Hall Of Famer Gary Stevens Back At Oaklawn As Jockey’s Agent

In addition to Calvin Borel, there's now another Hall of Fame jockey roaming Oaklawn's barn area.

Gary Stevens, who permanently retired from riding in 2018, returned to Hot Springs Dec. 1 to begin laying the groundwork for the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting as the agent for Southern California-based jockeys Geovanni Franco and Tiago Pereira.

Stevens, 58, said he represented Corey Nakatani “during one of my retirements” and most recently had the book of Hot Springs native Drayden Van Dyke.

“So, not new at it,” Stevens said.

Stevens rode 46 career winners at Oaklawn, the first coming in the $500,000 Arkansas Derby (G1) in 1985 aboard Tank's Prospect for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Stevens' last major Oaklawn victory came in the $400,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) in 2018 aboard Sassy Sienna for trainer Brad Cox. Stevens retired for a third and final time later in 2018 because of a neck injury. He represented Van Dyke earlier this year and continued to work as a racing analyst for Fox Sports and the New York Racing Association.

Now, he'll be wearing two hats (agent and analyst) the next few months in Hot Springs.

“Tiago and I had been thinking about getting together for a long time,” Stevens said Dec. 3, opening day of Oaklawn's meet. “He was wanting to make a change, get out of California. I got a phone call from here at Oaklawn that they were running kind of short of riders, that some of the guys who normally rode here decided to stay in Kentucky. Geovanni, I know he had some real good success here in 2017, won some stakes and rode for the right people. Geovanni was wanting to make a new start. Just a good opportunity to come out here with two guys that can really ride and are hard workers.”

Franco, who missed opening weekend to ride in Puerto Rico, is named on five horses Friday, Day 4 of Oaklawn's scheduled 66-day live meeting that ends May 8. Stevens said Pereira is taking care of “some personal stuff” in his native Brazil and will arrive in Hot Springs Dec. 26. He will begin accepting mounts Dec. 31, Stevens said.

Franco rode regularly in 2016 and 2017 at Oaklawn, amassing 61 victories, including four stakes, and $2,573,621 in purse earnings. He rode 16 winners in his 2016 debut and 45 in 2017 to tie for third in the standings.

Franco capped his 2017 meeting by guiding Inside Straight ($41.40) to an upset victory in the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) for older horses for trainer Robertino Diodoro. Franco won three other stakes races in 2017 at Oaklawn – $125,000 King Cotton for older sprinters aboard Storm Advisory for Diodoro, $125,000 Gazebo aboard for 3-year-old sprinters aboard Rockshaw for trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs and the $150,000 Purple Martin for 3-year-old female sprinters aboard Golden Mischief for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

A native of Mexico, Franco relocated to Southern California shortly after the 2017 Oaklawn meeting ended. He won the $400,000 Beholder Mile Stakes (G1) for fillies and mares aboard Secret Spice for trainer Richard Baltas in 2019 at Santa Anita and finished second aboard Lieutenant Dan for trainer Steve Miyadi in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

Pereira won the $10 million Dubai World Cup (G1) in 2010 aboard Gloria de Campeao. He also won the $1 million Pacific Classic (G1) Aug. 21 at Del Mar aboard Tripoli for trainer John Sadler.

Stevens and the still-active Borel were members of the 2018 Oaklawn riding colony. Stevens rode 26 winners to finish sixth in the standings. Stevens said he's tentatively scheduled to work for Fox throughout the expanded 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting, adding Franco and Pereira also plan to stay until the end.

“We'll be here until they chase us out,” Stevens said.

Stevens won more than 5,000 races in his career, including nine Triple Crown events. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1997 and won an Eclipse Award in 1998 as the country's most outstanding jockey. Injuries led to his three retirements.

Stevens' son, T.C. was an exercise rider for Diodoro at the 2020 Oaklawn meeting.

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TVG’s Weaver Wins Inaugural Folds Of Honor Poker Tournament At Santa Anita

Santa Anita Park's inaugural “Folds of Honor” Charity Poker Tournament, held Saturday night following the races in the Arcadia, Calif., track's Player's Lounge, located above Clockers' Corner, was deemed a rousing success as more than $50,000 was raised to help provide scholarships to spouses and children of disabled or fallen American military veterans.

A large contingent of Santa Anita fans, jockeys, agents, owners, trainers, employees, and other racing industry personalities helped to make the event a success.

“We were very gratified with the turn-out and the support we were able to provide to Folds of Honor,” said Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager Nate Newby. “One hundred percent of the money won went to the Folds of Honor Foundation. This is a tremendous cause and I think everyone senses we have an obligation to help the families of those who have given so much in the defense of our freedom. We look forward to expanding this event and hosting it again next year.”

Among those Santa Anita-based jockeys that participated last night were Joe Bravo, Abel Cedillo, Kyle Frey, Ricky Gonzalez, Juan Hernandez, Edwin Maldonado, Tiago Pereira, and Jessica Pyfer. Trainers included Vladimir Cerin, Ryan Hanson, Doug O'Neill, and Jonathan Wong.

Frank Mirahmadi, the Voice of Santa Anita, and TVG's Dave Weaver, who credited “beginner's luck” in making a winning “all-in” bet with Queen-Nine, off-suit, headed an enthusiastic group of Santa Anita employees and Thoroughbred owners.

The Folds of Honor Foundation, which has awarded more than 35,000 educational scholarships, was represented by retired United States Marine Corps Sergeant and P.O.W. Rocky Stickmann, who was one of 65 Americans taken hostage by Iranian extremists at the U.S. embassy in Teheran on Nov. 4, 1979. Stickman and his fellow Americans were held captive for 444 days until their release on the first day of Ronald Reagan's presidency on Jan. 20, 1981.

Santa Anita's current Autumn Meet will draw to a close next Sunday, Oct. 31, with first post time on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-7223.

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Manhattan Up Takes Los Alamitos Special, Samurai Charm Best In Dark Mirage

Manhattan Up, an $80,000 claim Aug. 22 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., paid immediate dividends for KAM Racing Stable and trainer Jonathan Wong Sunday at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Calif.

Adding blinkers for his new connections, the 5-year-old Street Boss gelding responded with a 1 ½ length victory over 14-1 shot Sash and four others in the $100,000 Los Alamitos Special.

Well placed throughout by jockey Tiago Pereira, Manhattan Up, who is out of the Service Stripe mare In the Frame, ranged up alongside Sash, who showed the way under Kyle Frey, and went on to prevail in 1:42.87 for the 1 1/16 miles.

The $60,000 payday increased Manhattan Up's earnings to $246,467 and it was his fourth win in 22 starts. He paid $10.80, $6.40, and $3.60 as the 4-1 fourth choice.

Sash, who was seeking his first win of 2021 for trainer Mark Glatt, returned $13.60 and $5 while finishing 2 ½ lengths clear of stablemate and 5-2 second choice Bold Endeavor. The show price on Bold Endeavor was $2.60.

Magic On Tap, the 17-10 favorite, Leading Score, and Border Town completed the order of finish.

“The owner (Brent Malmstrom's KAM Racing Stables) picked (Manhattan Up) with this race in mind,'' said Wong. “They wanted to run him here. They thought he would fit well and would stretch out.

“We put some blinkers on him and sent him up north and he trained very well over the (Tapeta surface at Golden Gate Fields). He came into the race really good and Tiago gave him a perfect ride.''

This wasn't Pereira's first victory aboard the Kentucky bred. He won an optional claimer going seven furlongs Feb. 8, 2020, at Santa Anita for former trainer Phil Oviedo.

“He's a very nice horse,'' said Pereira. “He raced between horses and relaxed nicely. When I asked him in the stretch he gave me a really strong finish.''

Later in the afternoon, Samurai Charm, the 2-1 second choice, led throughout, holding off 3-1 third choice Velvet Slippers by a head to win the $75,000 Dark Mirage Stakes.

A 4-year-old First Samurai filly out of the Silver Charm mare Back Seat Charm owned by Downstream Racing LLC and trained by Peter Miller, Samurai Charm is now 5-for-6 lifetime with four of those wins coming in succession in 2021. She hasn't lost since finishing third in her career debut Aug. 17, 2019. Her bankroll is $146,760.

She's also 3-for-3 at Los Alamitos after her third consecutive victory at one mile, prevailing despite doing some zig-zagging in the stretch under jockey Kyle Frey.

“She relaxed perfectly up front, and then I angled her out a bit coming into the stretch because she had a habit of lugging in,'' said Frey, who tripled Sunday, also taking the second – for Miller – aboard Finglas Lad and the seventh with Cowboys Daughter.

“She's never done anything like that in and out, though, and I just kept trying to straighten her. When she saw (Velvet Slippers) come to her inside the sixteenth pole, she dug back in and was real game.''

Samurai Charm, who completed the distance in 1:36.67, paid $6.40, $3.60, and $2.40. Velvet Slippers, who trailed early, rallied strongly along the inside to just miss while finishing two lengths in front of 7-5 favorite Paige Anne. Velvet Slippers returned $4.40 and $2.40 while the show price on Paige Anne was $2.20. Harper's Gallop and Candura completed the order of finish. Big Sweep was scratched earlier in the day.

The Dark Mirage win capped a triple for Miller. In addition to the victory with Finglas Lad, he also won the first with Miss Reno.

Racing resumes Friday at Los Alamitos. Post time is 1 p.m.

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All Jockeys, Horses Escape Serious Injury In Seven-Horse Spill At Del Mar

Jockey agent Vince DeGregory, who turns 89 years old Aug. 29, thought he had seen it all – at least until Sunday's seventh race at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

“In all of my years on the racetrack since I was 16, it's over 70 years that I've seen horse racing, I never saw anything like that one in my lifetime,” DeGregory said.

The legendary agent was referring to the chain-reaction spill that began when his rider, apprentice Diego Herrera, clipped heels while aboard Sassy Chasey approaching the far turn of the six-furlong maiden claiming race for fillies and mares. After Sassy Chasey and Herrera went down, six other horses also fell or lost their riders, leaving just five of the 12 starters to finish the race.

Miraculously, there were no serious injuries among jockeys or horses, with four riders going to a local hospital for evaluation before being discharged. Among the seven horses, there were only a few lacerations that required stitches. All were back in their stalls Sunday night.

Sassy Chasey was racing in third, in between frontrunners Katie's Paradise to the outside and Scream and Shout along the rail when she appeared to clip the heels of Katie's Paradise and went down, setting off the chain reaction that involved Backtoflash and Cesar Ortega; Whiskey Blue and Kyle Frey; Siena Silk and Emily Ellingwood; Renegade Princess and Tyler Baze; Phoenix Tears and Tiago Pereira; and Corners Up and Juan Espinoza.

Sassy Chasey scrambled to her feet with a saddle that slipped back from the impact of hitting the ground and began bucking while heading off in the wrong direction up the backstretch. At least two other horses scrambled to their feet and ran in that direction, while four runners continued behind the field without their riders.

The race was completed, with Mongolian Panther finishing first under Edwin Maldonado, but stewards would eventually declare the event “no contest,” citing a California Horse Racing Board rule giving stewards the option to do so if “mechanical failure or interference during the running of the race affects the majority of horses in such race.”

Flavien Prat, who was aboard one of the two early leaders, Scream and Shout, said he was unaware of the accident until the finish when he saw horses galloping around the clubhouse in the wrong direction. One of those horses, Phoenix Tears, jumped over a temporary railing at the gap near the seven-eighths pole that leads to the stables. The other horses were rounded up by outriders.

Four of the jockeys, who walked across the infield while medical personnel attended to Baze, Ellingwood and Ortega, were greeted with cheers from the crowd as they returned to the jockeys' room.

Pereira, who only 24 hours earlier won his first U.S. Grade 1 race in the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic, stopped along the railing to kiss his wife and young daughter. Pereira's agent, Patty Sterling, said Pereira's wife urged him to go to a local hospital for evaluation after he said his hip was sore. Baze, Ellingwood, Ortega and Pareira all went to Scripps La Jolla for X-rays and CT scans.

On Monday morning, agents for the four riders said each had some degree of body soreness but no broken bones or concussions. Reports on all seven horses were also positive, with no serious injuries documented, with only a few minor lacerations that required stitches.

DeGregory said Herrera was also suffering from body soreness on Monday, but he was not among those who went to the hospital. Herrera will have a meeting with the stewards to review the incident. “I told him to stand up for himself,” said DeGregory, who believes the outside horse, ridden by Jose Valdivia, made it too tight for Sassy Chasey as the field approached the far turn. “I told him, 'When they show you the head-on shot you'll have a better idea of what happened.'”

Sterling said Pereira had soreness in his ribs and right hip but that he hoped to ride Thursday afternoon while taking mornings off until then.

Sterling also represents Ortega, an apprentice who has been involved in two other mishaps this meet while struggling to find the winner's circle. She said the 26-year-old would take off the rest of the meet, regroup and point for the Los Alamitos meeting that follows Del Mar's closing day Sept. 6.

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Jack Carava, agent for Tyler Baze, said the rider complained of some chest pain Sunday night and overall body soreness on Monday morning. He will take the week off, including a scheduled trip West Virginia to ride Restrainedvengence for trainer Val Brinkerhoff in Friday's $800,000 Charles Town Classic. He said Baze will return to ride the final week at Del Mar, Sept. 2-6.

Agent Fernando Navarro said his two riders, Ellingwood and Frey, both worked horses Monday morning and will ride this week. Ellingwood has bruising of the rotator cuff, Navarro said.

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