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Young, Jamaican-Born Trainer Williams Will Saddle His ‘Dream’ In Monmouth Oaks

It would be more than understandable if Matthew J. Williams was feeling a bit anxious as he prepares to send out Dream Marie in Saturday's Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks, the feature race on Monmouth Park's 13-race card.

He's 24, has just two years of experience as a trainer, has never won a stakes race, and boasts the grand total of 64 starters to this point in his career.

And the nine-horse field of 3-year-old fillies for the 96th edition of the Monmouth Oaks features horses from the barns of Todd Pletcher, Steve Asmussen and Arnaud Delacour.

But Williams says he is able to stay calm as he takes aim at what would be the biggest victory of his young career because he keeps reminding himself of one thing.

“It's the horses running, not us,” he said. “That's a good thing.”

With the top six finishers back from the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks on July 4, as well as fourth-place Acorn Stakes finisher Lucrezia, the Oaks field has several accomplished fillies. Dream Marie, off her second-place finish to Project Whiskey in the Delaware Oaks, where she was beaten a half-length, certainly fits.

“She made a really big run in the Delaware Oaks,” said Williams. “I thought she was going to win coming out of the turn but Project Whiskey (trained by Butch Reid) really dug in. But my filly ran a good race.

“We're hoping we can turn the tables on Project Whiskey but Lucrezia is a horse that I have a lot of respect for, too. She finished ahead of us in the (Grade 2) Gulfstream Park Oaks and I saw her win a 2-year-old stakes race at Tampa and she was really impressive that day.”

Williams, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, currently has five horses he trains, all owned by his family's Miracles International Trading Inc. stable, and has been Gulfstream Park-based since launching his training career.

His transition to training in the United States has been seamless because of his background.

“My grandfather had a stud farm in Jamaica,” Williams said. “He was a champion breeder for 10 years in Jamaica. He had a lot of Jamaican Classic winners and bred a Triple Crown winner in Jamaica. So growing up I was always involved with horses.”

Dream Marie signaled her arrival as a potential stakes winner after winning a $50,000 starter allowance at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 14, Williams said, following that up with a win in a $75,000 optional claimer on Jan. 20. Williams then decided to try her in the Grade 2 Davona Dale at Gulfstream on Feb. 29.

The daughter of Graydar-Lin Marie by Curlin finished third that day.

“It was time to take a shot with her,” Williams said. “I think she ran well. A couple of things could have gone differently in the race but she ran well. Two good fillies beat her.”

When Dream Marie finished second on May 15 in the Hollywood Wildcat at the Monmouth Oaks distance of a mile and a sixteenth, Williams targeted the Delaware Oaks and Monmouth Oaks for his filly.

Purchased for $25,000 at the OBS March sale in 2019, Dream Marie sports a 3-2-1 line from 10 career starts with lifetime earnings of $150,160.

Joe Bravo is staying aboard, too, after having the mount in the Delaware Oaks.

“It feels good to have Joe want to ride her again,” Williams said. “I don't think any rider is as familiar with a racetrack as Joe is with Monmouth Park.”

For Williams, Dream Marie would be appropriately named if she happens to win Saturday.

“Winning my first stakes race, and my first graded stakes, would mean a lot,” Williams said. “It's something I have dreamed about when I was watching U.S. races on TV in Jamaica. It means a lot to me just to see my name among some of the trainers in this race so winning it would really be something special for me.”

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Indiana Grand: 17-Year-Old Carrizalez Juggling Horses, School, Sports

Most high school students are hitting the snooze button at 7:30 a.m. The time for Eddie “Junior” Carrizalez has a different meaning. The 17-year-old senior at Shelbyville High School is transitioning from work to school at that time, a schedule he has maintained for the past few years at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino.

Carrizalez is part of a family immersed in horse racing. His father, Miguel Ramos, is an exercise rider and works on the starting gate during the races and his mother, Sara Donjuan, is a groom for Mike Lauer. Carrizalez works alongside his mother as a groom in the Lauer Stable and currently takes care of six horses. Those under his care include Chipofftheoldblock, Comes N Threes, Sunsign, Jingle, Alternate Nights and Ginormous.

“I started going to the barn when I was four, so I've been around horses all my life,” said Carrizalez. “I like being around them, and my mom has taught me a lot. I take care of them in the morning, get them ready to go to the track and also get them ready on race days and walk them up to the paddock. It's worked out for me to be at the barn and still get to school and practices.”

Carrizalez is referring to a jam-packed schedule each fall. The three-sport athlete is a member of the varsity soccer team as well as the kicker and punter for the football team at Shelbyville High School. He also runs track in the spring. Participating in both fall sports at the same time can have its challenges, but he has worked out a schedule with the coaches and with Lauer.

“Right after school, I go to football practice first and then head over to soccer practice,” said Carrizalez. “The day before a game, I usually stay longer at that practice and will miss the other sport on game days. But otherwise, they are at different times and the games are on different days, so it works out.”

Soccer has always been a passion for Carrizalez, a love he shares with his father. He learned the game at an early age and competes in leagues outside of school. He even plays at Indiana Grand's soccer field on dark days of racing with his father and friends.

“I mostly learned soccer on my own,” added Carrizalez. “It's something that I've always liked. My dad is a pretty good soccer player. He and my mom come to a lot of my games when they can.”

Carrizalez was a major contributor on the team during his junior year. As left wing and midfielder, he is quick and can move the ball to teammates in a flash. Carrizalez scored four goals during the year on a team that has produced college talent over the past few seasons. The team took a devastating blow this past spring when senior Nolan Parker was killed in an automobile accident. His passing has had a major impact on the soccer program at Shelbyville.

“Soccer just won't be the same without Nolan,” said Carrizalez. “Even though he was a senior and was graduating, knowing he's not there is hard. He was a good leader and a great friend.”

Following the loss of Parker, disruptions in school and sports due to COVID set in. Carrizalez had to find other ways to get on the field. Although he still had work at the barn in the mornings, he spent most of his evenings playing soccer.

“Junior is a special kid who knows how to balance hard work with having fun,” noted Shelbyville Head Soccer Coach Ben Purvis. “He always has a smile on his face when talking and kicking a ball around with his friends, but as soon as we get into exercises, he becomes focused on getting better. He was a raw talent early in his time with our program and has put in the work to become a regular contributor for our varsity. This spring, even though we weren't allowed to practice due to COVID, I would drive by the fields and more often than not, see Junior working on different aspects of his game. He has a passion for soccer and drive to improve. I'm really excited to see what his senior year holds.”

Football is a newer sport for Carrizalez. He has also developed a passion for it and is showing real promise as the team's punter and kicker. He caught the eye of Head Coach Mike Clevenger two years ago while kicking soccer balls in the gym and has made the conversion over to the gridiron.

“I had Eddie (Carrizalez) in my advanced PE class my first full year at Shelbyville,” explained Clevenger. “One day I come into the gym, and I see him kicking a soccer ball the length of the fieldhouse. I asked him if he would be interested in coming out and kicking for the football team. The next season Eddie came out looking like a kid that has kicked (a football) his whole life. He impressed all of us coaches. He has continued to work every day on his kicking, along with going to soccer practice, working, and school. He has become a great asset for us for football. Through his hard work and perseverance, around half of his kickoffs were touchbacks. We all look forward to Eddie's senior year and what he is able to accomplish.”

Carrizalez notes that kicking footballs is different than kicking soccer balls. He uses the front of his foot while kicking in football but in soccer, the side of his foot is utilized to move the ball down the field.

“Mr. (Luke) Stout (assistant football coach) really helped polish my kicking (for football),” said Carrizalez. “It wasn't hard to pick up after the first few times. Punting is harder for me, but I'm learning more all the time.”

Carrizalez has not had the opportunity to kick a field goal yet in a game, but he has sailed the ball down the field 65 yards during kickoffs and can consistently kick 40-yard field goals in practice. He's just waiting for the opportunity to put his skills to use in a game.

When school resumes Aug. 5 at Shelbyville High School, Carrizalez will cut back to three horses in the Lauer barn. He will still have time to finish up at the barn by 7:30 a.m. and head to school. Afternoons will be totally focused on football and soccer. As a senior, he's hopeful to get an offer to continue his love of either sport in the college ranks.

“Right now, it could be anywhere and I'd be interested just to be able to play in college,” said Carrizalez. “I am hoping for soccer, but football would be great too. I haven't really thought too much about it. But I'd love to play in college.”

Whatever the case may be for Carrizalez's future, he has placed new meaning in the word dedication. With a proven track record, the sky's the limit for Carrizalez

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‘He Sounded Great’: Injured Jockey Rosario Montanez Talking About Return To Riding

When his phone rang Monday evening, jockey agent Joe Rocco Sr. thought it was going to be a regular update on his client, Rosario Montanez, who was injured in a July 17 spill at Laurel Park.

It turned out to be much more. Though the number displayed was of Montanez's fiancé, Chloe LaBarre, Rocco got the surprise of his life when he answered.

“Her number showed up, but it was him on the phone,” Rocco said. “He spoke to me. He's got a long road ahead of him … but he sounded great. It was great news.”

A San Diego native who was a finalist for the 2011 Eclipse Award as champion apprentice, Montanez was unseated when his mount, 4-year-old filly Hendaya, clipped heels and fell leaving the backstretch of a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint for filly and mare claimers 3 and up. While he was being tended to on the track, Hendaya was able to get up and jog off the turf course.

Montanez, 28, underwent surgery July 18 to repair several fractures in his back at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Rocco said the rider was being transferred Tuesday to another facility in the city to begin rehabilitation for his brain injuries.

“I had to explain to him what I thought happened. It was just a bad incident he went through,” Rocco said. “He didn't even know he had surgery, which is a great sign. He's doing well.”

A winner of more than 3,700 career races during his riding career and whose son, Joe Jr. is a jockey based in Kentucky, Rocco gets emotional when talking both to and about Montanez.

“He's my friend. I really care about him a lot,” Rocco said. “I couldn't believe it when he talked to me. I didn't know if he was going to make it or not, that's how bad it was. But, you know he asked me when he's going to be back racing. He said, 'Let's figure this out.'”

A GoFundMe account launched by Laurel trainer Brittany Russell July 18 has raised $37,505 to go toward general living and medical expenses. An initial goal of $20,000 was surpassed in less than 24 hours, and a second $30,000 goal reached days later. The goal has been updated to $50,000.

“I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for coming together to help us out,” LaBarre wrote on the GoFundMe website. “Please continue to pray for him! I'm so thankful for everything people have done for him. It means so much to us.”

To donate to Montanez's GoFundMe campaign, visit www.gofundme.com/f/rosario-montanez

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Motivated By Paralyzed Brother, Jockey Hector Diaz Building On Opportunities At Monmouth Park

Hector Diaz, Jr. has never been willing to settle for second-best ever since his late start on a career as a jockey, but in this instance he's inclined to make an exception.

The 31-year-old journeyman currently sits second in the Monmouth Park jockey standings with 12 wins – well behind runaway leader Paco Lopez, who is on his way to a seventh title at the Shore track with 26 wins, but also ahead of notable veterans Joe Bravo, Jose Ferrer, Antonio Gallardo, Nik Juarez and Trevor McCarthy.

It's potentially a significant achievement for Diaz, who finished fourth in the track's rider standings a year ago.

“Monmouth Park has a great jockey colony. It's a very tough colony,” said Diaz, who is listed on four mounts when racing resumes at Monmouth Park with a six-race twilight card on Friday. “There are so many great riders and I feel grateful to be second now. I know it's going to be competitive and a challenge to stay there.

“I just have to focus on myself and keep working hard and remember that the things that have me second now will be the things that keep me second.”

In part because he is late to the profession, Diaz has an appreciation for every accomplishment now, big or small.

Though he grew up with a father and brother who were jockeys, and with cousins Irad and Jose Ortiz, in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, Diaz didn't enroll in the Escuela Vocacional Hipica jockey school until he was 23.

“My dad did not want me to be a jockey. But in my heart I knew I always wanted to be a jockey,” Diaz said.

Some of the motivation for finally setting on his professional path came from his brother, Hector Miguel Diaz, who was paralyzed in a spill at Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico.

“He was just 21 when he was paralyzed,” said Diaz. “I decided that I needed to do this and do it for him.”

Diaz had mixed results as an apprentice in the ultra-competitive New York arena before shifting to Monmouth Park.

“It's hard in New York but I can't say it didn't really work out because of the opportunities I got there,” he said. “If I didn't get those opportunities I might not be getting the opportunities I have now at Monmouth. Those trainers come here to race. They know me. New York was part of the process that has helped me be where I am now.

“I believe you build your career every year and you do that by continuing to work hard. Last year was a good year for me. I won a couple of stakes races and I finished fourth in the standings at Monmouth Park. I think that has helped me get off to a good start this year.”

Diaz, who didn't start riding professionally until he was 27, isn't bashful about his long-term goal.

“I want to be leading rider here someday,” he said. “Paco is tough to beat. He is always tough to beat. So maybe it won't be this year and maybe it won't be next year but I believe I can do it. I always believe in myself. I always bet on me all the time to succeed. I will continue building my career and I won't stop trying to reach my goal.”

Diaz matched his personal best with 74 overall victories last year while earning a career-best $2,802,843. He is certain he can exceed those numbers this year.

“The trainers have been trusting me. That's a big part of this,” he said. “My agent (Shawn Klotz) is doing his job and I am doing my job in the mornings. But it's about opportunities. You've got to work hard to earn those opportunities but owners and trainers have got to support you. They have to give you a shot.”

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