Having the skills to ride in both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse races has paid off for Jockey Rodney Prescott. The Portland, Ind. native reached a milestone not many jockeys obtain as he scored his 4,000th career win for combined Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse races Wednesday, June 17 at Indiana Grand.
Prescott, Indiana's all-time leading jockey, was a winner in the afternoon's opening race, guiding Serena's Hope to victory in a near gate to wire performance in the five-furlong sprint. Once the five-year-old daughter by Strong Hope was on the lead, she continued to open up on the field, winning by more than seven lengths to give Prescott another milestone in his already stellar riding career.
“This mare (Serena's Hope) had the winter off, and I actually rode her mom (Serena's Reward) for the same owners,” said Prescott. “I've been breezing her in the mornings and she's been breezing well. She broke well today, and she likes to be out front. That is the perfect scenario for her. She really finished well today too, and winning in that time (:59.16), that's pretty quick for this track.”
“It's nice to get a milestone like this on a horse trained by Kim (Hammond),” said Prescott. “She is the winningest female trainer in history. The past few years, we have done well together, so this was a nice horse to get this win on.”
Later in the card, Prescott connected for another win aboard Flat Meadow in a five-furlong turf allowance optional claimer, giving him a riding double for the day.
Prescott now has 3,869 Thoroughbred wins and 132 Quarter Horse wins. Of those total wins, 1,143 of them have been recorded at Indiana Grand. Prescott has competed in all 26 years of pari-mutuel racing held in the state of Indiana, dating back to the inaugural season at Hoosier Park in 1995. Prescott is a three-time leading jockey at Indiana Grand, winning the title in 2004, 2005 and 2018. He also shares the title for most wins recorded in one program, winning six races in 2013. Prescott has also won 28 Thoroughbred stakes races at Indiana Grand.
Prescott is also ranked fourth on the list of all-time leading Quarter Horse jockeys. He has 12 career Quarter Horse stakes victories at the track, bringing his combined Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse stakes win total to 40 at Indiana Grand.
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