Tag: People

Journeyman Kevin Gomez continues his comeback with three mounts Friday at Laurel Park including 5-2 program favorite She Is Wisky in the seventh race allowance feature.

Post time for the return of live racing is 12:25 p.m.

Gomez, 28, went winless in four mounts last weekend at Laurel, returning to be fifth aboard Monster Mason Jan. 6. It was his first ride in 11 weeks after breaking his collarbone in a spill Oct. 21 on the eve of the Jim McKay Maryland Million.

“He's very happy to be back,” agent Frank Douglas said. “He's getting some mounts. He feels good, he's working every day and he's fit.”

Gomez and Victor Carrasco were injured when Carrasco's mount, Hooky Player, fell approaching the wire in a claiming event on the turf, and Gomez was unseated when the trailing Casamo was unable to avoid the spill. Carrasco has yet to return.

Douglas said Gomez, a finalist for the 2013 Eclipse Award as champion apprentice, had surgery to repair the break and following recovery and rehabilitation began getting on horses for champion trainer Brittany Russell.

“He's worked hard to get back,” Douglas said. “We'll see how it goes. We're looking forward to getting him back on track.”

A native of Guatemala, Gomez ranked 17th overall with 37 wins at Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course in 2022 to go along with $1.55 million in purse earnings. Overall, he won 44 of 437 races and nearly $1.9 million in purses.

Gomez rides Rascally Rebel in Friday's opener and Blue Moon Bunny in Race 3. She Is Wisky was second in Laurel's 2022 Wide Country and is making her 4-year-old debut after being claimed by Russell for $40,000 out of a third-place finish in a 5 ½-furlong sprint Dec. 9 at Laurel. She drew the rail against six rivals in the about 1 1/16-mile allowance for Maryland-bred/sired fillies and mares 4 and up.

Race 8 Friday is a one-mile optional claiming allowance for 3-year-old fillies that drew a field of seven led by Classy Nancy, dropping down and stretching out after finishing second by less than two lengths in a six-furlong claimer Dec. 12 at Parx for trainer Jamie Ness. Coal Mine, first or second in each of his four starts, is racing first off the claim for six-time Maryland leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez.

There will be carryovers of $8,594.49 in the 50-cent Late Pick 5 (Races 5-9) and $3,030.86 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 4-9) Friday.

Gomez has two mounts on Saturday's nine-race card, which includes an about 1 1/16-mile allowance for Maryland-bred/sired 4-year-olds and up in Race 6 with Mose Perfect, a winner of two straight, and 2022 Federico Tesio runner-up Mr Jefferson. The Race 8 feature, an open third-level optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up going the same distance, drew six led by stakes winners Vance Scholars and Galerio.

Steve Newby's Vance Scholars is trained by Phillip Capuano, the 29-year-old nephew of Dale Capuano, who retired effective Jan. 1 following a successful 41-year training career. Phillip Capuano is seeking his first career win, with one second from his first five starts after taking over his uncle's stable. He has one horse entered Friday at Charles Town and four Saturday at Laurel.

Laurel will continue to host live racing both Sunday and a special Martin Luther King Jr. holiday program Monday.

The post Journeyman Kevin Gomez Continues Comeback After Breaking Collarbone In Oct. 21 Spill appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer Jorge Delgado enjoyed a magical career milestone when he saddled his first graded-stakes winner on last year's Preakness Stakes (G1) undercard at Pimlico. When Lightening Larry took over the lead in deep stretch and held resolutely to win the May 21 Chick Lang (G3), Delgado got caught up in the enveloping electric atmosphere of Preakness Day.

“It was a day I'll never forget. It was my first graded-stakes winner,” Delgado said. “You know how Preakness Days are. It was packed – the only thing you see is people. To hear all the people screaming and all the emotions during the race – when he went to the lead with all the people screaming – it will be a day I'll never forget.”

Lea Farms LLC's Lightening Larry, who is winless in three starts since his Preakness Day victory, is scheduled to seek a winning start of his 4-year-old campaign in Saturday's $75,000 Sunshine Sprint, a six-furlong dash for older Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park.

“He's been training really good approaching this race. I know he hasn't won since May, but he's had excuses. I know his quality,” Delgado said. “He might be a longshot in the field, but he's a stakes horse, a good horse and I think he's going to have a good 4-year-old campaign.”

The 32-year-old trainer hasn't lost an ounce confidence in Lightening Larry, but he also knows the son of Uncaptured doesn't owe him a thing after putting him on the map with horse owners and thousands of racing fans by winning on one of Thoroughbred racing's most important days.

“It's great that these horses are so kind. They make you look good,” Delgado said. “They are the only reasons you get known in this game. Without them, you're nothing.”

Delgado, who has achieved a strike rate of more than 20 percent since venturing to South Florida from Venezuela in 2017, has steadily improved the quality of stock in his stable, which now includes Super Chow, who has won stakes at Keeneland, Tampa Bay Downs and Gulfstream in his last three starts; Willy Boi, who awarded his trainer his second graded-stakes win in the Smile Sprint (G3) at Gulfstream in July; and up-and-coming New York Thunder, a son of Nyquist who has dazzled while launching his career with a pair of eye-catching victories at five furlongs on turf at Gulfstream Park..

Super Chow is being pointed to the Feb. 4 Claiborne Swale; Willy Boi is scheduled to be entered in the Feb. 11 Pelican at Tampa Bay; New York Thunder is slated to make his stakes debut in the March 25 Animal Kingdom at Turfway Park.

“I do have a lot of good new horses in my barn that will be running in the next three months,” Delgado said. “It's about to get exciting for me.”

The post ‘Lightening’ Strike Supercharged Trainer Jorge Delgado’s Career appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB), and Daily Racing Form announced Thursday that Jay Privman, whose prolific career encompassed print, television, and radio journalism, as well as multi-decades long service to the industry, will be honored with a Special Eclipse Award for Career Excellence at the 52nd Annual Eclipse Awards at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida on January 26.

A highly respected member of his profession by Thoroughbred racing's participants and his peers alike, Privman's career went far beyond his work covering horse racing. He is actively involved in many charitable endeavors, and as a key member of the NTWAB, has provided invaluable guidance on matters affecting his colleagues and the sport.

“This is quite humbling and most appreciated, as it has been bestowed by my peers and those I covered,” Privman said. “I get very emotional seeing whose names have also won a Special Award, like the greatest rider I ever saw, Laffit Pincay Jr., and the great racing journalist Charles Hatton. The number 30 is used in print journalism to signify the end of a story, so I find it incredibly moving to be the 30th recipient of the Special Award at the close of my career.”

As a college student working part-time for The Los Angeles Daily News, Privman covered his first race in 1980 – eventual Hall of Fame inductee Spectacular Bid's victory in the Malibu Stakes. He went on to work for The Daily News full-time from 1981 through 1991, then became West Coast editor for The Racing Times (1991 to 1992) and a West Coast correspondent for The New York Times (1992 to 1998). He also was a correspondent for The Thoroughbred Record and The Thoroughbred Times (1983 to 1998).

But Privman was best known to a national audience for his work at Daily Racing Form, which he joined in October 1998 as national correspondent, eventually taking over the popular Derby Doings column that was launched decades earlier by one of his mentors, longtime Daily Racing Form columnist Joe Hirsch, a fellow member of the National Museum of Racing Roll of Honor and for whom the honor is named after. Privman, named to National Museum's Honor Roll in 2021, announced his retirement from DRF in September of 2022. The final major race he covered was Flightline's romp in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

“For over three decades, Jay Privman has been the gold standard of professionalism and objectivity in news reporting,” said Steven Crist, former Editor-in-Chief at The Racing Times and former CEO and Publisher of Daily Racing Form. “He is widely respected by both his readers and his fellow journalists throughout the sport, and his exemplary coverage will be missed.”

In addition to his distinguished career in turf writing, Privman also covered horse racing on television for CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC, and NBCSN. Privman also was the longtime co-host of the radio show Thoroughbred Los Angeles on KLAA-AM 830.

During his years as a turf writer, Privman worked tirelessly to tell the story of Thoroughbred racing, turning what he describes as a childhood hobby into a true vocation, one that lasted more than four decades He was a mainstay on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, covering many major races leading to the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown. He covered every Kentucky Derby from 1982 through 2019 (missing 2020 and 2021 because of covid and surgery for bladder cancer, respectively) before returning for a final Triple Crown go-round in 2022 and every Breeders' Cup from the inaugural in 1984 through 2021 (missing 2020 because of the pandemic).

Privman is the author of the books “Breeders' Cup: Thoroughbred Racing's Championship Day,” and “Del Mar at 75” and a contributing writer to the Daily Racing Form book “Champions.” He has also been a reporter on eight Eclipse Award-winning broadcasts: three each with ESPN and NBC and one each with Sirius Radio and Fox Sports West 2.

Privman has earned numerous honors for his Thoroughbred racing coverage. He is a six-time winner of the Red Smith Award (1989, 1990, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2008) from Churchill Downs for the best Kentucky Derby story; a two-time winner of the David F. Woods Award (2002, 2013) from the Maryland Jockey Club for the best Preakness Stakes story; and a two-time winner of the Joe Hirsch Award (2010, 2016) from the New York Racing Association for the best Belmont Stakes story.

Privman's Breeders' Cup awards include six Joe Hirsch Awards (2001, 2003, 2005, 2015, 2017, 2018) for news reporting and the Bill Leggett Award (2017) for feature writing. Other honors include the Old Hilltop Award from the Maryland Jockey Club (2005); Walter Haight Award, from the National Turf Writers Association (2005); induction into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (2011); and the Charles W. Engelhard Award, from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders (2016).

Privman and his wife, Anne Warner, reside in Carlsbad, Calif., 11 miles from the first track he ever attended, Del Mar.

The post ‘Incredibly Moving’: Jay Privman To Be Honored With Special Eclipse Award For Career Excellence appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Cristian Torres became the fastest jockey in Oaklawn history to reach $1 million in purse earnings at a meet when he scored a riding double last Saturday.

Torres ($1,072,393) reached seven figures on Day 11 of the scheduled 68-day season after guiding Lovely Ride to a three-quarter length victory in the $150,000 Pippin Stakes for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles for trainer Robertino Diodoro. Torres had earlier won Saturday's second race aboard Arthurian, which marked Diodoro's 3,000th career North American victory, according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization.

Florent Geroux had previously been the fastest jockey to reach $1 million in purse earnings at Oaklawn, hitting seven figures ($1,003,754) on Day 12 of the 2021-2022 meeting.

“Robertino is a great trainer and I've very happy to ride for him,” Torres said following the Pippin. “He always does a great job. He knows where to put the horses. It's very nice to win for him today.”

Torres ($1,111,060) has already established a single-season Oaklawn personal best for purse earnings, eclipsing his previous high ($1,034,104) in 2021, his debut meet in Hot Springs. Torres' mounts earned $920,548 during an injury-shortened 2021-2022 meeting.

Torres also tops the 2022-2023 standings in victories (15) and stakes victories (four) after the first 12 days of the meeting. Three of the stakes victories have been for Diodoro. Jockey Francisco Arrieta ($1,029,122) surpassed $1 million in purse earnings at the meet last Sunday. Arrieta was Oaklawn's co-leading rider last season and is third in 2022-2023 with 13 victories.

The post Cristian Torres Fastest Jockey In Oaklawn History To $1 Million In Purse Earnings appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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