Tag: People

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano is having a very good year which only got better on Saturday at Colonial Downs. Castellano won two of the three graded stakes, the Grade 1 Beverly D. and the G2 Secretariat, while riding at the Virginia track for the first time in 10 years.

He also won a stakes race at Saratoga on Friday, leading the panel of racing experts to vote Castellano Jockey of the Week for Aug. 7 through Aug. 13.

The award recognizes jockeys for riding accomplishments and who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1,050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

Castellano started the weekend on a winning note on Friday at Saratoga aboard Grannys Connection, riding for trainer Tom Morely in the Union Avenue Handicap for New York-bred fillies and mares. Off as the prohibitive favorite in the field of five, Grannys Connection broke inward but went straight to the front to take command and post a 1 1/2-length win, completing six furlongs on the main track in 1:11.09.

“After the first jump, she put everything together and she is a free-running horse,” Castellano said. “She was enjoying herself out there. She had plenty left in the tank and I like the way she did it today,”

Castellano then travelled to Colonial Downs on Saturday for their inaugural “Festival of Racing.” Riding for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, Castellano was aboard Gigantic for the first time in the G2 Secretariat for 3-year-olds on the turf. Off as the longest price in the six-horse field, Gigantic was last down the backstretch while Castellano just bided his time. With three furlongs to run, Gigantic went four wide and began to pass his rivals one by one. He took the lead at the eighth pole to win by a neck in 1:35.10 over a fast closing Nagirroc with Flavien Prat aboard. Gigantic paid $47.80 for the upset win.

“I took my time, rode with a lot of patience, a lot of confidence,” Castellano said.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse next gave a leg up to Castellano on Fev Rover in the G1 Beverly D. Stakes, a “Win and You're In” race for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Off as the favorite in the compact field of five, Fev Rover took command at the start and drew off to post a 3 1/2-length win in 1:54.35.

“She really started to pick it up,” Castellano said. “And by the way she finished, I think she was the best in the race.”

The win was Castellano's 12th graded stake of the year.

“I thank God that everything has been going the right way,” Castellano said. “It has just been a great year.”

Castellano out polled Tyler Gaffalione who won a graded stakes at Saratoga and posted 10 wins for the week to lead all jockeys, Florent Geroux with a victory in the G1 Arlington Million, Umberto Rispoli with a graded stakes win at Del Mar, and Luis Saez who won the G1 Fourstardave at Saratoga.

The post ‘It Has Just Been A Great Year’: Javier Castellano Voted Jockey Of The Week After Graded Double At Colonial appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Ageless jockey Perry Ouzts officially became North America's fifth all-time winningest rider on Tuesday at Belterra Park, when he piloted Lanalikeschoochoos to victory in the afternoon's seventh race for trainer Larry Smith. It was the 7,397th victory of Ouzts' career, breaking a tie with retired jockey David Gall (7,396 career wins).

Ouzts, 69, began his riding career in 1973, the year Secretariat won the Triple Crown, scoring his first victory in March of that year at defunct Beulah Park near Columbus, Ohio. He won 11 riding titles at Beulah and 18 at River Downs, the Cincinnati track that's been replaced by Belterra.

The winningest rider in North American Thoroughbred racing history is Russell Baze (retired) at 12,842 wins. He is followed by Laffit Pincay, Jr. (9,530), William Shoemaker (8,833), and Pat Day (8,803).

Ouzts is the winningest active rider in North American racing, and is one of three among the 10 winningest riders to not be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The others are Gall (who rode at Fairmount Park in Illinois) and Pino (who rode primarily in the Mid-Atlantic).

The post Jockey Perry Ouzts Officially North America’s Fifth All-Time Winningest Rider appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Vicente Del-Cid pulled away in the final weeks to repeat as the top jockey at the recently concluded Evangeline Downs Thoroughbred meet. Bolstered by a 4-win night with a week to go, Del-Cid finished the season with 76 wins from 380 mounts. Add in 41 runner-up finishes and another 63 shows, his mounts won at a 20% rate and hit the board in 47% of his chances, while earning $1,513,675. The champion jockey led a trio of riders to eclipse the million-dollar mark in purses. Tim Thornton was second with $1,409,235 and apprentice Elio Barrera was third with his mounts earning $1,312,420.

The complete top 10 jockeys for the 2023 season were: Vicente Del-Cid (76 wins), Elio Barrera (64), Tim Thornton (55), Juan Vargas (42), C.J. McMahon (41), Jose Luis Rodriguez (29), Joel Dominguez (25), Joe Stokes (23) and a tie for ninth between Thomas Pompell and Casey Fusilier with 21.

Trainer Lee Thomas emerged as the leading trainer in a tight battle that came down to the final night of the season. Thomas trainees were victorious in 24 trips to the post from 98 starters. His runners hit the board at a solid 48% rate and topped the list with $540,055 in purses, just ahead of the Allen Landry barn with $506,425.

The complete top 10 in the trainer standings: Lee Thomas (24 wins), Eduardo Ramirez (22), Sam Breaux (22), Juan Larrosa (21), Allen Landry (20), Karl Broberg (18), Sturges Ducoing (15), Edith Mojica (15), Keith Bourgeios (15), and Jayde Gelner (13).

Elite Thoroughbred Racing, LLC (Michele Rodriguez) topped the owner standings with 17 wins from 76 starters. With nine places and 10 shows, Elite Thoroughbred runners hit the board 47% and earned a meet leading $310,925. Other owners to surpass the quarter-million mark in earnings included End Zone Athletics ($260,945), Set-Hut LLC ($237,520), Whispering Oaks Farm LLC ($237,390), and Norman Stables ($226,290). Owner Sandy Badeaux runners won at a 32% strike rate, best among the top 10.

The complete top 10 in the owner standings were: Elite Thoroughbred Racing, LLC (17 wins), End Zone Athletics (14), Sandy Badeaux (12), Norman Stables, LLC (9), Whispering Oaks Farm, LLC (7), Mojica Stables, Inc. (7), Jason Grudzien (7), Tres Portillos Ranch Inc. (7), and L and G Racing Stables and Set-Hut LLC with 6 wins apiece.

Evangeline Downs will be dark for a few weeks. Live racing resumes with the start of the American Quarter Horse meet on Friday, September 29. Post time for the 46-day season will be at 5:35pm Central Time.

For more information on Evangeline Downs, visit the track's website at https://evangelinedowns.boydgaming.com. Evangeline Downs information can also be found on Twitter @EVDracing and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EvangelineDownsRacing.

Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD), features exciting casino action, live horse racing and fun dining experiences. Evangeline Downs is located in Opelousas, Louisiana, off I-49 on Cresswell Lane at Exit 18.

The post Vincente Del-Cid, Lee Thomas Top Standings At Evangeline Downs Meet appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Horse PAC® Board Chairman Bill Farish and President Tom Rooney are pleased to announce that Stephanie Hronis has joined the Board of Directors of NTRA Horse PAC®, Thoroughbred racing's bipartisan federal Political Action Committee.

Stephanie Hronis is a prominent member of the Thoroughbred racing community. Hronis is part of the Hronis Racing ownership team, alongside her husband Kosta, his brother Pete, and their family, are part-owners of 2022 Eclipse Award-winning Horse of the Year Flightline. Additionally, she is Chairwoman of the Horse Racing Women's Summit and a member of the Board of Directors of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation Advisory Board, and Shamrock Community Foundation/College + Career Planning Founder/Owner.

“It is a great honor to join the NTRA Horse PAC® and to support the significant work being done to ensure the longevity of the horse racing industry,” Hronis said. “This is especially a priority during the industry's current period of significant change for the betterment of our equine and human athletes.”

“Over the past two decades, Horse PAC® has played a key role in promoting the Thoroughbred racing industry with our lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Our success would not be possible without great members of our Board, and Stephanie is a great addition to help us continue to grow,” said Horse PAC® Chairman Bill Farish. “We look forward to welcoming her into the fold as Horse PAC® continues to increase its footprint in Washington.”

“Stephanie's leadership and commitment to the racing industry is beyond admirable, which I believe makes her a perfect addition to our team,” said NTRA President and CEO and Horse PAC® President Tom Rooney.

Under the stewardship of Chairman Bill Farish and NTRA President Tom Rooney, Horse PAC® is the preeminent federal political action committee on Capitol Hill for the Thoroughbred horseracing industry and an integral component in the NTRA tool chest in Washington, DC. Since its formation in the early 2000s, Horse PAC® has dispensed nearly $5 million to federally elected candidates who support Thoroughbred breeding and racing.

Other Horse PAC® Board Members include John C. Harris, Wilhelmina McEwan, Justin Nicholson, Anne W. Poulson, and Keith Chamblin.

ABOUT THE NTRA

The NTRA, based in Lexington, Ky. and Washington, D.C., is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing.

The post NTRA Horse PAC Adds Stephanie Hronis To Board Of Directors appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post