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Trainer Faith Wilson Saddles First Winner With ‘Project Horse’ At Her Home Track

Ever wonder how a Thoroughbred trainer celebrates their first career victory?

For 33-year-old Faith Wilson, it was cake at home with her two children, ages five and two.

Wilson, the daughter of former trainers, recorded her first victory in her first year as a trainer – and in her 14th start – when La Luisa captured the ninth race, a $10,000 maiden claimer, at Monmouth Park on Monday.

“I'm beyond ecstatic, especially because this was a project horse that my husband and I own,” she said. “She was a bad bleeder when we got her. We gave her six months off and since then she has been very consistent (with a win, second and third in four starts for Wilson).

“I literally can't wait to get home and have cake with my kids and tell them about this.”

Wilson, an assistant for nine years for a variety of trainers, intended to launch her career at Monmouth Park a year ago “but we got here too late to get started.”

“So we decided to go to Tampa Downs and start there this winter,” she said. “We had a good winter at Tampa (with four seconds and a third from 13 starters) but I guess it was meant to be that I would get my first winner at my home track.”

Wilson's parents, Bill and Donna Wilson, both dabbled as trainers, with her mother spending her career (1989 through 1994) on the New Jersey circuit, which then included Garden State Park, the Meadowlands and Atlantic City Racecourse.

But Wilson will not have much time to savor the victory — though she will be able to have her cake and eat it too. She said she will be back at her barn on the Monmouth Park backstretch first thing Tuesday to tend to her seven horses.

“We have four running next weekend that I have to get ready,” she said.

La Luisa, a 3-year-old daughter of Suns Out Guns Out, returned $10.60 to win for her 1 ¼-length victory.

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First Winner for Trainer Faith Wilson

Trainer Faith Wilson earned the first win of her career when La Luisa (Suns Out Guns Out) captured the ninth race at Monmouth Park Monday.

“I'm beyond ecstatic, especially because this was a project horse that my husband and I own,” the 33-year-old said. “She was a bad bleeder when we got her. We gave her six months off and since then she has been very consistent [with a win, second and third in four starts for Wilson]. I literally can't wait to get home and have cake with my kids and tell them about this.”

Wilson, an assistant for nine years for a variety of trainers, intended to launch her career at Monmouth Park a year ago “but we got here too late to get started.”

“So we decided to go to Tampa Downs and start there this winter,” she said. “We had a good winter at Tampa [with four seconds and a third from 13 starters], but I guess it was meant to be that I would get my first winner at my home track.”

Wilson, who has a string of seven horses at Monmouth, won't have too much time to celebrate the first victory.

“We have four running next weekend that I have to get ready,” she said.

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Sam Boulmetis, Sr Dies at 94

Hall-of-Fame jockey Sam Boulmetis Sr. died May 30 in Red Bank, New Jersey, following a lengthy illness. He was 94.

DRF.com first reported his death on Monday, citing confirmation from his daughter, Kim Boulmetis, who said her father died peacefully at River View Hospital shortly after being transported there earlier in the day. He had suffered from dementia in recent years.

Earlier in the week, Kim Boulmetis had posted online that her father was the oldest living Hall-of-Fame jockey. He had served as president of The Jockeys' Guild from 1962 until his retirement five years later.

A Mar. 4, 1959, New York Times column about Boulmetis titled “The Golden Greek” noted that in the minds of railbirds, “Next to [Eddie] Arcaro, Boulmetis is the man with the most character and class in racing.”

According to his National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame biography, the Baltimore native made his debut in the saddle at Tropical Park in 1948 and rode his first winner, Stepinthedark, the following year at Garden State Park. His best riding years in the early- and mid-1950s included seasonal titles at Monmouth Park and Hialeah Park.

During a career in which he won 2,783 races, Boulmetis said his best mount was multiple champion and Hall-of-Fame distaffer Tosmah. He partnered with her to win the Astarita, Frizette, Miss Woodford, Matron, Maskette, and Beldame S., and also beat males in the Arlington Classic and John B. Campbell S.

Boulmetis won the Washington, D.C., International on Mahan, the United Nations H. on champion Career Boy, the Widener on Oligarchy, the Suburban on Helioscope, and the Flamingo S. twice with Charlie McAdam and Bally Ache. He won the Oceanport S. four times and the Monmouth H. three times.

Other standouts ridden by Boulmetis included Don Poggio, Vertex, Blue Sparkler, Errand King, Palestinian, and Dedicate.

When he announced his retirement early in 1967, Boulmetis had earnings of $15,425,953, which ranked him in the top 10 up to that time. Boulmetis later became a racing official and served many years as the state steward for New Jersey.

DRF reported that Boulmetis is survived by his wife, Lillian “Bebe” Boulmetis, to whom he was married for 69 years. The couple had five children: sons Sam Jr. and Jimmy, both lifelong racetrackers, along with daughters Jane, Susan, and Kim. Boulmetis is also survived by three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are pending.

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‘Kids Don’t Always Listen’: Calixto Juarez Saddles First Stakes Winner After Son Nik Opts For Another Mount

Calixto Juarez did his best to try to convince his son – jockey Nik Juarez – to ride the horse he trains, Princess Georgia, in Monday's $76,500 Spruce Fir Handicap at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

When that failed he had to settle for the next best thing: Watching Princess Georgia score a late-running three-quarters length victory, doing so by running past Diamond Play in deep stretch.

Diamond Play's jockey? Nik Juarez.

The victory in the six-furlong dash for Jersey-bred fillies and mares 3 and up marked the elder Juarez's first stakes win as a trainer. He began training in 2014 and didn't have a starter in 2020.

“Right now I can't touch the ground,” said Calixto Juarez. “I'm sure I'll feel even better when we get the check (from the purse) but right now I am floating. I feel fantastic. And to beat my son … I don't know what to say.

“I asked him to ride this horse. He said `No, I am riding the winner.' He made a mistake but kids don't always listen to their parents, so what can you do? We know it's just business. I know he is very happy for me.”

Ridden by Carlos Hernandez, Princess Georgia rallied from sixth in the seven-horse field at the top of the stretch to come rolling late down the stretch just as it seemed Diamond Play was a winner. It was another half-length back to 2-1 race favorite Groovy Surprise in third.

Time of the race over a fast track was 1:11.93.

“When I broke out of the gate I took back my filly because I saw the speed out there and my horse is so good at making one big run,” said Hernandez. “So I wanted to wait and get her to relax. I knew when I asked her she would give me everything so I just needed to put her in a good spot.

“I knew Diamond Play was the filly to beat. That is the one Nik Juarez chose to ride so I was able to pick up the mount on this one. It worked out great for me.”

The victory was the third straight and fifth in 27 career starts for the 6-year-old daughter of El Padrino–Vodka High by Mount McKinley. It marked her third straight victory in her first start since returning to Juarez's care.

Juarez had her for all of 2019 before opting to stay in Florida in 2020 and not train, which prompted owner CJ Racing to turn Princess Georgia over to Alison Delgado. Juarez just got her back this month.

“She is in really top form. She has been training great since I got her back,” said Juarez, a former jockey who has now won 13 races as a trainer.

Princess Georgia returned $11.20 to win.

Racing resumes at Monmouth Park on Friday, June 4, with a six-race twilight card that will feature the first two 2-year-old races of the season. First race post time on Friday is 5 p.m.

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