TIEA Newcomer Finalist Madeline Rowland Rides First Winner At Belmont’s Aqueduct Meet

Madeline Rowland's journey to becoming a jockey reached the next level last Sunday when she scored her first win on the NYRA circuit over the Aqueduct main track.

Still just a teenager and already over the million-dollar mark in earnings, Rowland knew early on that her future was in horses.

“I always grew up around horses,” she said. “My dad trained steeplechase horses before he passed and my mom galloped for a little bit and helped my dad train. When I was 12 or 13, I started pony racing and then I started working for Lizzie Merryman when I was 15 or 16. And ever since then, [I knew] I was going to be jockey.”

Now based around the Mid-Atlantic after a hugely successful winter at Tampa Bay Downs, Rowland enjoys the hustle of riding multiple tracks in the same week.

“After doing pretty good in Tampa [Bay Downs], and coming to ride in the Mid-Atlantic, I definitely had goals and things I had to work for,” said Rowland. “It's awesome though because there's so many tracks around here that you can ride from one hour to six hours away. It's tough here,” she admits. “It was a little hard to get going but I am happy with how it's going now. I've been riding with really great people that have helped me a lot and I've gotten really good opportunities.”

Through the learning process of being an apprentice jockey, Rowland cops to being her own biggest critic. When asked what the hardest part of the journey had been thus far, she said, “Being honest, beating myself up. I really want to do a good job. I do see improvement in my riding but I think because I care so much about the horses, I make it that much harder on myself.”

As fort he most enjoyable part, Rowland said, “Working with the horses and getting paid to do something I would probably do for free! I absolutely love the horses. Winning a race is always the best feeling, especially meaningful wins like the other day [for trainer Michael Dini]. Mike has helped me out so much, [it] was absolutely amazing to win a race in New York.”

Now a finalist in the Newcomer division for the Oct. 14 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, Rowland looks to have a big month ahead.

“It's so awesome. Horses have always been such a huge part of my life,” she said. “I don't know where I'd be without them. They have taught me so much about work ethic, discipline, and really how to care of these animals and put them before ourselves. That's what you have to do in this business. And it means so much to be nominated for an award like this to show horsemanship. It's not just about winning races–it's about caring for these amazing animals who are trying so hard for us.”

With a weekend of rides coming up at the Meadowlands, seven entries over both days, Rowland shares the hopes of many of us along the Mid-Atlantic after a week of less-than-ideal weather.

“I just hope we run [on the turf],” she laughed. “We've had so much rain this week. We'll see how it goes. The horses are all in good spots so I'm hopeful [for my chances].”

And once the action slows down up north, Rowland looks forward to returning to her south Florida roots.

“That track [Tampa Bay Downs] will always be my favorite just because I've done so well there. I love their turf and the people there. There's very kind people that want to help you, and the racing is really good and competitive. I'll drive back to down to Tampa [Bay Downs] in the beginning of November for the meet there that starts at the end of the month.”

Click here to view Rowland's TIEA video.

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Arrogate Sires First Stakes Winner at Gulfstream

The late Arrogate (Unbridled's Song)'s freshman season finished strong with a pair of good-looking winners on Friday, and on Saturday he was represented by his first black-type winner at the same venue at which he dominated the inaugural GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational almost five years ago.

Alittleloveandluck was sixth in her grassy debut at Saratoga Aug. 29, and seventh after showing the way at Belmont a few weeks later. She improved to third when switched to dirt and outfitted with blinkers at Parx Oct. 18, and broke through by a nose over a next-out graduate in a state-bred event on the local Tapeta Nov. 12.

Well held to sit in the pocket around the first bend, the grey was shuffled back slightly on to the backside as they crawled along. Trapped behind a wall of rivals spinning for home, she was guided far outside by Paco Lopez, and while she spotted her competition some real estate with that move, she leveled off powerfully to inhale Ocean Safari in the waning stages.

The well-bred winner's dam was purchased for just $30,000 in foal to Into Mischief at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale–one year before her daughter Victory to Victory (Exchange Rate) would take the GI Natalma S. en route to champion 2-year-old filly honors in Canada. Points of Grace, winner of the 2009 GII Dance Smartly S., also on the Woodbine turf, produced a colt and filly, respectively, by Tapit in 2020 and 2021. The former fetched $250,000 from Donato Lanni at the most recent Keeneland September sale.

GINGER BREW S., $100,000, Gulfstream, 1-1, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:36.68, fm.
1–ALITTLELOVEANDLUCK, 118, f, 3, by Arrogate
1st Dam: Points of Grace (Ch. Grass Mare-Can, GSW, $502,353), by Point Given
                2nd Dam: Fateful, by Topsider
                3rd Dam: Fate's Reward, by Key to the Mint
($135,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN.
O-Michael Dini; B-Helen & Joseph Barbazon (FL); T-Michael
Dini; J-Paco Lopez. $60,760. Lifetime Record: 5-2-0-1, $93,805.
*1/2 to Victory to Victory (Exchange Rate), Ch. 2-year-old
Filly-Can, GISW, $210,804. **First black-type winner for sire
(by Unbridled's Song).
2–Ocean Safari, 118, f, 3, Temple City–Media Access, by Devil's
Bag. ($7,000 Ylg '20 KEEJAN; $19,000 RNA Ylg '20 EASOCT;
$42,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Soldi Stable LLC
& Ohana Racing LLC; B-Cricket Hooper & Athens Woods LLC
(KY); T-Gilberto Zerpa. $19,600.
3–Opalina, 118, f, 3, Optimizer–Go Kitten Go, by Kitten's Joy.
1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Teneri Farm & J Stables LLC; B-Teneri
Farms Inc. & Bernardo Alvarez Calderon (FL); T-Roderick R.
Rodriguez. $9,800.
Margins: HF, 1 3/4, 2HF. Odds: 7.90, 3.90, 1.00.
Also Ran: Lady Puchi, Strategy Queen, Li Li Bear, Louella Street.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Maven Heads Lucky Coin Field On Friday Card At Saratoga

Richard Ravin's Group 3-winner winner Maven headlines Friday's $120,000 Lucky Coin at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trained by Wesley Ward, Maven enters the Lucky Coin, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for older horses who have not won a stakes this year, from an off-the-board effort in the Group 1 King's Stand on June 15 at Ascot.

The 4-year-old American Pharoah chestnut has been a boom-or-bust proposition with four wins and four off-the-board efforts from eight starts. As a 2-year-old, Maven graduated on debut on the main track at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.,  in April 2019 and two months later shipped to France and captured the Group 3 Prix du Bois traveling five furlongs on the Chantilly turf.

Last year, Maven won a turf allowance sprint at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., but finished off-the-board in the Mahony at Saratoga and the Grade 3 Franklin-Simpson at Kentucky Downs.

“He didn't really run too well at Saratoga, but he may have been on a bit of a downward spiral then,” Ward said. “We gelded him last year [in October] and at the time that we gelded him, it was getting to be the fall of the year and I didn't really want to take him down to Florida so we just gave him the extra time. He had no issues. He just ran a couple of poor races.”

Maven kicked off his 4-year-old campaign with an allowance score on the Keeneland turf in April that garnered a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure before shipping overseas and finishing 11th in the five-furlong King's Stand under Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez.

“We brought him back in the spring and he was a little short going into his first race. He really amazed me how he just exploded that day to the front like he does,” Ward said. “Turning for home, I was expecting him to stop and he just kind of re-broke, and he really wasn't ready. So, that's what inspired me to take him over to Royal Ascot at a distance that I thought would be just awesome for him, five-eighths, off the big numbers he got off his Keeneland run.

“It was good spacing and everything you want to see. I had my rider, Johnny, on him that won on him,” Ward continued. “He broke and kind of sprinted out there and when the running started, he just didn't have it. I'm not sure if this is a horse that is just a horse-for-course or if he can take his show on the road. That's a little bit of a question mark. That said, he's training really, really well right now.”

Velazquez will pilot Maven from the outermost post 8.

Marc Keller's Pulsate, a 5-year-old Speightstown chestnut trained by Robert Ribaudo, was a prominent second in last year's Lucky Coin, finishing 1 1/4-lengths back of Battle Station.

A strong second in his seasonal debut in a six-furlong optional-claiming turf sprint at Belmont on July 4, Pulsate faded to fourth last out sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs on the main track on August 6 at the Spa.

Manny Franco [post 4] will look to provide Pulsate his first win since December 2019.

Patricia Generazio's New York homebred Maxwell Esquire finished 2 1/4-lengths back of Pulsate last out on July 4.

Trainer Christophe Clement said the 4-year-old Discreet Cat colt has trained well enough to earn a fourth career stakes start and first since finishing fifth in the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship in November.

“He's training well and doing well,” Clement said. “We were looking at other races but we'll see if he can face good horses and see what happens.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. has picked up the mount from post 5.

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Gatsas Stables' Backtohisroots will look to make amends after stumbling at the start last out on October 4 in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational and unseating Jose Lezcano.

The 5-year-old son of Mark Valeski, a first-time gelding trained by John Terranova, boasts a record of 13-3-4-2 with purse earnings of $196,075, including a rallying score in an optional-claiming turf sprint in August 2020 at the Spa.

Backtohisroots will exit post 6 under Luis Saez.

Rounding out the field are Noble Emotion [post 3, Jose Ortiz] a four-time winner from 10 starts for trainer Horacio DePaz; Holiday Stone [post 7, Tyler Gaffalione], an eight-time winner with purse earnings of $532,159 for trainer George Weaver; The Connector [post 2, Willie Martinez], a Monmouth Park ship-in for trainer Michael Dini; and Guildsman [post 1, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], a three-time winner for trainer Robert Falcone, Jr.

The Lucky Coin is slated as Race 9 on Friday's 10-race card. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Update: Jockeys Mejia, Figueroa Escape Serious Injury In Monmouth Spill

Jockeys Tomas Mejia and Heriberto Figueroa did not suffer any serious injuries in Sunday's fifth-race accident at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., and both riders were released that night from a local hospital after being evaluated.

One of the two horses involved, Rose for a Saint, sustained only minor scrapes after falling onto the turf, while the other, Service With Honor, sustained a knee injury that will likely end his racing career. 

Mejia was between horses aboard Service With Honor rounding the far turn of the 1 1/16 mile grass contest when horse and rider suddenly went down after clipping heels. Figueroa and Rose for a Saint were unable to avoid Service With Honor and also fell.

Robert Tuccille, agent for Mejia, said the 25-year-old is “very sore” but no fractures or internal injuries were found in a series of CT scans and X-rays. “It looked like maybe a horse nicked him after he went down,” Tuccille said. “He was in and out of consciousness and heavily medicated.” 

Tuccille said Mejia will need medical clearance but anticipates that he could be back riding within a week.

John Salamone, agent for Figueroa, said the rider is taking an anti-inflammatory for some body soreness but did not suffer a concussion, fractures or internal injuries. Figueroa took off his mounts at Colonial Downs on Monday but will ride at Monmouth on Friday, Salamone said.

Salamone said he visited Rose for a Saint at trainer Skip Einhorn's barn and the horse had only minor scrapes. Tuccille said trainer Michael Dini was at the hospital Sunday night to check on the condition of Mejia and said Service With Honor will likely be retired from racing because of an injury to his knee but will be able to go on to a second career.

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