santa anita | Horse Racing Free Tips

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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Quinones, Parker To Receive 2020, ’21 George Woof Memorial Jockey Award On Sunday

In a dual ceremony that will honor a pair of distinguished jockeys, DeShawn Parker and Luis M. Quinones, Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., will officially honor both the 2020 and 2021 winners of racing's prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award on Sunday, May 16.

Instituted by Santa Anita in 1950 to honor the legacy of the legendary jockey George Woolf, the Woolf Award, which can only be won once, honors those riders whose careers embodied class and dignity and have thus represented Thoroughbred horse racing in a consistently professional manner.

Currently based in Ohio, Quinones, America's second leading rider by races won in 2019 with 314 victories, was originally scheduled to accept the 2020 Woolf Trophy on March 22 of last year, but due to complications related to the COVID-19 virus, he will instead participate in a Runhappy Winner's Circle ceremony between races with his close personal friend and 2021 Woolf Award winner DeShawn Parker this Sunday.

Quinones, 42, outpolled a highly respected group of finalists last year that included Tyler Baze, Javier Castellano, Chris Emigh and James Graham.

“It's a great honor just to be on the ballot for this award,” said Quinones last spring. “Winning the Woolf Award is incredible. I'm looking forward to coming out there and I know this is something I will never forget.”

DeShawn Parker, who at five feet, 10 inches, “stands out” in any jockey colony, became the first African-American rider since 1895 to lead all American jockeys in races won in 2010, with 377 trips to the Winner's Circle and he becomes the 72^nd Woolf Award winner, dating back to Gordon Glisson in 1950.

In 2011, he upped that total to 400 wins, and was again the nation's leading jockey by races won. A Cincinnati, Ohio native, Parker, 50, was a dominant force at Mountaineer Park in West Virginia for more than 20 years and he has also enjoyed much success at Indiana Grand, as he led all riders there in 2020, and at Sam Houston Race Park, where he was their leading rider in 2015.

Fast closing in on 6,000 career wins, Parker is the son of longtime highly respected Ohio racing steward, Daryl Parker, who passed away in Cincinnati on March 4.

“My idol, my best friend and a great father!” Parker tweeted on March 5. “He meant so much to my life and my career. I can only hope to be as great as he was…”

Parker, who outpolled fellow jockeys Alex Birzer, Jorge Martin Bourdieu, Kendrick Carmouche and Aaron Gryder to win this year's Woolf Award, and Quinones, will be accompanied on Sunday by their wives, children and close friends.

Billy Johnson, who died last December, was agent for both Parker and Quinones during the years they were at or near the top of the national standings by wins.

The exact timing of Sunday's event will be determined following entries on Thursday.

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Santa Anita: Sunday Mandatory Payout On Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot

With the middle jewel in racing's Triple Crown, the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, scheduled for next Saturday, Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., has announced a mandatory payout in its popular 20 Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot the following day, Sunday, May 16.

Providing there is no Single Ticket Rainbow 6 winner on Friday or Saturday, and an expected carryover in place heading into next Sunday of more than $500,000, track officials project Sunday's total Rainbow Pick 6 pool could approach $4 million. As an additional enticement to players, 1/ST Bet, the official app of Santa Anita Park, is offering Sunday's players a free wager, up to $10, on Sunday's Rainbow Pick 6.

In order to be eligible, players are asked to download the 1/ST Bet app and to place a wager on Sunday's Rainbow 6, and the first $10 will be on the house.

With entries to be taken on Thursday for a nine-race card Sunday, the Rainbow 6 will begin with Sunday's fourth race, which has an approximate post time of 2:30 p.m. PT.

First post time on Sunday will be at 1 p.m. and the Grade 3, $100,000 Desert Stormer Stakes, for fillies and mares at six furlongs, will highlight the nine-race program.

Although there is still no walk-up admission, Santa Anita is now open to the public on a limited basis by visiting santaanita.com

For those not attending in-person, all of Santa Anita's races are available free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager via several ADW platforms, including 1ST.com/bet.

For additional information, please visit santaanita.com, or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Leggs Galore Outfoots Fran’s Valentine Rivals At Santa Anita

In her first two turn assignment, William Sims' homebred Leggs Galore went to the lead and never looked back, taking Sunday's $100,000 Fran's Valentine Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., by three quarters of a length over heavily favored Warren's Showtime. Trained by Phil D'Amato and ridden by Ricky Gonzalez, Leggs Galore got one mile on turf in 1:34.85.

With a pair of scratches earlier in the day, the Fran's Valentine was reduced to a field of four older California-bred fillies and mares. To the surprise of no one, Leggs Galore bounced out of the gate from her rail post and turned the race into a virtual parade to the far turn, with Kristi's Tiger a length and a half off the lead three furlongs out and Warren's Showtime another half length back.

With the chestnut Warren's Showtime in high gear mid-way around the turn, she had the leader well within her sights while two lengths back turning for home, but Leggs Galore never backed up and in fact maintained her advantage on the gallop out around the Club House turn.

“The main thing with her is trying to get her to relax, get a breather down the backside,” said Gonzalez, who has now ridden the 4-year-old daughter of Bayern in her last six starts, winning five of them. “I knew that if she got it, that little breather, that she would be just fine because her speed is her main weapon and she proved that today.”

A well beaten sixth as the 6-5 favorite in the six furlong turf Mizdirection Stakes versus open company here on April 17, Leggs Galore was the second choice today at 2-1 and she paid $6.00 and $2.60 with no show wagering.

“It opens the big door, to where we have two options and just kind of pick the right spot that suits her best,” D'Amato said, when asked by TVG's Britney Eurton about winning around two turns. “There's a nice little Grade 3 at the end of the meet and I might try her in there,” said D'Amato. “I think it's the Wilshire ($100,000, at one mile on turf June 20). When I saw 23, I was thinking 22 and change, 23 if we are lucky, and when I saw that, I thought we had no excuses and we'll see what she's made of. Ricky did a beautiful job.”

Out of Sims' Indian Charlie mare Cashing Tickets, Leggs Galore now has three stakes wins and six victories from nine overall starts. With today's winner's share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $322,708.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, consistent Warren's Showtime was perhaps done in by the short field as much as anything else, as she attended the pace, but was unable to threaten the winner despite mounting a solid stretch rally.

Off at 3-5, Warren's Showtime paid $2.10 to place while finishing 3 ½ lengths clear of Pulpit Rider.

Fractions on the race were 23.00, 46.77, 1:10.96 and 1:22.93.

The Fran's Valentine, named for the multiple Grade 1 stakes winning Earl Scheib homebred daughter of Saros, is part of the lucrative Golden State Series. Sponsored by the CTBA, the Golden State Series is for eligible California-bred or sired horses.

Live racing resumes on Friday, with first post time for an eight-race card at 1 p.m. Fans are advised that admission gates will open at 7 a.m. for Preakness Day simulcasting on Saturday, with Infield Admission gates opening at 9 a.m.

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