“I've got to thank Brad (trainer Cox),” Murrill said. “This is the first horse I've ridden for him in my career, so it's kind of nice to get into the winner's circle for him. He told me before the race that the horse (Yin Yang) was going to be keen and to try to get her to relax and keep her running forward. She did it today.”

Earlier on the card Murrill won the fourth race on Cypriano for trainer Chris Hartman, who just two days earlier reached a milestone of his own at Fair Grounds, winning his 1,500 career race. The duo has contributed greatly to each other's success, teaming up for 82 wins since first joining forces four years ago. Following a five for ten winning streak, Murrill had been in an 0 for 23 slump prior to his fourth race score.

“It's pretty awesome,” Murrill said of reaching the milestone. “All week it's been pretty tough to get into the winner's circle, but we got it done and I can't be more grateful for everyone who has contributed.”

The 27-year-old native of Mobile, Ala., scored his first career win aboard Golden Barbara on May 28, 2014. Perennially in the top five in the jockey standings at both Fair Grounds and Arlington Park, he had a breakthrough meet in November at Churchill Downs, finishing fifth with 15 wins.  He earned a career-best $5,619,207 in purses in 2021 and counts the 2018 Fair Grounds Oaks (G3) aboard Chocolate Martini as his biggest win to date.

“Gerard Melancon helped me out from the very beginning when I started riding at Evangeline,” Murrill said. “It's hard grinding, working. My agent Tim (Hanisch) is out here every day working hard, trying to make connections with everybody and trying to keep everybody happy. We are just trying to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.”

Murrill's parents and girlfriend had been in attendance earlier in the week, awaiting the milestone win that didn't come until Sunday.

“I told them if I didn't win, they had to go home,” Murrill joked. “I wish they could have been here to share this with me.”

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“I've got to thank Brad,” Murrill said. “This is the first horse I've ridden for him in my career, so it's kind of nice to get into the winner's circle for him. He told me before the race that the horse was going to be keen and to try to get her to relax and keep her running forward. She did it today.”

Earlier on the card, Murrill won the fourth race on Cypriano (Custom for Carlos) for trainer Chris Hartman, who just two days earlier reached a milestone of his own at Fair Grounds, winning his 1,500th career race. The duo has contributed greatly to each other's success, teaming up for 82 wins since first joining forces four years ago.

Following a five for 10 winning streak, Murrill had been in an 0 for 23 slump prior to his fourth race score.

“It's pretty awesome,” Murrill said of reaching the milestone. “All week it's been pretty tough to get into the winner's circle, but we got it done and I can't be more grateful for everyone who has contributed.”

The 27-year-old native of Mobile, Alabama scored his first career win aboard Golden Barbara May 28, 2014. He earned a career-best $5,619,207 in purses in 2021 and counts the 2018 GIII Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks aboard Chocolate Martini as his biggest win to date.

“Gerard Melancon helped me out from the very beginning when I started riding at Evangeline,” Murrill said. “It's hard grinding, working. My agent Tim [Hanisch] is out here every day working hard, trying to make connections with everybody and trying to keep everybody happy. We are just trying to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.”

The post Murrill Scores Career Win 1,000 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Ridden by Mitchell Murrill for trainer Chris Hartman, Necker Island ran six furlongs in 1:09.22 over a fast track to give the jockey and conditioner their third win together on the 11-race program.

It was Necker Island's first career stakes win, but he has proven fruitful for owner Wayne Scherr after he and other partners claimed the horses for $100,000 on June 13, 2020. Since then, Necker Island finished third in the $300,000 Grade 3 Indiana Derby and $200,000 Ellis Park Derby, which led to a start in the 2020 Kentucky Derby. This was his third victory in seven starts this year.

The win was worth $183,450 and improved Necker Island's career earnings to $565,532 with a record of 5-1-4 in 18 starts.

Necker Island returned $9.40, $4.20, and $3.20 as the 7-2 third betting choice. Mucho, the 5-2 favorite under Rey Gutierrez, paid $3.40 and $3.20. Sir Alfred James, ridden by John McKee, paid $5 to show. Bango, Long Weekend and Atoka completed the order of finish.

Sir Alfred James and Rough Entry battled for the early lead in the field of eight older horses through a first quarter mile in :21.66 as Necker Island raced in fifth along the inside. Necker Island had to check entering the turn as Sir Alfred James and Mucho left the turn vying for the lead in :45.01. Necker Island continued to race along the rail, wore down those rivals, and got up at the wire.

“I saw there was a lot of speed in this race so I wanted to let my horse settle,” Murrill said. “He settled very well up the backside and I had a lot of horse turning for home. I'm really proud of his effort and the Hartman team did a great job getting him ready.”

The race was spoiled by an incident on the turn when Vertical Threat, ridden by Adam Beschizza, and Rough Entry, with Brian Hernandez Jr. up, fell. Both jockeys walked to the onsite ambulance and were examined onsite by EMTs. Rough Entry was corralled by the outriders. Vertical Threat was vanned off.

Necker Island is a 4-year-old son of Hard Spun out of the Mr. Greeley mare Jenny's Rocket and was bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Stables.

Racing at Churchill Downs continues Sunday with a 10-race card that begins at 1 p.m. (all times Eastern). Sunday is Military Appreciation Day with free admission or a discounted $29 ticket to Skye Terrace for active and retired members of the U.S. armed services.

The post Necker Island Scores First Stakes Win In Bet On Sunshine appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer Chris Hartman has 13 wins out of 33 starts at Churchill through Thursday, good for a tie for fourth in the standings behind Brad Cox (17 wins), Brendan Walsh (16) and Mike Maker (15). However, Hartman's 39-percent win rate towers over his colleagues among those with at least 10 starts. Twelve of those winners have been ridden by Mitchell Murrill, who is having a breakout meet since moving his tack from Chicago to Kentucky last year. Murrill has prevailed on 16 of 76 mounts (along with 12 seconds and 10 thirds) to be tied for sixth in the Churchill riding standings, his 21-percent strike rate for winners matching the highest among the leaders.

“Things are going our way,” Murrill said on the Churchill Downs backstretch recently as he prepared to work a horse for Hartman. “We're having good luck together and trying to keep it rolling. I've had a few winners back to back (with other trainers) but not seven or eight in a row. It's definitely helpful to get my name out there and let people see me. Hopefully it will give me more opportunities to collect more business and get more and better rides.”

Hartman's hot streak includes five straight victories and winning seven of eight from June 3 through June 10.

“Blessed meet, that's all I can say. It's unbelievable,” Hartman said, adding in reference to his eight-win meet over the winter at Arkansas' Oaklawn Park, “We didn't win that many, but we had 16 seconds – and lot of them were by a nose. I thought we'd have a good meet here, but you don't really dream you're going to do this good.”

The 26-year-old Murrill describes riding for Hartman as “awesome.”

“He kind of lets me do my thing and he does his,” he said. “We've had a good relationship, and we always seem to be on the same page when it comes to race day. The day (June 5) I rode three and won three, that was a pretty impressive day.”

Already Murrill has blown past his previous high of six wins at a Churchill meet. Six also was his win total last summer at Ellis Park, his first time riding at the western Kentucky track.

“It was tough,” he recalled of his Ellis debut. “It was my first time there, first year in Kentucky. It didn't really go quite as well as we wanted. But we had a few winners and stuck it out, and it's starting to come back around and payoff. I like the track, the distance (1 1/8-mile main track). The surface was good. It was a fun new track to ride at.”

The flip side of winning a lot of races at a meet can be as that horses use up their race conditions, with victory becoming harder to achieve at the next level or in unrestricted races. However, Hartman sounds optimistic about Ellis Park, where he won 11 of 43 starts in 2018 as major client Joey Keith Davis captured the owner's title with seven victories.

“Ellis has a little different variety of horse there,” Hartman said. “But we've got horses we haven't even run yet at Churchill so hopefully they'll be strong there. And we've got 11 'babies,' so hopefully we'll get some of them rolling.”

Hartman first started using Murrill several years ago Arlington Park, which led to using the jockey in the winters in New Orleans, where the trainer also has a division.

“He just keeps getting better,” the trainer said of Murrill. “He's really been riding great here lately. That's another thing that helps a bunch. He's been riding really good, making winning decisions in a race. That's made the difference in a handful of these races. It's all a team effort. He's riding with absolutely confidence, putting horses where they're supposed to be.”

Murrill began riding full-time in 2014 on the Louisiana circuit before moving on to an Arlington Park-Fair Grounds base in 2015. The jockey quickly stamped himself among the top riders in Chicago before making the jump with agent Tim Hanisch to Kentucky for Churchill Downs' 2020 spring meet.

Yet, if it hadn't been for a high school pal, Murrill might be an electrician and very well would be spending his Saturdays in the fall not in the saddle but in Tuscaloosa watching his beloved Alabama Crimson Tide playing football. Growing up in Mobile, Ala., horse racing wasn't on his radar.

“I played soccer throughout high school and growing up,” Murrill said. “I was going to follow doing what my dad did, doing electrical work. A friend of mine in high school introduced me to some trainers, because he saw my size and said, 'Man, you'd be good at this.' I tried it and stuck it out, and now we're here.”

The old saying about getting back on the horse sums up Murrill's introduction to the sport. He started out getting on horses on farms for several trainers around Mobile.

“They just threw me on,” he said, adding of young horses, “I got on for the first time, I had a couple throw me off because they were babies. I kind of learned the hard way. It was wild at first. I had a concussion from one, when I got knocked out. So I was kind of iffy on it. But I got back on 'em and kept going at it.”

At the same time he began exercising racehorses, young Murrill also was riding bulls. He can testify that bulls are harder to stay on. But there is some cross-over skill between riding bulls and horses, he said.

“It definitely teaches you balance, for sure,” Murrill said, adding that if he fell off a horse, “he's not going to turn around looking for me, trying to kill me. So I stuck with the horses.”

Follow Mitchell Murrill on Twitter @MitchellMurrill. Follow Chris Hartman @CHartmanRacing.

The post ‘Things Are Going Our Way’: Red-Hot Combo Murrill, Hartman Headed To Ellis Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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With an abundance of rain in the days leading up and record-low temperatures on Tuesday, there was little doubt the Mardi Gras would be taken off the grass. Run over 5 ½ furlongs of fast track, only four of the 10 programmed runners stayed in, and the race was over almost as soon as it started.

With Mitchell Murrill aboard for trainer Chris Hartman, who was stranded in Hot Springs, Arkansas due to the wintery conditions there, the 4-year-old daughter of City Zip wasted no time going to the lead. She led while in the clear through fractions of 23.07 and 45.95 before stopping the timer in 1:03.81, winning by an increasing 4 lengths as the 2.30-1 second choice. Compromised slightly by an awkward start from the rail, .70-1 favorite Into Mystic rallied late for second over She's My Gem in third. Misty Day completed the order of finish.

“Yeah man, she's just one dimension,” Murrill said. “She goes out there and gives it 110% every time. Being a little match race as it was, I was a little iffy as to what (favored) Into Mystic was going to do. As it turned out, it worked in my favor getting out on the lead and stretching them out a little bit and she came through for us. Working her in the mornings you couldn't tell she was a turf horse at all. She definitely has a style that suits both surfaces.”

The 13-1 upset winner of the Pan Zareta while sprinting on turf earlier in the meet, Elle Z would return to finish second behind Into Mystic under similar circumstances in the Nelson J. Menard last time out. They've made up the exacta three times at the meet, with Elle Z now holding a 2-1 advantage over Into Mystic.

Elle Z broke her maiden at first asking in the slop at Will Rogers Downs in May, but she faded to fourth at Churchill in her only previous try on a fast track. With the win, Elle Z enhanced her career record to 9-5-1-0 with earnings of $195,524.

“Mardi Gras is a little different this year,” Murrill said. “Hopefully next year we can have all the people out here and celebrate the way you're supposed to.”

The post Speedy Elle Z Takes Off-The-Turf Edition Of Mardi Gras Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Last week, Churchill Downs announced that riders wanting to participate in the Derby will have to arrive in the state of Kentucky by Aug. 31, and participate in several additional coronavirus precautions.

As such, a number of prominent U.S. jockeys won't be making the trip to Kentucky. Jose and Irad Ortiz will both stay in New York, as will Joel Rosario, reports the Daily Racing Form, and last year's Derby winner Flavien Prat will stay in Southern California.

Here's a look at the current 3-year-olds pointing to the Kentucky Derby, and their jockeys (plus state in which they are based), in order of points earned.

1. Tiz the Law – Manny Franco (New York) – 372
2. Authentic – John Velazquez (New York) – 200
3. Art Collector – Brian Hernandez, Jr. (Kentucky) – 150
4. Honor A. P. – Mike Smith (California) – 140
5. Ny Traffic – TBD (last ridden by Paco Lopez) – 110
6. King Guillermo – Samy Camacho (Florida) – 90
7. Thousand Words – Florent Geroux (Kentucky) – 83
8. Dr Post – TBD (last ridden by Joe Bravo) – 80
9. Max Player – Ricardo Santana, Jr. (Kentucky) – 60
10. Caracaro – TBD (last ridden by Javier Castellano) – 60
11. Enforceable – Adam Beschizza (Kentucky) – 43
12. Rushie – TBD (last ridden by Javier Castellano) – 40
13. Major Fed – James Graham (Kentucky) – 38
14. Storm the Court – Julien Leparoux (Kentucky) – 36
15. Attachment Rate – Joe Talamo (Kentucky) – 35
16. Sole Volante – Luca Panici (Florida) – 30
17. Finnick the Fierce – TBD (last ridden by Jose Ortiz) – 25
18. Winning Impression – Joe Rocco, Jr. (Kentucky) – 20
19. Necker Island – Mitchell Murrill (Kentucky) – 14
20. Shirl's Speight – Rafael Hernandez (Canada) – 0
21. Money Moves – TBD (last ridden by Luis Saez) – 0

The post Derby Jockeys: With Several Big Names Staying Home, Kentucky Riders Get A Shot In The Big Dance appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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