marcelino pedroza jr. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Horseshoe Indianapolis Jockeys Collect Toys for Charity

In its eighth year, the jockeys at Horseshoe Indianapolis collected 70 toys that will be donated to the Shelby County CASA (Court Appointed State Advocates) for kids displaced in current home situations. “This toy drive is a great thing we do because we are helping a lot of kids who don't have the opportunity to enjoy Christmas every year,” said DeShawn Parker, winner of more than 6,000 career races. “It makes all of us feel good to do something as a group to help out each year.”

In addition to the annual toy drive, throughout the year the jockeys also raise funds for PDJF (Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund) and for HVAF (Hoosier Veterans and Families) Inc. of Indiana. “It's nice to help and I want to help out whenever I can,” added Marcelino Pedroza, Jr., who is a three-time leading jockey at Horseshoe Indianapolis. “Giving back is important to me. It's the way I was raised, and I want to help any way I can. I hope we can brighten the day of a few kids this Christmas.”

The post Horseshoe Indianapolis Jockeys Collect Toys for Charity appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Indiana Grand Meet Wraps Up

Indiana Grand's 2021 meet concluded Thursday. Randy Klopp, frequently towards the top of the standings, took home his first Thoroughbred trainer's title this year with 59 victories–12 more than the next conditioner–and earnings over $1.2 million. Klopp also teamed up to earn the owner's title with Roger Spiess's Spiess Stable. They partnered for 31 victories at the stand, finishing in the money 59% of the time and racking up more than $621,000 in purse earnings. Marcelino Pedroza Jr. took home his third Indiana leading Thoroughbred rider title with 105 victories, 20 ahead of second, with purse earnings in excess of $3.2 million. Andrea Rodriguez was the Juan Saez Leading Apprentice Jockey with 28 wins. Seven-year-old Wildcard Prado (Fort Prado) was won the Leading Thoroughbred Horse Award after taking six trips to the Indiana Grand winner's circle this season.

The track's Vice President and General Manager of Racing Eric Halstrom was surprised with the “HBPA Excellence of Service Award” from the Indiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association. Halstrom is in his second year at the helm of racing operations at Indiana Grand. This year saw record-setting handle, and Halstrom has implemented a number of changes on the wagering front, including lowered take-out and seeding $50,000 on the closing day Pick 5 as a thank you to horseplayers.

“We've had a tremendous year in racing and it's thanks in part to the cooperation and support of the horsemen,” said Halstrom. “I am very honored to receive this award, and it has special meaning since it comes from the horsemen's organization. We work very hard to put on a great show for them and are constantly looking for ways to create a fun and exciting backdrop to showcase our racing product.”

The 20th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing at Indiana Grand will commence next Apr. 19 and run through Nov. 23.

Record Season…

The 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino ended Thursday, Nov. 11, completing 123 days of racing. Both breeds brought in record numbers for the year, showing a 47% increase in overall handle compared to similar dates in 2019.

With the shortened season in 2020 due to COVID-19, handle figures are compared to 2019 when a full schedule was conducted at Indiana Grand. Total handle for 2021 came in at $223,204,265 compared to handle in 2019 at $151,791,334. The highlight of the meet was another record-setting day for Indiana Derby with total handle reaching $6,292,388.

“Coming off a strong, but abbreviated 2020 season, we entered the 2021 meet with high expectations in terms of handle,” said Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. “We are very pleased that we were able to exceed all of our goals. We have so much to celebrate on the business end of our racing program, but more importantly, we were able to offer a strong racing program thanks to the support of both our Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred horsemen. Our partnership with both breeds allows us to provide promotions and events to complement our racing program. We are really looking forward to the 2022 racing season to continue the momentum.”

Purse money also set new records. Both breeds combined included purses of $36,439,755 over the 123-day meet. A new record for daily purse distribution was also set offering an average of $298,686 per day.

The post Indiana Grand Meet Wraps Up appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Unbridled Victory, Cash Logistics Victorious On Indiana Champions Day

The state's best Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses were in the spotlight Saturday, Oct. 30 during Indiana Champions Day at Indiana Grand in Shelbyville, Ind., featuring purses in excess of $1.3 million. Included on the card were four Thoroughbred Stakes, kicking off the day with the 24th running of the Indiana Stallion Stakes – Filly Division.

Unbridled Victory and Marcelino Pedroza Jr. made their presence known early and went straight to the lead in the six-furlong sprint over a very muddy track. The duo held tough throughout to win by one length at the wire over Everything's Rosy and Eddie Perez. No Trust and Sammy Bermudez closed late for third.

Unbridled Victory is trained by Bernie Flint and owned by Miles Childers, Ed Wright Cattle Company, and L.T.B. Inc. It was the second career win in the third start for the Unbridled Express freshman filly, who just broke her maiden in the start before in early October.

Joining Unbridled Victory as a two-year-old winner on the card was Mr Chaos in the 23rd running of the Crown Ambassador Stakes. Ridden by Rodney Prescott, the Turbo Compressor gelding was making only his second career start in the event, but was an impressive winner in his racing debut to be tagged as the favorite. Prescott got away in mid-pack before moving up into third to track the leaders a little closer as the field turned for home.

In the stretch, Mr Chaos got the lead and was a comfortable winner by one and three-quarter lengths, giving Prescott his 3,997th career win. Too Bad Justice and Joe Ramos held gamely for second while Me and Chili and Marcelino Pedroza Jr. finished third.

“He stepped back a little at the break, but he finished strong and ran a real nice race,” said Prescott. “Rob (Dobbs) has done a really nice job with this horse.”

Mr Chaos is trained by Robert Dobbs Jr. and is owned by Judy Dorris and Ken Sentel. The freshman is now two for two in his brief career with earnings in excess of $80,000.

Older horses were featured in the second running of the $150,000 Unreachable Star Stakes. Cash Logistics and Alex Achard got away near the lead and sat along the outside of Barefootbootlegger and Eddie Perez early before moving on and opening up on the field in the stretch. The four-year-old son of Unbridled Express was a winner by five and three-quarter lengths at the wire over Uphold and Tommy Pompell. Max Express and Sammy Bermudez finished third.

Cash Logistics is trained by Genevieve Londono for owners James and Charlie Hancock. It was his fourth win of the year in eight starts with seven career wins now tallied. He moved his career earnings over $358,000.

The connections of Unreachable Star were trackside to provide a $500 donation to Friends of Ferdinand in honor of the former Indiana champion who was the 2009 Horse of the Year and earned more than $775,000 during his career. David and Loren Osborne have been big supporters of racehorse aftercare programs and wanted to do something to give back to Indiana racing during Indiana Champions Day. Friends of Ferdinand is the only accredited Thoroughbred aftercare program and works directly with many trainers at Indiana Grand to retrain and rehome Thoroughbreds once their racing days have been completed.

[Story Continues Below]

The final Thoroughbred stakes race of the day also honored a former champion with the $150,000 Lady Fog Horn Stakes. The race, named in honor of Indiana's all-time leading mare, Lady Fog Horn, who has in excess of $824,000 in earnings, brought out the state's best older females. Fireball Baby was the race favorite and she proved why she deserved so much support with an impressive win by four lengths, well under wraps by Marcelino Pedroza Jr. The Noble's Promise was behind horses for most of the one and one-sixteenth mile event, but found the room she needed along the inside, scooting through and exploding to the lead. Diamond Solitaire and John McKee were widest in the stretch to close for second over Expect Indy and Emmanuel Esquivel for third.

Fireball Baby is a homebred by Richard and Tammy Rigney's Rigney Racing. It was her seventh career win and a repeat in the Lady Fog Horn. The win also catapulted her into the state's top five all-time earners with a tally of nearly $550,000 in career earnings. Philip Bauer has handled the training duties for the flashy chestnut mare, who is now five.

“I had a lot of confidence in this mare today,” said Pedroza Jr., who scored three wins on the card. “I worked her earlier in the week and she worked amazing, so that gave me a lot of confidence coming into today. I told Philip (Bauer) she has a lot of heart, and she showed it today.”

The Thoroughbred portion of the afternoon was presented by the Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association with numerous giveaways and a reception in the first floor Derby Suite. The day brought a successful Indiana stakes season to a close, which offered more than $4 million in purses on the year throughout the 123-day racing season.

The 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing is now in progress and continues through Thursday, Nov. 11. Live racing is conducted at 2:25 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 11. First post all other Thursdays leading up to the end of the meet begin at 3:25 p.m. A special Indiana Champions Day highlighting the state's top Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses will be held Saturday, Oct. 30, beginning at noon. More information about the 2021 racing season is available at www.caesars.com/indiana-grand.

The post Unbridled Victory, Cash Logistics Victorious On Indiana Champions Day appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Pedroza Splitting Time Between Ellis Park, Indiana Grand

Marcelino Pedroza's hope still is to ride seven days a week this summer: Mondays-Thursdays at Indiana Grand in Shelbyvlle, Ind., where he has a 12-win lead in the jockey standings with 42 victories and a meet-leading $1.12 million in purse earnings, and then Fridays-Sundays at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. While he's found the Ellis opportunities limited so far, the jockey is making the most of them.

With only five mounts spread over four days, Pedroza has two wins and a second. His victories include Saturday's fourth race for locally-based trainer Billy Stinson Jr. in Pedroza's only mount of the afternoon. Stinson also trains Ziggy's Storm, who won with Pedroza on July 3 at 11-1 odds.

“It's been pretty good,” Pedroza said. “I haven't had the opportunities I'm waiting for. But at the same time, I understand that the other guys are working (horses in the mornings) here every week, and I don't work any horses. But I'm glad Billy gave me the opportunity on both of us horses, and we're 2 for 2. Thanks to him and thanks to everybody who have given me the opportunity. Hopefully, I'll get more opportunities.”

Stinson said he rode Pedroza when he first came to Kentucky and now uses him when racing at Indiana Grand.

“He's a really good kid, and he tries hard – and he's a good rider,” Stinson said.

Pedroza lives in Louisville, two hours from Indiana Grand. What makes riding at Ellis possible is that with school out, his family — wife Rocio, daughter Rosie and son Jeremy — can come with him to Henderson.

“When they're in school, it's a little bit tougher because I want to spend time with them,” he said. “I ride only one (Sunday), but they came with me and we'll spend the night here.”

Pedroza got to Ellis Park very early Saturday to work Bango, upon whom he won Churchill Downs' Aristides Stakes for trainer Greg Foley. But torrential rain and thunderstorm forced the track to be closed for training.

“Even all seven days, I don't care. I like to be on a horse,” Pedroza said. “Just like this morning. I came to work horses, and they canceled the works. I told Greg, 'I want to get on a horse.' He said, 'Well, tack shedrow Bango' and another one I ride for him.”

So Pedroza got on the horses and walked them around the barn shedrow, an unusual use of time for a jockey. As he said, “I'm here for work. I'm not here to play.”

The post Pedroza Splitting Time Between Ellis Park, Indiana Grand appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post