Second on the board at 3-1 Saturday behind last-out GII Demoiselle S. winner Life Talk (Gun Runner), Power Squeeze was always involved with the early pace and stalked from third while locked in against the fence behind pacesetter Managing Mischief (Maximus Mischief). Still caught in amongst the pack through a half in :48.94, the Delgado trainee began to find running room past the quarter pole and shot clear once space opened inside the furlong marker. 6-1 shot Whocouldaskformo barely held off 28-1 shot America's Vow to fill a pricey trifecta. 2-5 favorite Life Talk came up empty into the stretch and faded to trail the field home.

Union Rags currently sits at 32 stakes winners while Callmethesqueeze, now a producer of two stakes winners herself, has a 2-year-old Street Sense filly and a yearling Liam's Map colt still to run. She visited top freshman stallion Vino Rosso for 2024. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

#2 POWER SQUEEZE ($8.00) gets through on the rail to win the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes at @TampaBayDownsFL. The three-year-old filly by @LanesEndFarms' Union Rags earns 20 Kentucky Oaks points for trainer @RacingDelgado with @jockeydcenteno in the irons. pic.twitter.com/GnVJ9oQv1b

— TVG (@TVG) February 10, 2024

SUNCOAST S., $100,000, Tampa Bay Downs, 2-10, 3yo, f, 1m 40y, 1:40.22, ft.
1–POWER SQUEEZE, 122, f, 3, by Union Rags
                1st Dam: Callmethesqueeze (MSW, $324,499),
                                by Awesome Again
                2nd Dam: Mop Squeezer, by Roanoke
                3rd Dam: Honey League Girl, by Honey Jay
($50,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $90,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). O-Lea
Farms, LLC; B-Forging Oaks LLC (KY); T-Jorge Delgado; J-Daniel
Centeno. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, $188,650. *1/2 to
Call On Mischief (Into Mischief), SW, $283,237.
2–Whocouldaskformo, 120, f, 3, Uncle Mo–Midnight Belle,
by Bernardini. ($450,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE.
O-Courtlandt Farms (Donald Adam); B-Summer Wind Equine
LLC (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $20,000.
3–America's Vow, 120, f, 3, Constitution–Cloudy Vow, by
Broken Vow. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Patricia Pavlish (KY);
T-Timothy E. Hamm. $10,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, HD, 3/4. Odds: 3.00, 6.00, 28.70.
Also Ran: Managing Mischief, Gorgeous Girl, Life Talk.

The post Power Squeeze Makes It Three Straight With Suncoast Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where.

With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect on July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week.

California

Track: Santa Anita

Date: 02/10/2023

Licensee: Lorenzo Ruiz, trainer

Penalty: $500 fine

Violation: Medication violation

Explainer: Trainer Lorenzo Ruiz, who started the horse Manitowish, who finished third in the second race on Sept. 10, 2022, at Del Mar Race Track is fined $500.00 and assessed one half (1/2) point in accordance with California Horse Racing Rule #1843.4(a) (Multiple Medication Violations – Expires 02/10/24) pursuant to California Horse Racing Board Rule #1887(a) (Trainer or Owner to Insure Condition of Horse) for violation of California Horse Racing Board Rule #1843(a)(b)(d) (Medication, Drugs and Other Substances and Rule #1843.1(b) (Prohibited Drug Substances – Phenylbutazone [Class 4]).

Track: Santa Anita

Date: 02/11/2023

Licensee: Diego Herrera, jockey

Penalty: Three-day suspension

Violation: Careless riding

Explainer: Jockey Diego Herrera, who rode Lasmuigh in the third race at Santa Anita Park on Feb. 10, 2023, is suspended for 3 racing days (Feb. 18, 19 and 20, 2023) for failure to make the proper effort to maintain a straight course in the stretch, causing interference. This constitutes a violation of California Horse Racing Board rule #1699 (Riding Rules – careless riding).

NEW HISA STEWARDS RULINGS

The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal, except for the voided claim rulings which were sent to the TDN directly. Some of these rulings are from prior weeks as they were not reported contemporaneously.

One important note: HISA's whip use limit is restricted to six strikes during a race.

Violations of Crop Rule

Aqueduct

Erick Fuentes–violation date February 9; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Manuel Franco–violation date February 9; $250 fine, raising wrist above the helmet

Jacqueline Anne Davis–violation date February 10; $250 fine, raising wrist above the helmet

Gulfstream Park

Jose Luis Ortiz–violation date February 10; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Mahoning Valey Racecourse

Edilberto Dominguez–violation date February 7; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 9 strikes

Oaklawn Park

Rafael Jesus Bejarano–violation date February 10; $250 fine, raising wrist above helmet

Santa Anita

Armando Aguilar–violation date February 10; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Tampa Bay Downs

Carlos Eduardo Rojas–violation date February 10; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes, on appeal stay requested

Isaac Manuel Jimenez–violation date February 10; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Carlos Eduardo Rojas–violation date February 11; Rojas is suspended 7 calendar days based on points accumulated for multiple violations and served from Saturday, March 11, 2023 through and including Friday, March 17, 2023. On appeal, stay requested

Melissa Iorio–violation date February 11; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 8 strikes

Turfway Park

Alvin Ortiz–violation date February 10; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 8 strikes

Turf Paradise

Enrique Garcia–violation date February 8; $500 fine and three-day suspension, 14 strikes

The post Weekly Stewards And Commissions Rulings, Feb. 7-13 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The 5-1 chance sat a good trip in an outside third. He set his sights on the leader rounding the far turn as Cody's Wish, a winner of three straight at Churchill last fall, also revved up one to his outside. The pacesetting Wolfie's Dynaghost (Ghostzapper) was the first to blink in the stretch and it was down to Scalding and Cody's Wish. Cody's Wish loomed boldly on the outside and looked like he was on his way, but Scalding wasn't done yet, and fended that rival off for a hard-fought victory. Last term's returning GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. winner and Shug McGaughey-trained stablemate Greatest Honour (Tapit) never factored in sixth.

A well-beaten eighth in his debut going seven furlongs at Aqueduct Nov. 11, Scalding took a big step forward to finish second stretching to a one-turn mile in Ozone Park Dec. 2. Sent south for the winter and aimed at two-turn races, the dark bay kicked off his 4-year-old season with a maiden victory while making his route debut in the Gulfstream slop Jan. 5, then added an optional claimer by a flashy 5 1/4 lengths at Tampa last time Feb. 11.

“It's a big job going from an allowance/other than condition to this spot, but we've always liked this horse,” McGaughey said. “He has been training forwardly and from what we saw today, his future is definitely [bright]. He had a race over the track, and I think that probably helped him. He is a pretty talented number and his last two races had been so good, with a little encouragement from the owners we decided to take a shot, and it worked.”

Scalding added to a big day for winning co-owner LNJ Foxwoods. The Roth family was also represented by G1 Coolmore Classic heroine Lighthouse (Mizzen Mast) in Australia.

Pedigree Notes:

Scalding becomes the fifth graded/eighth stakes winner for young sire Nyquist. He is the 19th graded/54th stakes for broodmare sire Medaglia d'Oro. The unraced Hot Water, a daughter of SW & GSP Elusive Heat, has also produced SW & GSP Tracksmith (Street Sense); stakes-placed Tortuga (Bodemeister); impressive Oaklawn 3-year-old filly maiden winner Hot and Sultry (Speightster); 2-year-old colt Runhappy d'Oro (Runhappy); and a yearling filly by Omaha Beach ($160,000 KEENOV purchase by The Elkstone Group). She was covered by War of Will for 2022. Scalding's third dam is 2001 champion 3-year-old filly Xtra Heat.

Saturday, Tampa Bay Downs
$100,000 MICHELOB ULTRA CHALLENGER S.-GIII, $100,000, Tampa Bay Downs, 3-12, 4yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:43.53, gd.
1–SCALDING, 118, c, 4, by Nyquist
     1st Dam: Hot Water, by Medaglia d'Oro
      2nd Dam: Elusive Heat, by Elusive Quality
      3rd Dam: Xtra Heat, by Dixieland Heat
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($400,000
Ylg '19 FTSAUG). O-Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stable, LLC
and LNJ Foxwoods; B-Godolphin & Cobalt Investments, LLC
(KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III; J-Javier Castellano. $60,000.
Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, $124,800. *1/2 to Tracksmith (Street
Sense), SW & GSP, $282,133. Werk Nick Rating: D. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Cody's Wish, 120, c, 4, Curlin–Dance Card, by Tapit.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Godolphin,
LLC; T-William I. Mott. $20,000.
3–Dynamic One, 120, c, 4, Union Rags–Beat the Drums, by
Smart Strike. ($725,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable,
Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable; B-Phipps Stable (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. $10,000.
Margins: NK, 2 1/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 5.30, 2.10, 4.30.
Also Ran: Mischief Afoot, Wolfie's Dynaghost, Greatest Honour, Tune In. Scratched: Hidden Stash, Shirl's Speight, War Stopper.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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The Endeavour is the sixth race on a 10-race card on Tampa Bay Downs's “Turf Champions Day.” The Tampa Bay Stakes is the eighth race. There are 13 horses entered in the Tampa Bay Stakes and only 12 are permitted to run, so the connections of Carpenters Call would need a late scratch to compete.

The 5-year-old gelding Get Smokin will be making his first start since June. Now trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Mark Casse, Get Smokin, who will be ridden by Antonio Gallardo, won the G2 Hill Prince Stakes at Belmont as a 3-year-old. Get Smokin will break from the No. 7 post.

South Florida-based trainer Chad Brown will be sending two horses for the Tampa Bay Stakes in 5-year-old gelding L'Imperator and 8-year-old gelding Devamani. Samy Camacho is named to ride L'Imperator, while Pablo Morales will be aboard Devamani.

Tampa Bay Downs trainer Arnaud Delacour also has two entrants: 6-year-old horse Eons, who was second to Get Smokin last year, and 6-year-old gelding Talk Or Listen, last year's fourth-place finisher.

Brown, who is bidding for his first Tampa Bay Stakes trophy, has two entrants in search of his fourth Endeavour victory. Both of his 4-year-old fillies, Bleecker Street and In Italian, are owned by Peter M. Brant, with Bleecker Street a perfect 3-for-3 and In Italian 2-for-3 with a second. Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr., rides Bleecker Street and Camacho is on In Italian.

They could have their hands full with 4-year-old Lady Speightspeare, who is 4-for-5 for trainer Roger Attfield, including the G1 Natalma at Woodbine as a 2-year-old. Her regular rider, Emma-Jayne Wilson, again has the assignment.

Trainer H. Graham Motion will bid for his third Endeavour victory with 4-year-old Oyster Box, who will be ridden by Gallardo. She was third in last year's Florida Oaks at the Oldsmar oval.

“Turf Champions Day” kicks off the track's seven-event graded-stakes schedule, which continues on Feb. 12 with the 42nd running of the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points race for 3-year-old Triple Crown hopefuls.

The Sam F. Davis is the centerpiece of a four-stakes Festival Preview Day card that includes the mile-and-40-yard, $150,000 Suncoast Stakes, a “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” points race for 3-year-old fillies; the 6-furlong, $100,000 Pelican Stakes for horses 4-years-old-and-upward; and the $50,000, 6-furlong Minaret Stakes for fillies and mares 4-years-old-and-upward.

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The Sam F. Davis Stakes, contested at a distance of a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the main dirt track, is a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points race, with the top four finishers receiving points on a 10-4-2-1 scale toward qualifying for a spot in the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs on May 7. The Sam F. Davis is also a precursor to the Grade 2, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on March 12, a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points race awarding 50, 20, 10 and 5 points to the first four finishers.

Three other stakes are scheduled on the Festival Preview Day card. They include the $150,000, mile-and-40-yard Suncoast Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, which is a “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” points race; the $100,000, 6-furlong Pelican Stakes, for horses 4-years-old-and-upward; and the $50,000, 6-furlong Minaret Stakes, for fillies and mares 4-and-upward.

The list of Sam F. Davis nominations includes eight from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who has won the race a record six times, most recently with Destin in 2016. Heading the list of Pletcher-trained candidates is Mo Donegal, who won the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes on Dec. 4 at Aqueduct, and Emmanuel, who won Sunday's sixth race impressively at Tampa.

Rattle N Roll, a Kentucky-bred colt owned by the Mackin family's Lucky Seven Stable and trained by Ken McPeek, won the 1 1/16-mile Claiborne Breeders' Futurity by a widening 4 ¼ lengths under jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. After targeting a start in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance at Del Mar, McPeek changed course after the horse developed a minor foot issue.

Rattle N Roll returned to the workout tab earlier this month at Gulfstream Park and breezed three furlongs Saturday in 35.67 seconds.

Make It Big, owned by Red Oak Stable and trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., won the Ocala Stud Juvenile Sprint Stakes on Oct. 30 at Gulfstream and the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes on Dec. 17 at Remington Park in his last two starts. Jose Ortiz was aboard for the most recent victory.

Here are the links to the nominations and their past performances for the Sam F. Davis Stakes:

https://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=SN-TAM-20220212-573142

https://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=SNPP-TAM-20220212-573142

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Camacho, who won last year's Oldsmar riding title with 111 victories, has ridden far more horses this season than any other jockey, a tribute to the rider's skills and athleticism as well as the hustling of his agent, Mike Moran.

And since many of the track's higher-percentage trainers like using Camacho, the winners are inevitably starting to pile up.

The 33-year-old Caracas, Venezuela product rode four winners Friday, giving him 35 for the meet – eight ahead of runner-up Pablo Morales. More notably, Camacho has 14 victories from his last 40 mounts, with 12 seconds and five thirds.

That serious run of success includes a victory last Saturday for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott with the 3-year-old Florida-bred filly Outfoxed in the $125,000 Gasparilla Stakes.

Camacho's most exciting victory Friday came in the seventh race on the turf, a one-mile maiden special weight race for 3-year-olds. Refusing to accept defeat, Camacho kept scrubbing on the Chad Brown-trained first-time starter Napoleonic War, pushing the colt into a dead-heat with another first-time starter, trainer Christophe Clement's colt Seigneur, ridden by Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr.

“I thought I lost it when I crossed the wire, and I was a little mad because I knew he was better than the other horses in the race,” Camacho said. “He was a little bit hyper in the gate, just playing around, and when the doors opened he propped up and lost the break. The pace was slow and I was on heels all the way, but when I asked him he came flying.

“I think that horse wins by 5 lengths if he doesn't miss the break, but I kept trying and we got a dead-heat. When I ride for Chad Brown, I feel like I'm driving a Rolls-Royce,” Camacho said.

Camacho began Friday's card with victories in his first two tries. He won the second race on Mystery Mo, a 4-year-old gelding owned by Averill Racing and trained by Gerald Bennett. Camacho returned to the winner's circle after the third race with Berhanu, a 4-year-old Florida-bred gelding owned by Chuncho Bravo Stable & Farm and trained by Javier Morzan.

In the sixth race, Camacho helped 4-year-old Florida-bred filly Cajun Spice earn her first career victory for owners Karyn Philipp and Tage Boohit. Philipp is the trainer.

Camacho also had a second and a fourth on the card.

Almost two-thirds of the meet remains for Morales, five-time champion Antonio Gallardo and Fernando De La Cruz to carve into Camacho's lead in the standings. But as long as Camacho stays healthy and keeps believing in himself, his rivals will be hard-pressed to prevent him from a successful defense.

“I feel great. I have a lot of confidence in myself and Mike Moran,” Camacho said. “I feel happy when I get to ride a lot of horses, because I have more chances to win more races.”

The post Samy Camacho Rides Four Winners Friday At Tampa Bay Downs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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On Skyway Festival Day Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs, the connections of a pair of Florida-breds – $125,000 Pasco Stakes winner Markhamian and $125,000 Gasparilla Stakes winner Outfoxed – gained a license to look toward even more lucrative prizes after convincing victories on the fast Oldsmar racing surface.

Markhamian, a late May 2018 colt bred and owned by Sergio Ripamonti and trained by Juan Carlos Avila, found another gear in deep stretch to post a 2 ½-length triumph from Provocateur, with favorite Cattin, the Dec. 4 Inaugural Stakes winner, third in the seven-horse field. Marcos Meneses rode the winner, who posted a 7-furlong time of 1:23.23 and paid $12.60 as the fourth betting choice.

Outfoxed was just as impressive in the Gasparilla, which featured a field of eight ambitious sophomore fillies. Reserved in mid-pack early by jockey Samy Camacho, Outfoxed staged a tenacious rally through the stretch to catch the Dec. 4 Sandpiper Stakes winner, Strategic Bird, with Goddess of Fire rallying to grab second, three-quarters of a length back of the winner and three-quarters better than Strategic Bird.

Outfoxed, who won a pair of Florida Thoroughbreds Breeders' and Owners' Association stakes last year at Gulfstream by a combined 22 ¾ lengths, completed the 7 furlongs in 1:23.37. She paid $4.20 as the betting favorite. Now 3-for-4 lifetime, she is owned by the LNJ Foxwoods concern of Larry and Nanci Roth and their daughter Jaime Roth and trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott.

The best news for the connections of the winners, on this sunny and pleasant Saturday, at least, is that both were eligible for the $50,000 Florida Sire Stakes bonus and the $25,000 Florida-bred bonus (both offered through the FTBOA), meaning they each earned a cool $105,000 from the total purse.

In Saturday's third stakes, the $50,000 Wayward Lass for older fillies and mares, 7-year-old mare Nantucket Red stole away to a 6-length lead up the backstretch and had plenty left in the tank to turn back a late rally from betting favorite Allworthy by 3 lengths. Don't Get Khozy finished third.

Olaf Hernandez rode Nantucket Red, who paid $33.60 to win after completing the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:44.53 for her first stakes victory. The daughter of Get Stormy-Scarlett Madeleine, by Smart Strike, is owned by Colebrook Farms of Canada and trained by Michael Wright, who is 5-for-5 at Tampa Bay Downs this season.

Back to the Pasco, after which Meneses, who is based at Gulfstream Park in south Florida, let out a loud whoop when asked to describe his emotions. Most in the crowd expected the invader to fade after Provocateur and Cattin put in their moves on the turn for home, but Meneses, who has ridden Markhamian in all three starts, could feel his horse was just starting to roll along the inside.

“This horse did everything perfect today,” Meneses said after the son of Social Inclusion-Peruvian Jane, by Colonel John, improved to 2-for-3 with a second. “The fractions were a little fast (22.22 seconds for the first quarter-mile and 44.86 for the half), but I knew I had the horse in the last furlong.”

Ripamonti, who campaigns Markhamian under his Santa Rosa Racing Stables banner, was delighted with the victory, which could put Markhamian on track for the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes here on Feb. 12. “I thought he might be done on the turn, but this horse has a lot of (guts),” Ripamonti said. “Marcos did a good job urging him, and he had the heart to get it done. It was a courageous effort and he drew away at the end.

“He was coming into the race fantastic; he was in great shape and his color and skin tone were good. He was super-ready,” Ripamonti said.

Avila, who knew his horse was talented coming into the race, could have another one like his 2020 G2 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby winner, King Guillermo. That's the beauty of this time of year; you never know.

Certainly, the connections of Outfoxed were just this side of “over the moon” after she beat a graded stakes-placed filly in Goddess of Fire and a stakes winner in Strategic Bird. Camacho, who was riding the daughter of Valiant Minister-Savingtime, by Kantharos, for the first time, was able to follow Mott's pre-race instructions nearly to the letter, and it paid off in a professional and convincing triumph for the winner, whose previous victory on Sept. 25 came in the 1 1/16-mile FTBOA Florida Sire My Dear Girl Stakes at Gulfstream.

“(Mott) said she doesn't have great early speed and to put her in the middle of the pack early, and that's what I did,” Camacho said. “I got her to relax, and when the other horses started to move I did my work and she responded pretty well. I thought I had the best horse in the race and I thought she was the best at the distance.

“I feel great, because every time I ride for trainers like Bill Mott, it gives me more confidence. It's a good feeling,” added Camacho, who added the 10th race on the turf on 4-year-old filly Investmentstrategy for owner Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown.

Samy Camacho celebrates Outfoxed's win in the Gasparilla

Mott, who watched the race from south Florida, figured going in that Outfoxed might have to work harder than she had in her two previous victories. “It was a different group of horses on a different racetrack , and I thought it took her about a quarter-mile to get her legs under her,” he said. “But she was able to get up in gear enough for the win and was very professional about it.

“The water is going to get deeper from here on, and I think her toughest tests are ahead of her,” said Mott, who said the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes here on Feb. 12 at a mile-and-40-yards could be an option for Outfoxed's next start. “We want to keep the doors open at Tampa and elsewhere.”

Wayward Lass Stakes winner Nantucket Red, whose five previous starts came on turf, had won an allowance/optional claiming event here on the lawn on Dec. 17 by a neck before Wright decided to try dirt, with prodding from Colebrook Farms owner John Burness.

“She got beat 17 lengths in her last start on dirt (last March at Gulfstream), but Mr. Burness told me this is different dirt at Tampa,” said Wright. Indeed, Nantucket Red worked a crackerjack half-mile here on Dec. 31 on the main surface in 47 3/5 seconds, second-fastest of 43 that day at the distance.

“That's one for the underdog,” Wright said. “She went the half-mile in (47.53 seconds), and that was it.”

Olaf Hernandez, one of several underrated jockeys here, followed his instructions almost perfectly, and was surprised the rest of the field let him get such a big lead. Although she drifted out in the stretch, Nantucket Red was never threatened.

“I want to thank Mike and all the guys in his barn, because they did a great job getting this mare ready,” Hernandez said. “I asked her again at the quarter pole and she kept going.”

Nantucket Red

The post Futures For Sophomores Markhamian, Outfoxed Grow Brighter After Tampa Stakes Scores appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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But when younger brother Walter De La Cruz, also a jockey, suffered a concussion and a neck injury last fall, plans changed. With Walter out of action for an unspecified length of time, Fernando decided to return home to Tampa Bay Downs, where he excelled for seven seasons.

Fernando, 35, invited Walter to live with him and his family – wife Rosa and their children, Brian and Norma – at their Tampa home during his recuperation. Walter, who is single, hopes to return to action soon (“he is about 90-percent recovered,” Fernando said), but in the meantime, the unexpected family reunion is working to everyone's benefit.

“Walter is enjoying time with the kids, taking them to the beach, the movie theater, Busch Gardens,” said Fernando, whose return to Oldsmar has resulted in him winning the Salt Rock Tavern Jockey of the Month award. “I ride horses to make a living, but family comes first, no matter what. He is excited to start riding again, and hopefully he will get a release from the doctor to start soon.”

Trainers, owners and fans have welcomed the return of Fernando, who has climbed to fourth in the Tampa Bay Downs standings with 20 winners, raising his career mark to 2,170. Included in that total are back-to-back victories in the Grade 2 Woodford Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select with Bucchero in 2017 and 2018.

“He fits a lot of my horses, and I'm happy to have him on my team at Tampa,” said trainer Anthony Granitz, who also employs De La Cruz at Indiana Grand.

De La Cruz and Granitz have combined for six victories at the meet, including today's second race with Bellarific, a 5-year-old mare owned by Tri County Stables. “He can get a horse to rate and relax, and he's a strong finisher,” Granitz said. “He rides the turf course well, he's patient and he listens to my instructions. Fernando is a hard worker in the morning. He's willing to get on any horse and work with you, and if he doesn't like a horse he'll tell me, which is important because horses are smart and they can sense that.”

At Indiana Grand, where he worked with agent Mike Moran last season for the first time, De La Cruz's victory haul included four stakes races. On Sept. 8, he won both the $150,000 Indiana Grand Stakes with (then)-3-year-old filly Burning Ambition and the $150,000 Caesars Stakes with 3-year-old colt Royal Prince. Both were trained by Brad Cox, best known as the conditioner of Longines Breeders' Cup Classic winner and presumptive 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go.

De La Cruz also won a pair of stakes with trainer Tim Glyshaw's 3-year-old filly, Pearl Tiara: the $150,000 First Lady Stakes on Aug. 4 and the $100,000 Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Stakes on June 23. And the rider also won two stakes for Cox at Prairie Meadows in Iowa.

Moran, who also represents defending Oldsmar jockey champion Samy Camacho, said De La Cruz's versatility is a big reason he is successful everywhere he goes. That trait was on display in his two victories Wednesday, when he won a 7-furlong sprint in gate-to-wire fashion on Himelstein and captured a maiden claiming race on the turf with a come-from-behind rally on Golden Rocket.

De La Cruz has won two meet titles at Indiana Grand and one at Hoosier Park, and is showing signs he could contend in Oldsmar.

“Fernando is always focused on riding and goes out and performs to the best of his ability every day,” Moran said. “He's competitive, he likes to ride every race and he wants to contend for leading rider. He's a hard worker who does whatever you ask him to do, and he's a good family man.

“He's the total package for a jockey.”

When De La Cruz returns to the jockeys' room after a winning effort, he is uplifted by bettors and well-wishers who make him feel as though he never left.

“Thanks to God, they remember me. I'm healthy, I'm winning races and I'm competing against a lot of the same guys, so I can't ask for more,” he said. “Tampa is home, and this is such a nice place to live and to ride horses.”

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