tom’s D’Etat In Next Saturday’s Whitney

With the jockey colony at Saratoga under COVID-19 restrictions, regular rider Joel Rosario will get back aboard Tom's d'Etat in next Saturday's Grade 1 Whitney Stakes, reports the Daily Racing Form.

In his most recent start, the 7-year-old son of Smart Strike was guided to victory by Miguel Mena in the G2 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs. Trainer Al Stall has breezed the horse just twice since the June 27 effort, including on Friday at Saratoga.

Rosario rode Tom's d'Etat in that breeze, receiving an official time of 48.22 seconds for a half-mile. Tom's d'Etat has won all five of his starts with Rosario in the saddle.

“He's just a special horse,” Rosario told drf.com. “He's nice to ride; he knows his stuff. He's special because he's very smart, he knows what he's doing out there. He's there for you when you ask him. If you leave him alone, he just takes his time. He felt good.”

Op/Ed: Churchill Must Make Tough Call and Limit Derby to Local Jockeys

With Saratoga, Del Mar and a number of other tracks effectively eliminating jockeys from coming and going due to fears they will spread the coronavirus, attention now turns to Churchill Downs and the GI Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs President Kevin Flannery and his team are no doubt mulling whether or not they will put similar restrictions in place, effectively allowing only Kentucky-based riders to compete during the five days of racing. It’s not exactly an easy call, but their number one priority has to be safety. And that means following the Saratoga and Del Mar lead, locking out riders from New York, California and elsewhere. That’s the right call.

Only a few weeks ago, this didn’t look like a problem. For the most part, jockeys are young and healthy and there were only a handful of instances where riders had gotten the virus. Those who had were showing little, if any symptoms. That began to change with the news that Luis Saez had the virus. Before it was discovered that he was affected, he crisscrossed the country, riding in New York, Kentucky, Indiana and California. It’s impossible to tell if the presence of Saez, or any other jockey, caused other riders to become sick, but something was definitely going on. Victor Espinoza announced that he had tested positive and so did Flavien Prat and Gerard Melancon. Then it was Florent Geroux. Then came word that 15 jockeys at Del Mar had tested positive, which forced management to cancel racing Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Tracks discovered that allowing jockeys to come and go was an accident waiting to happen. NYRA was among the first to act. Only jockeys that were considered regular members of the Saratoga colony would be permitted to ride and if they left to go elsewhere they could not return before the meet was over. NYRA called it a common-sense approach that prioritized the health and safety of its riding colony. Del Mar enacted similar rules. By having a contained pool of riders that could be monitored daily the risks would be mitigated.

The new rules have already caused some problems for riders. Irad Ortiz, Jr. had to give up the mount on Dr. Post (Quality Road) in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. at Monmouth. It doesn’t appear that Mike Smith will be available to ride Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) in the GI Personal Ensign S. at Saratoga. It seems unlikely that Luis Saez will sacrifice the remainder of the Saratoga meet to go ride Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) in the Aug. 13 GI Pacific Classic S. at Del Mar.

Being locked out of races like the Derby and the GI Kentucky Oaks would be that much worse. For Manny Franco, who has never ridden in the Derby and has the assignment on possible favorite Tiz the Law (Constitution), it would be devastating to miss the race. The same goes for Tampa Bay Downs regular Samy Camacho, the rider of King Guillermo (Uncle Mo). Riders like Smith, Ortiz, Prat, John Velazquez, Joel Rosario and Javier Castellano are just a few others who might be forced to sit out Derby week at Churchill.

That would be more than unfortunate, but this is the world we live in. Nothing is easy and sacrifices have to be made when it comes to keeping everyone safe.

Dr. Ghazala Sharieff, corporate vice president and chief medical officer at San Diego’s Scripps Health, was talking about the rider situation at Del Mar when interviewed by the TDN, but her words should resonate throughout the sport.

“I get it, people are social,” said Sharieff. “It’s across the board, people feeling like, ‘The county’s opening up, we’re safe.’ But that’s actually the wrong message, and now we’re closing back down again for the same reason–people aren’t being careful. And if [individuals] want to keep racing, they’re going to have to do better.”

She’s right. It’s not just the health concerns. Just imagine the negative publicity racing would receive if a rash of coronavirus positives among jockeys came out of the Kentucky Derby and how that might impact the decision makers who can put a stop to the sport anytime they want.

It also needs to be noted that, after a period when things seemed to be under control, the number of coronavirus cases in Kentucky is rising sharply. On Sunday, the state reported the highest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases and three new deaths. Gov. Andy Beshear announced that there were 979 new cases of coronavirus reported in Kentucky and said it was “by far” the biggest jump in cases experienced so far in the state. There were 208 cases alone reported in Jefferson County, the home of Churchill Downs. The numbers make one wonder if Beshear is having second thoughts about allowing a limited number of spectators to attend the Derby.

“This ought to be a wake-up call for everybody,” Beshear said.

Churchill may not have to make a decision within the next few days, but neither can it wait until the last minute. No matter what they decide, this will be a complicated process and jockeys, trainers and owners will need time to formulate their plans.

Testing procedures and requirements must be set up. What determines who is a “Churchill Downs regular,” which is not a black-and-white issue considering that Churchill will be opening up for a five-day meet preceded by racing at Ellis Park and followed by racing at Kentucky Downs. And what about out-of-town riders who are willing to make sacrifices required of them in order to ride in the Derby? If they are willing to go into quarantine for 10 or 14 days beforehand, why wouldn’t they be allowed to ride during the week at Churchill? That would also likely mean they would have to stay on the sidelines for a period of time before being allowed to return to riding at their regular tracks, but for how long? For someone like Franco, it might be worth the trouble. Whatever they chose, they need to know what their options are.

It’s terrible that we are even debating these points or considering regulations that would keep many of the sport’s best jockeys from participating in the Derby. But theses are not normal times and a Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 is anything but business as usual. There are plenty of very good riders who call the Kentucky circuit home. Hand the reins to them, and keep everybody safe.

The post Op/Ed: Churchill Must Make Tough Call and Limit Derby to Local Jockeys appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Clement-Rosario Strike Again With Speaktomeofsummer In Lake Placid Stakes

Waterford Stable's Speaktomeofsummer answered the question about handling increased distance, finding a seam in the stretch to split competitors and gamely digging in with Stunning Sky to her inside, fending off her challenger in the final jumps for a victory by a head in Sunday's Grade 2, $150,000 Lake Placid Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

After making her first four starts at a mile, the Christophe Clement-trained Speaktomeofsummer was stretched out to 1 1/8 miles but utilized a patient trip under jockey Joel Rosario. The Summer Front filly sat in sixth position as Blame Debbie led the eight-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 24.01 seconds and the half in 49.03 on the inner turf coursed labeled firm.

Coming out of the clubhouse turn, Speaktomeofsummer lost some ground in a tightly bunched field, but Rosario quickly recovered and kept her to the inside. Approaching the far turn, she picked off a pair of rivals before surging when straightening for home.

In the stretch, she overtook Blame Debbie, who Jose Ortiz tried to prevent from lugging out, before linking up with Stunning Sky, positioned by Irad Ortiz, Jr. near the rail, for an exciting final furlong that saw the winner stop the clock in a 1:49.44 final time.

“I was really happy with the trip. I thought I would be a little closer, like Christophe told me, but everybody had the same idea to be up there,” said Rosario, who teamed with Clement to win a Grade 2 at the Spa for a second consecutive day after Decorated Invader captured Saturday's National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. “It looked like the first part was fast but they all got into their position, so I thought I'd let her be happy there and hopefully have a good run at the end.

“She was moving beautifully but when I passed the leader, she waited a little bit and the other horse came back again,” he added. “But she came on again and I was able to hold them off.”

After running fourth last out with blinkers on for the first time in the Grade 3 Wonder Again on June 20 at Belmont, Clement ran Speaktomeofsummer without blinkers. The equipment change, along with a change in venue in her Saratoga debut, resulted in her third win in five career starts.

“I put the blinkers on [last time] because I thought she was a little lazy in her work in the morning before her last race. That's what happens when trainers start to think too much,” said Clement, who notched his third career Lake Placid win, joining Spotlight and Naissance Royale [the respective 2004 and 2005 victors].

“She had a great trip. Thank you, Joel. He's riding great at the moment. The filly has trained well since the last race at Belmont. She's by Summer Front which is a big deal for us as we trained him plus he's a young sire at the moment. He belongs to Mr. [Tom] Moore, who also owned Summer Front so it is even more meaningful.

“She had a great trip. It was a pretty game last eighth of a mile,” he continued. “I'm delighted. She can do a mile to a mile an eighth for sure, but any further I don't know. I would have to think about it.”

Clement recorded three wins Sunday and totaled five on the weekend.

“The last two days have been good. Let's keep it going,” he said.

Off at 9-2, Speaktomeofsummer returned $11.60 on a $2 win wager. She nearly doubled her career earnings to $175,500. She is a possibility for the 1 3/16-mile $500,000 Saratoga Oaks on August 16.

“I would need to think about it because of the timing,” Clement said. “We will keep it open. Instead of me, we'll let her tell us and see what happens.”

Stunning Sky, trained by Mike Maker, was 1 ½ lengths the better of Queens Embrace for second, marking her best stakes finish in five attempts.

“She showed up and ran her race. She just needed to be a head better today,” said Maker assistant Nolan Ramsey. “At the sixteenth pole, I thought the other horse was going to run right by her, but she was game. No complaints. She ran a great race.”

Key Biscayne, 2-1 favorite Cat's Pajamas, Lashara, Blame Debbie and Mirabell Mei completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Wednesday with a 10-race card showcasing the $85,000 Lubash for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up in Race 3 at 1:54 p.m. Eastern. First post is 12:50 p.m. and features the summer meet's first steeplechase race in the $55,000 Jonathan Kiser Novice.

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