Rosario Off His Spa Mounts Wednesday; Camacho Set To Return Friday at Monmouth

Per agent Ron Anderson, Joel Rosario is off his mounts Wednesday at Saratoga as he still has soreness in his mouth after requiring stitches Saturday when Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic) tragically broke down in the GI Test S., NYRA's Keith McCalmont said in a tweet Wednesday. Rosario will aim for a return to riding on Thursday, Anderson added.

After being sidelined more than five weeks due to an injury suffered in a spill on July 2 at Monmouth Park, jockey Samy Camacho will resume riding on Friday, the track said in a release Wednesday.

Camacho will ease into his return with three mounts on the eight-race card. The jockey, who remains tied for second (with Jairo Rendon) in the Oceanport standings, suffered a right shoulder injury in the mishap.

Samy Camacho | Monmouth Park Web

“I'm ready to come back,” said Camacho. “I feel good. I'm ready to go again. I'm not 100 percent, but I am close to being completely healed.”

Camacho said he intends to ride through the end of the Monmouth Park meet on Sept. 11 before heading to Florida to ride for the winter.

“His first day back we didn't want to overdo it,” said Mike Moran, Camacho's agent. “But he says he is feeling great and I'm looking forward to seeing him ride again.”

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Gonzalez/Camacho Suffer Injuries In Sunday Fall At Monmouth

After initially saying he was uninjured following a spill he was involved in on Sunday at Monmouth Park–and even riding two races later–jockey Jorge Luis Gonzalez revealed Monday that he suffered a stable fracture of his L3 vertebrae from the incident that could sideline him four to six weeks.

Gonzalez went for tests at Monmouth Medical Center late Sunday night after feeling discomfort.

“I'm in a lot of pain now,” he said.

In addition, jockey Samy Camacho, involved in the same spill, will undergo further evaluation Monday in Florida to learn the extent of a right shoulder injury he suffered during the mishap, according to his agent Mike Moran.

Camacho, second in the rider standings at Monmouth Park with 29 wins, flew to Tampa Sunday night. Camacho lives in the Tampa area.

“His shoulder is sore, but the X-rays (taken Sunday at Monmouth Medical Center) did not show anything broken,” said Moran. “It could be dislocated, we're not sure. But the initial X-rays did not show a break.”

Camacho hit the turf in the fourth race when his mount, Bingo's Girl (Yoshida {Jpn}), could not avoid a fallen Momma Kim (Noble Mission {GB}) and jockey Jorge Gonzalez. Momma Kim went down after clipping heels with Gold Alliance (Goldencents), who drifted out at the three-eighths mark of the five-furlong grass event for 2-year-old fillies.

Because of the uncertainty over the extent of the injury, Moran did not yet have a timetable for Camacho's return. The 35-year-old from Caracas, Venezuela, has been riding first call for Klaravich Stables and Chad Brown at Monmouth Park, having won with eight of 14 starters for those connections at the meet.

“He will be off at least a week, maybe a couple of weeks,” said Moran. “We should know more after he sees the doctor today. He wants to be 100 percent when he does come back.”

Gonzalez, who has five wins from 42 starts at the Monmouth meet, said he has scheduled a follow-up with an orthopedist.

He said he initially did not think he had suffered any injuries in the spill and even rode Bayou Shack (Shackleford) to a second-place finish two races later.

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With Sights Set On Riding Title, Camacho Kicks Off Tampa Bay Meet With Opening-Day Triple

Gerald Bennett says there are several riders capable of winning the 2020-2021 riding  title at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla. But the perennial leading trainer thinks most of the track's jockeys will spend a fair amount of time chasing Samy Camacho.

“He's psyched up to get leading rider, and he knows this track because he's been riding on it long enough. He's going to be tough,” Bennett said.

The 32-year-old Camacho, who won the 2018-2019 championship, got off to an excellent start on Wednesday's opening day card, riding three winners with a second and a third.

Today's card marked the first time Tampa Bay Downs has conducted racing in front of spectators since March 15.

Camacho displayed determination, strength and patience in Wednesday's performance. In the first race, an $8,000 claiming affair at a distance of a mile and 40 yards, he re-rallied 4-year-old gelding Campaign Spy for a nose victory from 3-5 favorite Jack B Winkle. Campaign Spy is owned by Rodney M. Miller and trained by Jon Arnett, who was making his first career start at Tampa Bay Downs.

Camacho added the third race on the turf aboard 2-year-old Florida-bred gelding Handsome Effort, waiting until the last possible moment in the one-mile, $16,000 claiming contest to urge the winner past Top Bomb by a head. Handsome Effort is owned by Foley Bloodstock and trained by Thomas D. Foley.

Another Camacho victory came in the fourth, a $5,000 claiming sprint, aboard 5-year-old Florida-bred gelding Perfetto for trainer Bennett and owner William MacKinnon.

Bennett said Camacho has learned the importance of not rushing horses approaching the stretch at Tampa Bay Downs, where experienced riders have been known to take advantage of an over-eager jockey by “floating” a charging horse and rider farther out to the middle of the track, blunting their rally.

“I started him out when he first came here (during the 2015-2016 meeting), and I told him you can't override a horse coming around the turn because they'll start spinning their wheels,” Bennett said. “That part (of the race) from the 3/8-mile pole to the quarter-mile pole, is where you hold your horse together, then move with them later.

“He's getting this track down pat now, he's competitive and you can see he's having fun when he rides. Mike (Moran), his agent, was a good rider, and he'll take Samy aside at the end of the day to talk about what happened.”

The meeting is just getting started, but Camacho has already served notice he's laser-focused on staying at the top. “I think my confidence comes from experience,” Camacho said, “but I'm still learning a lot. I trust myself and I think I have a chance to win every race I ride.”

Of course, Camacho's self-belief received a major boost when he won the Grade 2, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on King Guillermo in March.

“It feels great to win three races on opening day. I brought my family here today, and to have them here is a fantastic feeling,” he said. “I have to give all the thanks to my horses, the owners and the trainers, and my agent, who is working hard for me to be successful.”

Around the oval. Bennett won two races, also scoring in the second with 2-year-old Florida-bred filly R Averie Lynn. She is owned by Averill Racing and ATM Racing and was ridden by Tampa Bay Downs newcomer Roberto Alvarado, Jr.

In Wednesday's featured eighth race, the Happy Thanksgiving Purse at 6 ½ furlongs on the main dirt track, 6-year-old Florida-bred gelding High Five Cotton staved off a threat from Expensive Style to post a ¾-length victory. The winner's time was 1:16.44, less than a second off the track record.

The victory was the third in a row for High Five Cotton, who improved to 14-for-50 lifetime. Antonio Gallardo rode the winner for owner Bob Apicelli's Carole Star Stables and trainer Jose H. Delgado.

Tampa Bay Downs is closed Thursday for Thanksgiving. Thoroughbred racing continues Friday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:47 p.m. The track currently races on a Wednesday-Friday-Saturday schedule, with Sundays added to the mix on Dec. 20. Additionally, Tampa Bay Downs will conduct a Thursday card on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, and be closed Christmas, Dec. 25.

Otherwise, the track is open every day for simulcast wagering, no-limits action and tournament play in The Silks Poker Room and golf fun and instruction at The Downs Golf Practice Facility.

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Ever-Consistent Antonio Gallardo Scores Fifth Leading Rider Title At Tampa Bay Downs

For two days, Antonio Gallardo tried to ride through the pain in his right knee. But after finishing second aboard 4-year-old filly Olendon in his sixth assignment on May 30 at Tampa Bay Downs, he knew the risk of doing more serious damage demanded he seek medical attention.

The diagnosis wasn't really a surprise: a small fracture that would heal with rest and treatment. The 32-year-old jockey has set his sights on returning to action at Monmouth Park in New Jersey, which starts its 75th season on July 3.

“I'm using laser therapy and a lot of ice and swimming in the pool,” said Gallardo. “I'll have to decide what to do after I see the doctor again on June 24, but I'm trying hard to be ready for that first weekend.”

Gallardo will head to Monmouth with his fifth Tampa Bay Downs riding title in seven seasons. He rode 122 winners during the 2019-2020 meeting, 23 more than six-time champion Daniel Centeno, who has moved his tack to Delaware Park. Last year's champion, Samy Camacho, in third place with 96 winners, is at Gulfstream Park.

Gallardo, who has also won four titles at Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pa., holds the Oldsmar single-season record of 147 victories, set during the 2014-2015 meeting. The product of Jerez de la Frontera in Cadiz, Spain has ridden 1,916 winners in the United States, finishing second in the country in 2015 and 2016 with 320 and 332 victories, respectively.

“Every title feels good. My first one (2013-2014) was really special, because I remember how slow I started in this country and how good it felt to break out,” Gallardo said. “But when you win one or two titles, the difficult part is staying on top. The only way you stay there is to try your best every day and be good to everybody.”

Although he did not win a stakes race here this season, Gallardo's day-in, day-out consistency helped him surpass Camacho for the track's money-leading crown. His mounts earned $1,626,842, $4,592 more than Camacho, who won the Grade II, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on March 7 on King Guillermo.

Gallardo's 22.8-percent strike rate was also best among all jockeys with 10 or more mounts. On Jan. 19, he rode five winners on a Tampa Bay Downs card for the fifth time, and he tied a track record on April 29 by teaming with trainer Claude “Shug” McGaughey, III on three victories.

“It was weird that I didn't win a stakes, but you can't be greedy,” said Gallardo, who won five stakes during the 2018-2019 Oldsmar meeting and has eight career graded-stakes victories, including the Grade I United Nations Stakes in 2018 at Monmouth on Funtastic. “Every season is different with new jockeys and new trainers, and I feel good with what happened.

“I'm thankful to the trainers and grooms and exercise riders who help me, and to my agent, Mike Moran, for getting me on good horses. And everyone at the track who has done a real good job dealing with (COVID-19).”

Gallardo, who lives with his wife Polliana and their children – 11-year-old Carlos and 6-year-old Christa – on a nearby farm, has felt the effects of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic beyond his profession and home life. His parents, sister, grandmother and numerous other relatives live in Spain, one of the countries hardest hit by the virus.

“That has made it a rough time not only for me, but for a lot of people,” said Gallardo, who visited his homeland last fall. “I worry about my family staying safe and wish for everyone to be responsible because (the virus) is still here.”

Putting the brakes on a career, and a lifestyle that brings one into contact with top Thoroughbred owners and trainers, isn't easy for a world-class jockey. But Gallardo plans to take his next steps with confidence once he receives medical clearance and is able to compete at 100 percent.

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