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Tampa Bay Downs: Trainer Michael Wright Runs Consecutive Win Streak To Six

Gina Wright had a dream last Friday night. Her husband, trainer Michael Wright, was standing in the Tampa Bay Downs winner's circle after capturing his sixth consecutive victory at the Oldsmar, Fla., track.

Entering Saturday's $50,000 Wayward Lass Stakes, that scenario seemed like a pipe dream to most observers. The conditioner had entered the 7-year-old Colebrook Farms mare Nantucket Red, who would go off at odds of 15-1. Her surprising three-length victory under jockey Olaf Hernandez brought Gina's dream a step closer to reality, and Hernandez made it happen in Sunday's third race with a cagey ride aboard 11-10 favorite More Chances.

The 5-year-old gelding, who was breaking his maiden in his 14th start, is owned by Wright's assistant, Mike Dunslow, who claimed More Chances for $5,000 from his previous start on Nov. 12 at Woodbine in Toronto.

“When you put them in the right race, that's all that matters,” Wright said. “That's what you told me years ago,” Dunslow agreed. “Don't put them in over their heads.”

Now, Wright – perhaps best known as the trainer of Scotzanna, who won a pair of Sovereign Awards in 1995 as Canada's Champion Sprinter and Champion 3-Year-Old Filly – is chasing some serious Oldsmar oval history. In 1977, trainer E.T. Clark won with nine consecutive starters, when the track was known as Florida Downs, from Jan. 28-Feb. 4. Wright will try for seven in a row in Wednesday's eighth race with 6-year-old gelding Victor's Destiny, also owned by Dunslow. Hernandez will be aboard.

Besides being a Thoroughbred owner, Gina Wright is a nurse who often works nights, and was unable to attend the races Saturday. That's OK, now, as long as she keeps getting her dream-inducing slumber.

Hernandez engineered dream trips in both weekend victories for Wright's charges. “He did a great job. He's a hard worker and he's at the barn every morning,” Wright said.

The Wright barn is a fun place to be a part of, made more so by the current winning streak. “He (Wright) is the warden and I'm the assistant warden,” Dunslow said.

And for now, they are taking no prisoners.

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Woodbine’s Five Furlongs With Justin Stein: The Marvel Universe And Reality TV

Each week until opening day of the 2022 Woodbine Thoroughbred meet, a familiar name in the sport will be in the spotlight, answering some fun, offbeat questions, giving readers a unique perspective into their personality.

Justin Stein began his riding career in his native British Columbia in 2004, recording his first career win on Aug. 28 at Hastings Park, and by the next year had become the track's leading rider with 148 wins. Stein moved to Woodbine full-time in 2006 and finished his first season in Ontario with 109 wins, good for fourth in the jockey standings. In 2012, Stein won the Queen's Plate with Strait of Dover. Three years later he won the Woodbine Oaks with 66-1 shot Academic, who went on to defeat males with Stein aboard in the Grade 3 Canadian Derby at Northlands and the G3 B.C. Derby at Hastings. Stein retired in 2016, but the man who has a zest for the great outdoors returned to race-riding at Woodbine in 2019 and has excelled, winning his first G1 with Starship Jubilee in the 2020 Woodbine Mile while finishing atop the Woodbine standings in earnings and second in races won. As of Jan. 1, Stein has 1,287 career wins, including 87 stakes scores.

You get to star on a reality show. Which one is it and why?

“Mantracker, for sure. Well, you're outdoors, in the bush, in the woods, and I think he would be a good nemesis. He'd definitely be a worthy opponent. I think I could get the better of him. He wouldn't catch me.”

Design your own jockey silks.

“I would want them to be simple. The colours would be navy blue with either gold or yellow, something like that. I don't have anything for a symbol. I haven't gone that far in my mind yet.”

You get to be a Marvel character. Who do you choose?

“We just watched one, Venom. I like those movies. So, I guess I wouldn't mind being him for a day. I also think the Avengers series is good and so is Justice League. They're very entertaining. I have a few favourite movies that I've watched a lot of times. The Hurt Locker is one. I've watched that over and over. I've also watched Rush plenty of times as well. That's a great movie about Formula One. It's very similar to being a jockey.”

Which racetrack would you like to ride at, one you've never been to before?

“That's a good question. Keeneland would come to mind, and I've always wanted to ride at Santa Anita too. I guess because I grew up on the west coast and Santa Anita was the big racetrack, it would be nice to get a chance to ride there. It's also super pretty too.”

Where would you set up a farm?

“I would go with somewhere in Ontario. I'd find a good location to grow some crops. I'd have horses, dogs, maybe some chickens, a pig and a Highland Cow, maybe a llama. Just look for us [along with his wife, Jenn] in our rubber boots. We'll be out there in the barnyard.”

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Harper Named New Executive Director Of KEEP Foundation

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) Foundation has hired Alexandra Harper as the organization's new executive director.

Reflecting on the impactful work of the KEEP Foundation in its Equine Workforce Initiative and an investment in broader education about the industry to more young Kentuckians, the KEEP Foundation Board of Directors have hired Alexandra Harper to build on these successes and further elevate the work of the organization across the Commonwealth.

Prior to joining the KEEP Foundation, Harper was the practice manager at Park Equine Hospital. She previously worked for the American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) as the special programs manager, where she produced the 2019 ASHA Youth Conference which brought record-breaking attendance from the United States, and developed a continuing education program for members. In addition, she worked as the operations and communications coordinator for the University of Kentucky Ag Equine Programs, where she was involved with a number of education initiatives in the Thoroughbred, sport horse, and other equine disciplines. Harper originally hails from Charleston, WVa. She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelors of Arts in Corporate Communications and attained a Master of Business Administration from Midway University.

“I'm excited about taking the reins as executive director,” said Harper. “I look forward to taking the KEEP Foundation to the next level through enhanced fundraising efforts and educational events, continued workforce development initiative, and expanding the efforts toward making the industry more accessible. I've spent my entire professional and personal life in this industry and I can't wait to see what we can accomplish as we work together toward the common goal of a thriving and ever evolving Kentucky horse industry.”

“Since 2018, when the KEEP Foundation began working across the industry and in partnership with the Kentucky Chamber Workforce Center on the Equine Workforce Initiative, the Foundation has been at the center of the conversation in planning for the future of the horse industry in Kentucky and ensuring that that future is led by a homegrown workforce that provides economic impact in all 120 counties,” said Elisabeth Jensen, newly-elected chair of the KEEP Foundation board of directors. “The hiring of Alexandra Harper brings invaluable passion and experience that will allow the Foundation to meet the moment and excel beyond what we've been able to do before.”

In addition to hiring Harper, the KEEP Foundation added Price Bell and Reese Koffler-Stanfield to its Board of Directors. Bell is the General Manager of Mill Ridge Farm and Koffler-Stanfield is an international dressage rider, trainer, clinician, and owner of Maplecrest Farm.

The Board of Directors also elected officers for 2022. Elisabeth Jensen will serve as chair while continuing to manage the policy and legislative affairs of the KEEP Alliance. Katie LaMonica will serve as vice chair and Shannon Cobb will serve as treasurer.

Established in 2014, the KEEP Foundation is the charitable arm of the Kentucky Equine Education Project. Funded by horse industry participants and through the sale of the Seattle Slew specialty license plate, the KEEP Foundation seeks to support the continued economic success of the Kentucky horse industry by increasing access to the industry for more Kentuckians and educating Kentuckians about the industry and its career opportunities. In the coming year, the Foundation will continue to focus on its Equine Workforce Initiative, industry education events and outreach, and opportunities to spotlight and grow Kentucky's horse industry across the state.

The mission of the KEEP Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), established in 2014, is to support the economic success of Kentucky's signature industry by ensuring its continued economic viability, making the industry accessible for all who want to participate, introducing more young people to the industry and its opportunities, and educating the people of the Commonwealth about the importance of horses to the state, its economy, its heritage, and its people.

To learn more about the KEEP Foundation, visit www.thekeepfoundation.org

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Eclipse Finalists Marquez, Hiraldo Continue Tradition Of Maryland Apprentice Riders

Teenage sensation Charlie Marquez, Maryland's second-leading rider by wins and purse earnings last year, is among three finalists for the Eclipse Award as champion apprentice jockey of 2021.

Joining Marquez as finalists are John Hiraldo, who spent more than half his apprenticeship in Maryland, and California-based Jessica Pyfer. Hiraldo led all apprentice riders with 81 wins while Pyfer was tops with more than $2.7 million in purses earned.

“It's unbelievable,” Marquez said. “I was kind of surprised to be honest with you. I only had my bug last year for five months, so me being able to put up the numbers to even be nominated is kind of crazy and awesome to me.”

Marquez ended 2021 with 102 wins and $3,500,448 in purse earnings at Laurel Park and historic Pimlico Race Course, second only to Jevian Toledo, and led Pimlico's Preakness Meet with 49 victories. He also won his first two Maryland Million races, including Buff Hello in the Nursery.

A native of Columbia, Md., near Laurel, Marquez ranked fourth with 50 wins and $1,454,210 in purses earned as an apprentice in 2021, his last day coming May 29. During that time he won his first stakes, the March 15 Private Terms at Laurel with 21-1 long shot Shackled Love.

The son and grandson of successful jockeys in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, Marquez was not among the Eclipse Award finalists for champion apprentice of 2020, won by Maryland-based counterpart Alexander Crispin. He led all Maryland bug riders with 58 wins and ranked seventh in the state overall despite having his apprenticeship interrupted for 2 ½ months from mid-March to late May when Maryland racing was paused amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Marquez has 211 wins and more than $6.5 million in purse earnings from 1,433 career mounts. He won his first race at the age of 16 on Jan. 9, 2020 with Sierra Leona at Laurel.

“Whether I win or lose, it's a pretty big deal that I was even nominated especially after only having my bug for a few months,” Marquez said. “You have to go into it happy. You never know what could happen.”

Maryland-based riders have captured 12 of the 50 Eclipse Awards as champion apprentice. Winners before Crispin were Chris McCarron (1974), Ronnie Franklin (1978), Alberto Delgado (1982), Allen Stacy (1986), Kent Desormeaux (1987), Mike Luzzi (1989), Mark Johnston (1990), Jeremy Rose (2001), Ryan Fogelsonger (2002), Victor Carrasco (2013) and Weston Hamilton (2018).

“It's huge. It's the dream of all apprentice riders. I can't even wrap my head around it,” Marquez said. “It's just huge. I can't really explain it.”

A 20-year-old native of Puerto Rico, Hiraldo ranked second among all apprentice riders with $2,178,769 in purse earnings from 638 mounts. With 89 seconds and 94 thirds, the son of ex-jockey Joel Hiraldo whose cousin, Angel Cruz, rides on the Maryland circuit finished in the money at 41 percent clip.

Hiraldo worked as an exercise rider for trainer Brittany Russell before making his professional debut Dec. 10, 2020 at Laurel Park. He won his first career race with 33-1 long shot Flat Rate on Laurel's 2020 New Year's Eve program.

In 2021, Hiraldo ranked 14^th in Maryland with 35 wins from 365 mounts to go along with $1,171,150 in purse earnings. He has been riding at Oaklawn Park since the opening of its winter meet in early December.

Pyfer, 23, rode as an apprentice through Nov. 13 of last year, ranking second with 56 wins from 535 mounts. The stepdaughter of trainer Phil D'Amato graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a degree in political science and minor in constitutional law and put off law school to become a jockey, winning her first race Oct. 9, 2020 at Santa Anita.

All Eclipse Award winners will be announced Thursday, Feb. 10 at Santa Anita Park.

Notes: Live racing continues Monday with a special Martin Luther King Jr. holiday program. Post time for the first of 10 races in 12:10 p.m. The feature comes in Race 9, an optional claiming allowance for 3-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs. Among the field of eight are Sweet Gracie, third in the Maryland Juvenile Fillies Dec. 18; Click to Confirm, third in the Smart Halo Nov. 13; Moody Woman, third in the Gin Talking Dec. 26; and Mama G's Wish, second in the Blue Hen and third in the Small Wonder last summer at Delaware Park.

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