Frankie Dettori has said he is “honored” to be asked to lay a wreath at the statue of his hero Lester Piggott on Derby Day this Saturday (June 3), as Epsom Downs Racecourse announces it will also be permanently renaming a race in memory of the legendary jockey, who died aged 86 exactly a year ago today.
Piggott rode in The Derby 36 times between 1951 and 1994, winning on a record nine occasions aboard Never Say Die (1954), Crepello (1957), St Paddy (1960), Sir Ivor (1968), Nijinsky (1970), Roberto (1972), Empery (1976), The Minstrel (1977) and Teenoso (1983). Nicknamed 'The Long Fellow', Piggott also partnered six Oaks winners and recorded an unmatched nine victories in the Coronation Cup at Epsom Downs.
In every year going forward, a floral wreath in the colors of Piggott's 1970 Derby winner Nijinsky, the last horse to win the English Triple Crown, will be laid by a current member of the weighing room at the Lester Piggott statue on the Queen Elizabeth II Stand lawn.
In 2023 this will be Frankie Dettori, who will be riding in the Betfred Derby for the final time ahead of his retirement at the end of the season. The wreath-laying will be followed by a minute's applause in the great jockey's memory.
Additionally the £75,000 10-furlong handicap on Derby Day has been permanently renamed the Lester Piggott Handicap Stakes. Betfred will sponsor this contest in 2023.
Frankie Dettori said: “It is an honor to be asked to lay a wreath at Lester's statue on Derby Day. He was a hero of mine who then became a good friend and it's impossible to measure the impact he had on me both as a person and a jockey throughout my life.
“I'm sure it will be a poignant and emotional moment for many reasons and I'm grateful to Epsom Downs for inviting me to lead this year's tributes to Lester on my last Derby Day as a jockey.”
Brian Finch, Chair of Epsom Downs Racecourse, added: “For so many of us, Lester Piggott is synonymous with The Derby and Epsom Downs like no other jockey before or since.
“Lester sadly passed away just six days before The Derby in 2022 and we ran The Derby in his memory.
“For such a distinguished figure in the long history of The Derby and with his unprecedented achievements unlikely to be matched, we felt it was important to establish a permanent annual commemoration and celebration of Lester's life on Derby Day.
“I would like to thank Frankie Dettori for agreeing to lay the wreath in Lester's memory this year ahead of his final ride in The Betfred Derby and I hope the Betfred Lester Piggott Handicap will provide an exciting finish of which Lester would have been proud.”
Santa Anita's leading rider had a holiday weekend nothing short of memorable: of the nine stakes races carded, Hernandez won five including two of the holiday weekend's three Grade 1 events.
The panel of racing experts unanimously voted Hernandez the honor of Jockey of the Week for May 22 through May 29. The award recognizes jockeys for riding accomplishments and who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.
Sunday's first race, the Crystal Water Stakes, was a portent of things to come for Hernandez. Riding Kings River Knight for the first time for trainer John Sadler, Hernandez was in control throughout the race and posted a 2-1/4-length win in 1:34.55 for one mile on the turf.
“John (Sadler) told me this is a very nice and professional horse,” said Hernandez. “He was very smart out of the gate, and we won the race from there.”
In Race 5, Hernandez was aboard Ceiling Crusher in the Melair Stakes for trainer Doug O'Neill. Leading throughout, Ceiling Crusher won by an impressive 17 lengths in 1:44.25 for one and one-sixteenth miles.
Hernandez capped the day with his third stakes win aboard Old Pal for trainer Mark Glatt in the Snow Chief Stakes. Off as the second favorite, Old Pal saved ground throughout the race while racing in fifth in the field of seven. Old Pal rallied in mid-stretch to prevail by three-quarters of a length in 1:50.14 for the mile and one-eighth.
Monday's holiday card featured three Grade 1 stakes beginning with the Shoemaker Mile on the turf and trainer Peter Eurton giving a leg up to Hernandez on Exaulted. The pair stalked the pace and took the lead in early stretch. Confidently handled by Hernandez, Exaulted led by a length with a furlong to go and won by a half-length in 1:34.08. It was the fourth turf win in a row for Exaulted with Hernandez up.
“The horse has improved with every race,” said Hernandez. “He is always in a good position.”
Riding for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, Hernandez had the call aboard Defunded in the G1 Hollywood Gold Cup. Off as the favorite in the field of six, Defunded broke sharply and made every pole a winning one to post a one length victory. The win marked the first time Hernandez had won two Grade 1 races in one day.
“You dream about these big races,” said Hernandez. “I put him on the lead and he was comfortable. He was pulling on the backside and that is a good sign.”
Hernandez finished the day with an allowance win for trainer Peter Miller.
Other contenders for Jockey of the Week included Alex Birzer who won 13 races, Jose L. Ortiz who won the G3 Soaring Softly, Tiago Pereira who won the G1 Gamely at Santa Anita, and Cristian Torres with three stakes wins at Lone Star Park.
With Paco Lopez already off to a fast start in his quest for his 10th riding title at Monmouth Park, the annual question is out there again: Can anyone challenge him for the top spot?
For the first time since 2019, when Lopez caught and passed Nik Juarez for leading riding honors on the final day of the meet, the answer could be yes.
Samy Camacho arrived at the 51-day meet off his third straight riding title at Tampa Bay Downs, and fourth in the past five years, and with a commitment to ride first call for trainer Chad Brown's horses at Monmouth Park.
With Friday racing being added to the live racing calendar this weekend, Camacho is listed to ride in four of the eighth races. First race post time for Friday racing, which will run through the end of August, will be 2 p.m.
“I know Paco is the jockey to beat here,” said Camacho. “But everywhere I ride, every meet, my goal is to be leading rider. Paco has the business. But I know what I have and I have confidence in my ability.”
Camacho, a 35-year-old native of Caracas, Venezuela, already has some catching up to do, since Lopez currently holds a five-win lead (14 to 9) over him.
“Realistically, we know it's tough beating Paco Lopez at Monmouth Park,” said Mike Moran, Camacho's agent and the brother of Lopez's agent, Cory Moran. “But we're going to give it a try. That's the goal. Paco has been on top for a long time here so you know it's a big challenge.”
Lopez's stranglehold on the top spot at the Jersey Shore track is the stuff of sports dynasties. He has won four straight Monmouth Park riding titles and eight of the past 10. Only Joe Bravo, with 13, has won more riding titles in track history.
But Camacho is closing in on 1,200 career wins and has momentum from his Tampa Downs success.
“I'm very happy where I am right now,” he said. “I never thought I would be the leading rider anywhere.”
Born into a racing family, Camacho started riding in the United States in 2012, winning 32 races. But a combination of homesickness and youthful impatience saw him return to Venezuela for almost two years. He rode and galloped in his native country until deciding to give it another try in the United States.
“I didn't have the patience or the maturity then. My riding was nowhere near what it is now,” he said.
The light bulb moment for Camacho's career came in 2018.
“I started to wonder why I was winning but not riding for the top trainers. What was the reason?” he said. “So I started watching videos of Ramon Dominguez and Garrett Gomez and I started to learn a lot more. I watched them break, saw how they got good position, saw how they would save ground and be patient and then save enough to get something out of a horse when it mattered most. I saw things I needed to do to be successful.”
The highlight so far of Camacho's career was booting home 49-1 shot King Guillermo in the 2020 Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, which had him Kentucky Derby-bound. Two days before the Derby the horse was scratched.
“I cried a lot when that happened. I still cry when I think about it,” said Camacho. “That's one of my next goals – to ride in the Triple Crown, the Breeders' Cup, graded races. I want more. I feel I am still learning. I don't think you ever stop learning. That is how you get to the next level. That's why I started coming to Monmouth Park, to get more opportunities.”
Camacho finished tied for third in the Monmouth Park standings a year ago with 41 winners (Lopez had 91) but dominated at the Tampa Downs meet with 114 wins, more than double the total of runner-up Jose Ferrer.
It was Ferrer in 2018 who was the last jockey to finish ahead of Lopez in the Monmouth Park rider standings.
It is a moment during post parade that lasts mere seconds, but it expresses a lifetime of gratitude for jockey Amanda Vandermeersch.
The gesture likely goes unnoticed by those who sit in the Woodbine grandstand or for the others who tune in to watch the races broadcast from the Toronto oval.
“My grandfather, Frank Vandermeersch, who passed away two years ago, was always a huge support. When I was a kid and I would ride horses, he'd come to every single one of my shows. He had a chestnut tree, and he would sell the nuts in town. I have an acorn that I carry with me every race. So, if people ever see me kiss my fingers and touch my heart, it's because of the little acorn that is there for him.”
He'd no doubt be proud of his granddaughter.
Competing in one of North America's biggest and most competitive jockey colonies, Vandermeersch is doing more than hold on her own against her fellow riders.
On May 28, she won her fifth race of the season to go along with 14 top-three finishes and $133,696 in purse earnings from 33 starts.
Her current campaign got out of the gates in ideal fashion when she rode Silver Tunes to victory in the first race of the 2023 Woodbine meet.
Trained by Barrington Siddo for owner Radcliffe Racing Stables, the Florida-bred filly seized the lead early in the 4 ½-furlong Tapeta race and then fended off her closest rival by a head at odds of 8-1.
“Especially at the big tracks, you want to have that good first impression,” recalled Vandermeersch. “It didn't have to be the first race of the season, but whatever your first race of the year was, you want to make that first start one you can build upon. But it was extra special that it did happen to be the very first race of the Woodbine season. You know everyone is watching.”
Many also chided Vandermeersch after her curtain-opening triumph.
“The big joke was that I was leading rider for a whole 45 minutes. I was saying, 'Is everyone okay if we just stop the season right now?' But everyone in the barn was very confident with her. I know the groom was very confident in the filly. I had never sat on this horse before. I rubbed her a few times when her head was sticking out of the stall. Looking at her form, she always breaks sharp, she always comes out strong, but she has a tendency to fade. I knew I was going to be in the race, hoping we could win, but thinking we had a big chance to hit the board. It was a really nice surprise. She just exploded for me down the stretch.”
Just over a month removed from the win, Vandeermeersch continues to view the victory as a confidence-building moment, a chance for her to set the tone for a prosperous year in the irons.
Win, top-three placing or off-the-board finish, she sees every race as an invaluable experience.
“Just stay positive, that's how I look at my life. I have a really good support team. My family, my friends and people on the backstretch are constantly messaging me with encouraging words, to keep up the good work. A lot of it is in your head. If you start overanalyzing things and overthinking… I won't say you can think too much, but there's a fine line between having a plan and 10 backup plans – it's racing so it's rare everything goes to plan – and you need to stay positive going into each race. You won't win all of them.
“In the races where I finished middle of the pack or even last, I want to try and take something away from it. I was able to gain some bit of insight or a tip that could help me down the road. For me as a bug rider, there are lots of things I can still learn, and I want to do that with a positive attitude.”
An approach she learned long ago working on her parents' Ontario tobacco farm.
Early mornings, late nights and hard work set the foundation for whatever career Vandermeersch chose to pursue.
Race-riding initially took a back seat to a different field.
“I've always been a farm girl. Mom and dad raised to be a hard worker, and to work for what I want in life. So, that has always been a part of who I am. Going into nursing, that was a little different. I've always liked caring for people and animals. At one point, I was planning to become a vet, but going into nursing was the main option at the time. I did that for about five years, but I also had my farm on the side, where I was boarding and training, so I never got out of farming or working with horses even though I had my nursing job. My heart was always with the animals.”
Vandermeersch's foray into Thoroughbred racing came through Maureen Hewitt-Topp, who had a couple of horses at a farm where Vandermeersch was training a horse for pleasure riding and asked the young rider to exercise one of her Thoroughbreds.
She then took a job exercising horses with trainer Saul McHugh and rode her first race in the fall of 2021, finishing sixth in a maiden claiming race at Fort Erie.
Her first win came aboard bay mare Tiz My Right in the summer of 2022. Just over two months later, Vandermeersch recorded her first Woodbine victory, teaming with Nadiabizniz for a thrilling head score on the Tapeta.
The objective, for now, is to keep her strong start to the campaign rolling.
“Things are going really well. I have my own personal goals, but they are constantly evolving. I like to give myself practical goals because this industry and this career is tough. One week can be great, the next one can be a tough one. I like to keep a level head.”
Perhaps the biggest difference for Vandermeersch this season compared to last is her comfort level in the irons.
“I have a lot more confidence this year. I'm as relaxed and confident as I've ever been. It's that feeling of, 'You've got this, Amanda.' I feel like I'm improving in a lot of areas. It's definitely a different year.”
One constant, however, is Vandermeersch's open-minded approach to her craft.
Odds-on choice or longshot, each horse she rides is viewed as a chance to heighten her skillset.
“There is always something to learn in this industry, on and off the horse's back. I'm grateful for the opportunities and my approach is to make the most of them.”
Vandermeersch is also committed to making the most of her time away from the stresses and pressures of the racetrack.
During the summer months, trips to a lake are commonplace. Just don't expect to find her with her toes in the sand.
“I have three of my own horses who I take out for trail rides and enjoy being around them. But I also enjoy being out on the lake. I do have my own Sea-Doo, but I don't get to ride it nearly as much as I'd like to anymore. If I'm not on a horse, I love to be out on the water. I don't like to swim, but to lie there and float, it's a peaceful feeling out there. People like to stay at the shoreline and look out, but I'm the one who goes out as far as I can, have no one around me, and just float there. I do enjoy woodworking, but I haven't been able to do that for a while.”
Continuing to fashion a riding career that she can be proud of remains her top priority.
Vandermeersch recently found herself looking back at the journey that brought her to where she finds herself today.
“I was thinking about that path a few days ago and I said to myself, 'Amanda, you're doing well. You always said you wanted to have a career with horses and here you are.' That was my dream and the fact that I'm living it now and, in my opinion, doing it very well, is a really nice feeling. I've been very fortunate to have a lot of people, past and present, who support me.”
It's why Vandermeersch, come every post parade she's part of, is proud to wear her heart on her silks.
Amanda Vandermeersch and her grandfather, Frank Vandermeersch
