oregon | Horse Racing Free Tips

Jockey Killed In Racing Accident At Oregon Fair Meet

Jockey Eduardo Gutiérrez Sosa was killed in a Quarter Horse racing accident at the Crooked River Roundup in Prineville, Ore., on Wednesday, according to a report in the Central Oregonian. The veteran rider was aboard 2-year-old Godfather Advice in the first race on the card, and was thrown when his mount hit the inside rail, hitting the rail head first before falling to the ground.

The second race was held after a 30-minute delay, then race director Doug Smith made the announcement over the track's public address system that Gutiérrez Sosa had died as a result of his injuries, and cancelled the remainder of the card. Smith added that he and other members of the Roundup board were heartbroken by the news.

Equibase's race chart indicates that Godfather Advice, trained by Rosa Rodriguez, walked off the track under his own power.

Gutiérrez Sosa was the co-leading rider in the standings at the 2019 Crooked River Roundup meet. The fair meet was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. According to Equibase, Gutiérrez Sosa won 171 Quarter Horse races and 194 Thoroughbred races over a career that began in 2013.

Racing at Crooked River is scheduled to resume on Thursday, July 15.

Oregon’s Grants Pass Downs Completes Record-Breaking Season

Continuing its upward trajectory as Oregon's premier horse racing track, Grants Pass Downs established a new record for total handle during the 17-day spring/summer meeting that concluded Monday, July 6.

Total handle for the spring/summer meeting was a record $6,919,434, with a daily average handle of $407,026. The meet, which featured 138 total races, paid out $1,130,916 in purses and a $66,524 daily average. Average field size was 7.34.

Grants Pass Downs President Randy Evers cited the support of horsemen, the return of fans, and the nationwide support of horseplayers as highlights.

“I am so grateful for the support of our fans both locally and across the country as Grants Pass Downs continues to grow and set wagering records,” Evers said. “It was very special to welcome back all of our great fans at Grants Pass Downs as Covid restrictions were relaxed.

“To hear the roar of the crowd as the horses left the starting gate, well it was something I really missed and brought a huge smile to my face. Our entire team is working hard to prepare for our fall race meet. I have every confidence it will be another giant step forward on our incredible adventure!”

There were numerous on-track achievements during the 17-day spring/summer season:

• Joree Scriver with 23 wins and Quinn Howey with 13 wins each captured their second straight riding and training crowns at Grants Pass Downs.

• 6-year-old gelding El Alto Hombre reeled off four consecutive wins including three stakes triumphs for trainer Liz Kowalski and owner Anthony Hoover; 4-year-old filly Jaded Tiger also won four races including two stakes for owner/trainer Jaqueline Smith.

• 2-year-old gelding Five Bars Blazin scored a $34.80 upset in the $90,000 Firecracker Futurity—the richest race in the history of Grants Pass Downs—before a season-high 3,130 fans.

• 7-year-old gelding Capes Hot Rocket swept all three legs of the inaugural O B Harbor Sprint Series sponsored by Jody Peetz and the Oregon HBPA.

Grants Pass Downs resumes live racing Monday, Sept. 20, with opening day of the 18-day Fall meeting.

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Grants Pass Downs Generates Record Handle On Opening Day Card

El Alto Hombre swept past Pure Pursuit into the stretch and rolled to a 2 ¼-length victory Monday in the inaugural running of the $12,000 Caveman Stakes for 3-year-olds and up on opening night at Grants Pass Downs.

Ridden by Jose Figueroa at 126 lbs, El Alto Hombre ran five furlongs in :58.45 seconds and paid $9.20 as the second choice in the wagering.

Trained by Liz Kowalski and owned by Anthony Hoover, El Alto Hombre delivered an emotional victory for his connections Monday. David Hoover, trainer of El Alto Hombre and brother of the owner, died last week following a training accident and the horse was transferred to Kowalski's care.

“I spoke to David the day before he passed away and I entered the horse on his wishes,” Kowalski said. “It's not the way you wish to gain a horse, but I am immensely proud to have this horse.”

A 6-year-old Kentucky-bred by Archarcharch, El Alto Hombre earned $6,600 for the victory and is 10-11-4 in 30 career starts with earnings of $51,148. His Grants Pass record is 5-7-1 from 15 starts, including a second in the Oregon Caves Stakes last June.

In the Caveman, El Alto Hombre settled in third behind dueling leaders Pure Pursuit and Desalut, as those two blazed through an opening quarter mile in :21.63 seconds. Pure Pursuit won the pace battle, shaking off Desalut after a half-mile in :45.42, but El Alto Hombre would not be denied. The winner gathered momentum on the last turn, collared Pure Pursuit into the lane and drew off to win with authority.

Pure Pursuit, ridden by Patrick Henry Jr., held second, and Golden Cowboy, ridden by Taylor Smith, finished third. Count Alexei, the 5 to 2 favorite, finished fourth and was followed by Molaf, Pulpits Power, Chill, Dusalut, Keyson and Capes Hot Rocket.

On-track attendance was 735 and the total handle of $461,959 established a record for an eight-race program at Grants Pass Downs.

NOTES: Heavily favored Hey Sequoia ($2.80) rallied under Mckenzie King to capture the 2021 spring/summer meet opener for owner Leon Scott and trainer Quinn Howey, running the 1 1/16 miles in 1:50 flat. The 6-year-old British Columbia-bred is now three for four lifetime at Grants Pass Downs and was claimed Monday for $4,000 by owner Al Peterson and trainer Jorge Rosales. . .Fiesty Town Lady ($43.60) scored off a 30-month layoff in race five, leading gate to wire under Jose Guerrero in 1:00.35 for five furlongs. A 7-year-old Washington-bred mare owned by Brenda Ibarra and trained by Diego Guerrero, Fiesty Town Lady's previous start was November 6, 2018 at Portland Meadows. . . Fiesty Town Lady and sixth race winner Wishful One ($23) helped produce a mammoth $15,981.20 payout to one winning ticket in the $0.50 Pick 4. . . Guerrero and Eduardo Gutierrez-Sosa rode two winners each on the eight-race card. . .10-year-old Aotearoa ($7), winner of Monday's eighth race, won the 2013 Zuma Beach Stakes at Santa Anita and finished seventh in the 2013 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. . .Oregon-breds won both Quarter Horse races—Chumbley ($6.20) clicking under Gutierrez-Sosa in race two and No Juans Fool ($4.20) scoring his maiden victory under Joree Scriver in race three. . .The 2021 spring/summer meet continues Tuesday with an eight-race program at 5:15 p.m.

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Optimism High As Oregon’s Grants Pass Downs Begins 2021 Season

CEO Travis Boersma has plenty of reasons to be excited as Grants Pass Downs begins its spring/summer meet with eight-race cards Monday and Tuesday.

Entries for the first two days of racing are very healthy—128 total horses, an average of 8.0 per race. Both stakes races—Monday's $12,000 Caveman Stakes and Tuesday's $11,400 Daily Courier Stakes—drew deep and talented fields.

Moreover, the weather forecast is perfect, and last but certainly not least, fans will be allowed on-track for the races; advance tickets are available at gpdowns.com or at the gate.

“We've got up to 1,200 fans coming and that's a big step for us,” Boersma said. “We're ecstatic. It means energy around the grandstand. As far as an intimate track experience goes, I don't think anybody has something like we have.”

When Portland Meadows shuttered for good in 2019, it could have been ruinous to racing in Oregon. But Boersma, born and raised in the Rogue Valley, had a life-long enjoyment of racing in Grants Pass, stepped up big time. He secured a long-term lease for a commercial meet at the Josephine County Fairgrounds, and in the past two years has made numerous improvements to the facility.

“Here's the thing; I've gone to this track at Grants Pass since I was brought into this life, and so I've got these memories and experiences I'll take with me the rest of my life,” Boersma said. “To think that horse racing could go away in the state of Oregon seemed tragic to me.”

“And I really started to look at how we could save it, that was the first step. And then the second step: could horse racing live without having to be propped up, and the short answer was yes.”

The Flying Lark restaurant and entertainment venue is due to open later this year on the southwest corner of the facility. The state-of-the-art venue will help finance horse racing purses, which currently average over $60,000 daily. As for wagering, the 2020 fall meet averaged a record $377,789 including a blockbuster $868,632 on closing day.

“We are a fun-loving mind-blowing company here to build legacies one race at a time, those principles and values and philosophy of business carry over to (horse racing) for me,” Boersma said. “When we can make an impact in a community in a positive way, when we can take the Josephine County Fairgrounds and start to inject life into it and take care of deferred maintenance and figure out ways to bring jobs to our community and make a difference in agriculture, make a difference in equestrian, and be a draw for horsemen and horsewomen from all over the state, that's where my juices get flowing because that's what it's all about for me, quality of life and how we can live it.”

“We're well on our way to stabilizing horse racing in Oregon, “Boersma said. “Our goal is to have the fair meets rock solid and funded, and our commercial race meet in Grants Pass dialed in and drawing people from all over the western United States.”

Boersma also participates in the races at Grants Pass. He owns a stable of horses with trainers Emilio Guerrero and Quinn Howey including five runners entered opening week, and a band of five broodmares whose progeny begin racing next year.

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