Walter Rodriguez | Horse Racing Free Tips

All-sources handle on the Turfway Park Winter/Spring Meet, which concluded Saturday, increased 62% from a year ago, while purse money awarded jumped 43%, according to a release from the Kentucky track. More than $145 million was wagered at the meeting, nearly $56 million more than 2022. Connections who raced at Turfway Park were rewarded with more than $19 million in prize money, an increase of more than $5.5 million (including funds from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund). Turfway Park ran nine additional days this year and had an increase of more than 900 starters.

“The racing season at Turfway Park Racing & Gaming was a huge success across the board,” Turfway Park President Michael Taylor said. “Our team at Turfway Park delivered a competitive racing product while welcoming back fans to our newly renovated facility.”

Five-pound apprentice jockey Walter Rodriguez led the standings with 48 victories from 250 starts. Rodriguez's outstanding meet was highlighted by stakes wins in the Dust Commander S. and the Wishing Well S.

Wesley Ward topped the trainer's standings with 22 wins and tied for leading owner with six wins. Kirk Wycoff's Three Diamonds Farm also tabbed six victories at the stand. Roy Jackson's Lael Stables broke the tie for the champion owner with the highest earnings of $341,365.

“We're so thankful for all of our owners, trainers, jockeys and horseplayers for their continued support of our racing season,” Turfway Park General Manager Chip Bach said. “Thanks to Churchill Downs Incorporated's continued investments in Turfway Park's facility and racing product, we can confidently look forward to a thriving future of horse racing in Florence.”

Horses will remain stabled at Turfway Park throughout the spring and summer. Racing is set to resume Nov. 29.

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Walter Rodriguez, a 24-year-old native of El Salvador, rode the first winner of his career when he guided Rationalmillennial (Orb)–owned and trained by Jose Corrales–to victory in the sixth race at Laurel Park Sunday.

“I kept looking at the right side to make sure nobody else was coming because I wanted to go around the horse in front of me, and after that I knew I had it,” Rodriguez said. “It's very, very exciting. It's been a lot of hard work and a lot of help from all my friends.”

It was the third lifetime race for the Rodriguez, who rides with a 10-pound weight allowance and had no racing experience when he sought out Corrales more than two years ago.

“He came one day to the track and he said to me, 'I want to be a jockey.' I asked him what he was doing and he told me he was delivering refrigerators,” Corrales said. “Then I asked him if he had ever walked a horse, and he said no. That's where we started.

“In El Salvador, they don't even have a racetrack there,” Corrales added. “I said, 'You have to know how to walk horses. You have to learn everything, how to muck stalls and brush horses and be here early every day,' and he said, 'I'll do whatever it takes.' He worked his way along to where he was jogging horses for me and after that he started galloping horses, and at one time he was galloping all my best horses, my stakes horses. When all his paperwork came through, I took him to get his jockey's license. I told him, 'I'm going to make you famous.'”

Rodriguez made his professional debut June 17 at Laurel, finishing sixth aboard Manklin Creek (Bandbox), co-owned and trained by Corrales.

Corrales won 1,031 races as a jockey between 1981 and 1993 before becoming a trainer, but has continued to mentor prospective riders such as his nephew, Gerardo Corrales, currently tied for ninth in the standings at Churchill Downs, and David Egan. England's champion apprentice of 2017, Egan registered his first North American victory at age 19 on the Corrales-trained Bobby G Mar. 1, 2019 at Laurel. Two years later, Egan captured both the G1 Saudi Cup and G1 Dubai Sheema Classic aboard Mishriff.

“I've been teaching for the last 40 years and that's my passion. That's what I like to do. I love it,” Corrales said. “This kid deserves everything he gets. He learned everything by never giving up. He's a good listener and I'm glad I got him. I think he's going to have great things. He's got a good heart and he takes cares of his grandmother and everything like that. I see a lot of future in this kid.”

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