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Edwin Gonzalez Bags Five Winners Thursday At Gulfstream Park

Edwin Gonzalez continued to make his presence felt in the South Florida jockey colony, riding the winners of five races Thursday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The native of Puerto Rico, who won at a better-than-30-percent clip the previous two years at Penn National, has ridden 33 winners at the Spring/Summer Meet since moving his tack to South Florida.

Gonzalez won aboard Laurel Canyon in Thursday's second race, K's Running Free in the third, Karen's Cove in the fourth, Vow Me Now in the fifth and Panarea in the eighth and final race on the program.

A multiple group stakes winner in his native Puerto Rico, where he won 443 races before coming to the U.S. in 2013, Gonzalez is closing in on 1,500 career wins. He ranked 14th overall in North American wins in 2020 with 177 and 11th in 2019 with 236.

“We've been north here the last two years and it's been good,” Gonzalez said at the start of the meet in explaining his decision to ride at Gulfstream. “But we only race two days a week and I'd like to ride at a better track with some better horses. I'm looking forward to riding here during the summer. I'll keep working hard to win some races.”

He is represented by agent Kevin Meyocks.

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Patrick Smith, Joe Clancy Earn Media Honors For 2020 Preakness Coverage

Patrick Smith of Getty Images and Joe Clancy of ST Publishing Inc., will be recognized this weekend for outstanding journalism coverage of the 2020 Preakness (G1) at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

Smith, a staff photographer at Getty, has been named recipient of the Jerry Frutkoff Photographer Award for his photo of Preakness winner Swiss Skydiver and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Authentic coming down the stretch of the 145^th Preakness. The image was published by Getty on Oct. 3, 2020.

“I loved the facial expression of [Robby] Albarado as he went nose-to-nose with the filly to defeat the Kentucky Derby winner,” Smith said. “All the excitement we dream of when photographing racing was there.”

Smith also acknowledged co-worker Rob Carr for his support and vision and his late grandfather Paul Szugaj for his love of Thoroughbred racing. “I would be remiss if I didn't say anytime I'm against the rail photographing racing – those two are on my mind.”

Clancy was named recipient of the David F. Woods Memorial Award for his story of the 2020 Preakness entitled 'Force of the Filly,' in the November 2020 edition of Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred. Clancy also received the Woods in 2015 and 2017.

“I was kicking around the Pimlico barn area the day before the Preakness, taking notes, talking to people,” Clancy said. “The place felt empty, a little strange due to the Covid restrictions on attendance and media access. It was October, not May. And then I saw Kenny McPeek hosing Swiss Skydiver's legs outside the barn and thought of all the horses I hosed when I worked in my father's barn. I wandered over, said hello, fed the filly a mint or two and Kenny and I talked horses for a while. It was amazing. I remember walking away hoping she would win so I could write about it. She had to come through on the track and did she ever. The battle with Authentic was just what the 2020 Preakness needed and it was an honor to tell her story.”

https://midatlantictb.com/index.php/midatlantic-tb/featured-articles/1085-force-of-the-filly-swiss-skydiver-proves-resolute-in-history-making-score-for-mcpeek

Clancy is the owner, publisher editor and writer for ST Publishing Inc., parent company of thisishorseracing.com internet and editor of Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, a monthly magazine published by the Maryland Horse Breeders Association. In 2014 he won an Eclipse Award for excellence in writing. Clancy lives in Fair Hill.

Smith and Clancy will be recognized Friday at Pimlico.

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Golden Memories: Jockey Gustavo Avila Recalls Canonero II’s 1971 Preakness

Although 50 years have passed, Gustavo Avila can readily recall his ride of a lifetime aboard Canonero II in the 1971 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course, just two weeks after the Venezuelan visitors shocked the world by pulling off an unimaginable upset victory in the Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs.

The retired 83-year-old jockey, who resides in Miami with his family, came to Pimlico “a bit uncomfortable” and preparing for a race that would test Canonero II's speed as well as his stamina.

“One thing was certain,” the Venezuelan Hall of Fame jockey said, “this was going to be a violent race because of how fast it would be.”

Avila and his Kentucky-bred Venezuelan invader, who rallied from 18th to win the Kentucky Derby by 3 ¾ lengths, proved to be well-prepared to withstand a thrilling speed duel that developed with Eastern Fleet, winning by 1 ½ lengths and proving that his thrilling upset victory at Churchill Downs was hardly the fluke many had written it off to be.

Claudia Spadaro of Gulfstream Park and HipicaTV sat down and spoke to Avila just a week ago.

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Juan Hernandez Voted Jockey Of The Week With Seven Victories

With a determined stretch run aboard Neige Blanche (FR), Juan J. Hernandez won the Grade 3 Santa Barbara Stakes to earn Jockey of the Week for May 3 through May 9. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 active riders in the United States as well as retired and permanently disabled jockeys.

Given a leg up by trainer Leonard Powell, Hernandez rode Neige Blanche (FR) for just the second time in the Santa Barbara Stakes after a fourth place finish in the Grade 3 Santa Ana Stakes in March. In a field of seven fillies and mares three-years-old and up, Neige Blanche (FR), which translates to white snow in English, managed to just get up at the wire over Rideforacause in a thrilling renewal of the 1-1/2 mile marathon on the Santa Anita downhill turf course. The final time was 2:28.01.

“It was really close, it could probably go both ways, 50-50, inside or outside and thanks to my filly, we got it,” said Hernandez who chalked up his third win of the day and his seventh stakes win. “It was better, because last time I think we were a little too close to the pace and today, I was a little bit more (relaxed). Two horses in front of me and she relaxed pretty well. Around the quarter pole, when I asked her to go, she responded really well.”

Hernandez, 28 years old, was born in Perote, Veracruz, Mexico where he started his riding career also riding in Puerto Rico. He came to northern California in 2010 and established himself at Golden Gate Fields winning numerous riding titles. He shifted his tack permanently to southern California last summer during the Los Alamitos Thoroughbred meeting. He is currently in second place behind Flavien Prat at the Winter/Spring Santa Anita meeting.

Hernandez's weekly stats were 15-7-1-1 with a 46.6 win percentage and 60 percent in-the-money. His total purse earnings for the week were $256,680.

For Jockey of the Week, Hernandez out polled David Cabrera who was the leading rider by number of wins, Santiago Gonzalez who was second in number of wins, Joel Rosario who was the leading jockey by purses won and John Velazquez who won the Grade 1 Man o' War.

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