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Nearly 4½ months after being injured in a spill at Laurel Park, journeyman Victor Carrasco made his long-awaited return to the races Sunday.

Carrasco, 30, finished sixth aboard Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds' Libraryofcongress, a first-time starter for trainer Graham Motion, in Race 6, a seven-furlong maiden claimer for 3-year-olds. As a Maryland-bred, the Honor Code colt had the claiming price waived.

Libraryofcongress stumbled out of the gate and raced near the back of the nine-horse field in the early going before making a late run and winding up eight lengths behind Mine Run, half of the favored Brittany Russell-trained entry.

A four-time meet-leading rider in Maryland and the 2013 Eclipse Award winner as outstanding apprentice jockey, Carrasco's mount was his first in 150 days since the eve of the 2022 Jim McKay Maryland Million. He was hurt when his horse, Hooky Player, fell approaching the wire in the Oct. 21 opener.

A winner of nearly 1,200 career races, Carrasco was named in seven of the eight stakes and four starter stakes on Maryland Million Day. One of his mounts, Sky's Not Falling, won the $100,000 Turf Sprint with Paco Lopez aboard.

Carrasco wound up seventh overall in Maryland in 2022 with 61 wins from 376 mounts, with $3.133 million in purses earned. Jockey Kevin Gomez, who broke his collarbone in the same spill, returned to riding Jan. 6.

“I had a dislocated left thumb. It was pretty bad,” Carrasco said. “I didn't know that it was going to take me this long to get back to where I'm at right now. The doctor said that my thumb was dislocated in the main joint, and that's the reason it took me longer than we expect to get back.

“They gave me two options. They said we can put a screw on your thumb, but you're going to have to have the screw for the rest of your life. Or, we can take your own tendon from your forearm and wrap your thumb with your own tendon. But it's going to be a longer recovery. I'm sure with a pin, I could have been back in eight to 12 weeks,” he added. “It was pretty challenging. I never thought that I would need my left thumb as much as I did when I got hurt.”

After getting clearance from his doctors, Carrasco began getting on horses for Motion at Tampa Bay Downs before returning to Maryland, where he is represented by agent Scotty Silver.

“It feels fine. I wanted to test it out in the warm weather before I came to the cold weather just to make sure I was 100 percent,” Carrasco said. “It was great. I started getting on horses for Graham. Jesse Cruz put me on one. I came back up to Fair Hill and Laurel and things have been pretty much back to normal, working for the same outfits and trying to get myself back in shape.”

The post Carrasco Sixth In Return To Riding Sunday At Laurel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Cristian Torres became the first jockey at the 2022-2023 Oaklawn meeting to surpass $4 million in purse earnings after winning three races Saturday.

Torres won the sixth race aboard Pink Ace ($7.80) for trainer Kenny McPeek, seventh race aboard Frosted Grace ($7.60) for trainer Robertino Diodoro, and the ninth race, the $500,000 Essex Handicap (G3), aboard favored Last Samurai ($4) for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

The triple pushed Torres' purse earnings to $4,170,709 through Saturday, Day 45 of the scheduled 68-day meeting. Torres is chasing the single-season Oaklawn record ($5,643,023), set in 2021 by Ricardo Santana Jr. Santana has led all riders in purse earnings at every Oaklawn meeting since 2013.

In addition to purse earnings, Torres entered Sunday with meet highs for victories (65) and stakes victories (six). Torres, 25, is seeking his first career Oaklawn riding title. Francisco Arrieta, Oaklawn's co-leading rider last season, entered Sunday with 56 victories to rank second in the standings. Santana, an eight-time Oaklawn riding champion, was third with 42.

Torres captured his first career riding title in December at Remington Park.

The post Torres Surpasses $4 Million In Purse Earnings At Oaklawn Meet, Chases Single-Season Record appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer Kenny McPeek's young horses have flourished this season at Oaklawn. One reason, McPeek said, is the work behind the scenes of Robby Albarado, who spent much of the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s as a nationally prominent jockey before announcing his retirement in December 2021.

Albarado, 49, was Oaklawn's leading rider in 1996 and 1997. He returned to Hot Springs in 2022-2023 to work as an exercise rider for McPeek, whose body of work this season includes matching his career high with four victories Dec. 31, the first card in Oaklawn history exclusively for 2-year-olds.

McPeek's memorable New Year's Eve was highlighted by victories in the Renaissance Stakes with Frosted Departure and the Year's End Stakes with Defining Purpose. Albarado regularly galloped both horses during the meeting.

“He's been a big part of the team,” McPeek said. “He has been for a while. When he was riding, obviously, rode a lot for me and has helped us with a lot of the young horses, especially helping us evaluate them and get them ready. He's certainly knows the difference between a good horse and an average horse. That's a valuable asset.”

Among Albarado's last major riding victories was the 2020 Preakness (G1) aboard the McPeek-trained Swiss Skydiver. Albarado said he had been getting on babies for McPeek the last couple of years in Florida and was headed there again when the trainer asked if he could help out at Oaklawn.

“Not a bad stop,” Albarado said. “Got on some nice horses for him. I like this job. Kenny's a great guy to work for.”

Asked if getting on horses daily could spark a riding comeback, Albarado said, “No,” and pointed to “14 surgeries” during a career that began in 1990.

“Getting older,” Albarado said. “Mind is still there to ride, but not the body.”

Albarado said he has no desire to train and continues to ponder a potential career as a jockey agent, possibly as early as this spring in Kentucky.

“A few (jockeys) have come to me – a couple of top jocks, too,” Albarado said. “I want a young jockey, a young kid that I can help come up.”

According to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization, Albarado amassed 5,222 victories and $221,561,248 in purses in his North American career.

In addition to Swiss Skydiver, the country's champion 3-year-old filly of 2020, Albarado was the regular rider of 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft and Curlin, the 2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year.

McPeek entered Sunday with 11 victories in 2022-2023 at Oaklawn, a single-season career high in Hot Springs. He said he plans to start recent Oaklawn winners Mendelssohns March and Interlock Empire in the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 1.

The post ‘He Certainly Knows The Difference Between A Good Horse And An Average Horse’: McPeek Credits Former Jock Albarado As ‘Big Part’ Of Stable’s Oaklawn Success appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Tampa Bay Downs trainer Craig Smith drove about 3,100 miles from his farm near Calgary, Alberta in November to compete at the Oldsmar, Florida track for the first time since 2012.

“Hauling horses, you don't always take the fastest route,” Smith said. “We usually ship to Kentucky and stay a few days to give them a chance to recover, so it took about four days to get to Tampa.”

That was OK with his 4-year-old colt Smart as Me, who is used to playing the waiting game.

Smith, who competes at Century Mile Racetrack in Edmonton throughout the spring, summer, and early fall, purchased the Kentucky-bred son of Malibu Moon out of Siren Serenade, by Unbridled's Song, for $6,000 from consignor James Keogh at the 2021 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. Siren Serenade is a half sister to 2012 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) winner George Vancouver and 2001 Remsen (G2) winner Saarland. Smart as Me was bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corp., which bought Siren Serenade, a daughter of Danzig's multiple Grade 1-winning daughter Versailles Treaty, for $1,025,000 at the 2017 Keeneland January horses of all ages sale. Siren Serenade also is the dam of 2015 Santa Anita Oaks (G1) runner-up Luminance, by Tale of the Cat, and multiple Grade 3-placed Stellar Sound, by Tapit.

Smart as Me's sale price is not a misprint, although one might think so given the pedigree.

“He had some issues, so we decided to give him last summer off and bring him here. We've been high on him the whole time we've had him and he's gotten better and better,” Smith said.

And, in the process, Smart as Me has turned into one of the “feel-good” stories of the 2022-2023 meet.

After finishing fourth in his career debut on Nov. 4 at Century Mile, Smart as Me has turned the Tampa Bay Downs into his own personal playground. He has been first across the wire in four of his six local starts (he was disqualified and placed third on Jan. 20), breaking his maiden on Dec. 16 in a one-mile and 40-yard race taken off the turf and winning his last two on the lawn. He was eligible to be claimed for $25,000 from his Feb. 26 victory, but probably won't be again anytime soon as Smith looks for a suitable race to continue his ascent.

Owned by Smith's Dialed In Racing Stable in partnership with Calgary resident Adrian Munro's Highfield Investment Group, Smart as Me turned on the jets in the stretch in Saturday's fifth race, the Lambholm South Race of the Week, powering over the turf course under jockey Pablo Morales to a 2¾-length victory from Dark and Fitzy in the excellent time of 1:34.97 for the mile. He returned $5.40 for the win.

The allowance victory was achieved in Smart as Me's customary style of coming from far behind. In each of his victories, he has been last or second-to-last in the early going.

Returning to Tampa Bay Downs has been a rewarding experience for the 39-year-old Smith, who has made enough claims to increase his stable size to 13.

“This is a great place to develop horses,” Smith said. “I've always wanted to come back. It's a good place to claim horses and the turf course is arguably the best in North America.”

And, every so often, it's a place to dream big and realize those gasoline prices aren't always as high as they look. Not with a horse such as Smart as Me.

The post Tampa Bay Turf Specialist Smart As Me Keeps Dreams Percolating For Canadian-Based Owner-Trainer Smith appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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