Rafael Bejarano, Julien Leparoux Making Plans To Ride At Ellis Park This Summer

Rafael Bejarano and Julien Leparoux — two of America's leading jockeys and who rank among horse racing's top 25 in all-time purse earnings — plan to make Ellis Park their summer base.

Also expected to ride much of the July 2-Aug. 30 meet are Joe Talamo and Martin Garcia, who are riding regularly in Kentucky for the first time after moving their tack from California. The result will be a further strengthening of the already tough Ellis Park jockey colony.

Leparoux had never been to Ellis Park before riding opening day last year. Meanwhile, Bejarano was the track's leading rider in 2003 and 2004 and came full circle in returning to Kentucky this spring after leaving for California 13 years ago.

“With all this drama, with the coronavirus, (people) attacking horse racing in California, I had no other choice but to come here,” Bejarano said. “There's a lot of competition in California and less horses…. All the good trainers are here right now. There are more choices, a lot of racetracks around here. The purses are good, and the horses are better. I love Churchill Downs. I love Ellis Park. They have a beautiful racetrack, beautiful turf course. Hopefully I can get the opportunities like I had a long time ago.

“I'm really happy to be here where I started, in Kentucky.”

Bejarano, who turned 38 on Tuesday, won a total of 14 riding titles in Kentucky, including at least one at each of the state's five tracks, before relocating to California in late 2007. Riding many of the top horses trained by the late Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel, Bejarano collected a plethora of Southern California meet titles that included a sweep of all five major meets in 2008.

Bejarano was the champion apprentice in his native Peru before coming to the United States in 2002, when he started riding in Ohio and Kentucky. Two years later he led the nation in wins with 455. The jockey had 4,069 career wins heading into Thursday and more than $205 million in purses (15th all-time), including five Breeders' Cup races.

In returning to where his career kicked off, Bejarano is reunited with Julio Espinoza, a prominent rider in Kentucky in the 1970s and into the 1990s who now is the jockey's agent. Though Bejarano lived with Espinoza's family before, this is the first time they've had a business relationship.

“I'm very happy to be with one of my best friends,” Bejarano said. “He's been like a dad to me, a good mentor. He's been friends with me for a long time, and now we have a chance to work together here in Kentucky.

“I can't wait to start at Ellis Park, seeing old friends. I enjoyed it a lot, even when I didn't speak a word of English.”

Bejarano acknowledges he'll be facing a much deeper riding colony than when he last rode at Ellis Park.

“It's going to more of a challenge (but) more opportunities,” he said. “California, it was only five, six horses in races. Here, everyone has a chance to ride. It will be better for building a new business here. A lot of good riders here, and that's good.”

Leparoux's mounts have won 2,729 races through Wednesday and almost $169 million (25th all-time) since he came over from his native France in 2003 as an exercise rider. He started riding races in 2005 at Saratoga and was voted the Eclipse Award champion apprentice the next year, winning 403 races and almost $12.5 million in purses. Leparoux also was voted the Eclipse Award jockey in 2009, with more than $18 million in purse earnings and 246 wins, highlighted by three Breeders' Cup victories. Leparoux has seven Breeders' Cup victories overall.

The 36-year-old Leparoux, a fixture at Churchill Downs and Keeneland, spent every previous summer of his career at Saratoga with the exception of 2013, when he was in California. He has earned 12 riding titles at Keeneland, nine at Churchill Downs, three at Turfway Park and two at Kentucky Downs.

Leparoux and his wife, Shea, have planned to stay in Kentucky this summer since last year. Their eldest son, Mitchell, will be in pre-school next month. Meanwhile, younger son Vinn isn't the only 2-year-old the jockey wants to be around this summer.

“Ellis Park, the meet is getting much stronger now,” Leparoux said. “A lot of 2-year-old races look like they're very tough. I think it makes sense to stay home. As long as we can stay together as a family, it's a big thing for us. The school in Kentucky starts in mid-August, so it's good to be home. And if I need to, I can still go to Saratoga for the weekend and come back. It works out well for us if we can stay at home and not move, which is not easy with two kids. It's great. We'll stay home and try to get some good business for later on in the year.”

Leparoux rode opening day last year, winning on one of three mounts, returning a few days later to ride in a stakes race.

“I went in opening day just to see how it was,” he said. “I know the track is good. The turf course is good, too. Safe.”

In coming to Ellis Park, the jockeys are following the path taken in recent years by notable riders such as Florent Geroux, Brian Hernandez Jr., Corey Lanerie and others who have stayed in Kentucky for the summer while maintaining the flexibility to head out of town for weekend stakes races.

“The horsemen stay in Kentucky more now,” Leparoux said. “They used to go to Saratoga, like us jockeys. I don't think they're sending as many horses as they used to. I think you'll see the jockeys stay in Kentucky more than in the past. A lot of good 2-year-olds came out of Ellis Park. It's the future; you ride those horses for the next year and hopefully you can be in the Kentucky Derby with them.”

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KEEP: President’s Suspension Of New H-2B Visas ‘A Massive Blow’ To Kentucky’s Equine Industry

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) released the following response to President Donald Trump's announcement that no new H-2B visas would be issued in 2020:

On Monday, June 22, 2020, President Trump issued an order that extends the federal government's suspension of new H-2B visas, as well as other work visas, through the end of the year. This order, as with the previous order issued in March, claims to open up new jobs to Americans during a time of record unemployment. However, when it comes to the Kentucky horse industry, this order will put our industry at severe risk.

H-2B visas are critical to Kentucky's horse industry. During a typical year, the demand for H-2B visas vastly outpaces the supply. To fully suspend the issuance of these visas is a massive blow to the Commonwealth's signature industry.

KEEP represents and advocates on behalf of the entire horse industry in Kentucky – all horse breeds and disciplines. KEEP's goal is to preserve, promote and protect Kentucky's signature $4 billion industry. Without a workforce that can meet the demands of the growing industry, it will be difficult for that economic impact to continue at the same level, especially as we are working to recover from the global pandemic.

KEEP is contacting Kentucky's Senators and Representatives in Washington to make them aware of this issue. Additionally, KEEP has joined with other businesses and trade associations across the country who are impacted by this decision to provide a response to the President and to the Congress.

Because the horse industry deals with animals that must be cared for, regardless of the pandemic, it is imperative that the industry can hire the labor force it needs. Additionally, equine operations across the state are working to ensure that their employees have necessary PPE and can work in a safe environment. Fortunately, due to the outdoor nature of the industry, it makes this much easier.

KEEP, through a partnership with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Workforce Center, has spent the last two years building the framework for a talent pipeline that will bring more Kentuckians into the horse industry. While we are confident that this will result in an increase in the homegrown workforce for our industry, this will not happen overnight. With unemployment in Kentucky reaching alarming levels, we are hopeful that Kentuckians will look to the horse industry for employment. However, historically, there has not been an affinity for these types of jobs.

Kentucky is leading the country when it comes to the horse industry and its economic impact. With nearly 80,000 jobs, more than 238,000 equines and 35,000 horse operations in Kentucky today, KEEP feels strongly that the industry will recover from the pandemic. However, without a full workforce, that future is in danger. KEEP will continue advocating to ensure that Kentucky's horse industry has an adequate labor pool to meet our workforce needs and will continue developing career pathways for Kentuckians to join this industry.

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Two Inseparable Racehorses To Retire To Old Friends, Avoid Heartbreak

When Carl “Bunny” Meister Jr. and wife Linda sold their 133-acre Tarad Hill Farm in West Chester, PA, they were lucky enough to remain on the property as the new owners planned on building a home. However, two of the horses the Meister's had pensioned on the farm were unable to remain on the property: Bo's a Ten and Magic Weisner.

During her racing career, Bo's a Ten raced 43 times and won about $40,000. After retiring from racing, the mare had three foals for Marie Morrisson and was then sold to Theresa Groff. The mare was a cable jumper, but Groff decided she was more interested in riding outside of the arena; Groff moved the mare to Tarad Hill Farm to allow for more trail riding time.

Magic Weisner had a much more illustrious career, most notably finishing second to War Emblem in the 2002 Preakness Stakes and winning the Maryland Juvenile Championship in 2001. He then finished three-quarters of a length behind War Emblem in the Preakness and ran second to him again in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth. The gelding was trained by Nancy Alberts.

Plans to run Magic Weisner in the Pennsylvania Derby were derailed when he was diagnosed with West Nile Virus and retired to Tarad Hill Farm. Bo's a Ten, owned by Theresa Groff, joined the gelding five years ago, much to Magic Weisner's delight. The two horses became inseparable—so much so that Groff purchased a second horse to ride so Bo's a Ten didn't have to leave Magic Weisner behind while out on the trails.

When Tarad Hill went up for sale, Meister asked if he could have Bo's a Ten to ensure Magic Weisner's heart didn't break if they became separated. After a few phone calls to Michael Blowen, the fate of the two was sealed: both would ship to Georgetown, KY, in the summer of 2020 and live out their lives at Old Friends Farm.

Read more at Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred.

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Ellis Park Moves Opening Day to July 2

In an effort to ensure that all health and safety protocols are in place, officials at Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky, announced that they are moving back the scheduled opening day of the season from June 28 to July 2.

“We were going to be open one day and then be dark for three days, before picking back up on July 2,” said Jeff Inman, Ellis Park’s general manager. “Just waiting until July 2 gives us additional valuable time to institute all the safety protocols involved with staging horse racing in the COVID-19 era. We are looking forward to the new opening date being a kickoff to a big four-day July 4th weekend.”

The track plans on conducting spectator-free racing at the beginning of the meet, with hopes that the doors can be opened to fans at some point.

“At this point we are unable to commit to having spectators in the grandstand and in the grassy picnic areas near the racetrack apron and paddock,” Inman said. “We’re awaiting word from Gov. Beshear’s office as to when we can open areas outside of the Clubhouse. We cannot wait to get our fans back and we will be ready to go as soon as Gov. Beshear and his staff feel that it is safe.”

Ellis will pause following Independence Day weekend when racing shifts to Keeneland for five days and will resume July 17. The track’s two marquee days are set for Aug. 2 (Kentucky Downs Preview Day) and Aug. 9, featuring the $200,000 Ellis Park Derby, a points race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby Sept. 5.

The post Ellis Park Moves Opening Day to July 2 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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