With top riders from across the country joining the already tough New York jockey colony
at Saratoga Race Course for the 143rd meet beginning July 22, the
competition will be fiercer than ever.
Last summer, John Velazquez loosened Ramon Dominguez’
stranglehold as the top rider on The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA)
circuit, bringing home 57 winners to earn his fourth Spa jockey title and first
since 2004. Dominguez, the 2010 Eclipse Award winner who was going for his 10th
consecutive individual meet title, finished third behind Velazquez and Javier
Castellano.
Velazquez, Castellano, and Dominguez will be making the trek up the
Northway, along with New York
stalwarts Eddie Castro, David Cohen, Jose Espinoza, Alan Garcia, Channing Hill,
Jose Lezcano, Mike Luzzi, Rajiv Maragh, Edgar Prado, Jaime Rodriguez, Alex
Solis, Maylan Studart, and Cornelio Velasquez.
Emerging New York apprentice jockeys
Ryan Curatolo and Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be looking to make their mark on the Saratoga meet for the
first time.
“It’s a tough meet for everyone,” said Velazquez, who
earlier this year won his first Kentucky Derby aboard Animal Kingdom. “At
Saratoga,
everyone wants to win. When you have New
York jockeys like Cornelio Velasquez and Ramon
Dominguez, it’s tough. Plus, you have the top riders coming in from Kentucky, so it’s even
harder.”
No fewer than eight of the top 11 jockeys at the recently concluded
Churchill Downs meet will be moving their tack to the Spa, headed by Julien
Leparoux, who brought home 43 winners to top the standings for the spring meet.
Joining him upstate will be Shaun Bridgmohan, who was third with 36 winners,
and a new face in Manoel Cruz, who was fifth in the Churchill Downs standings
with 24 winners.
Rounding out the Kentucky
contingent will be Kent Desormeaux, Miguel Mena, Jesus Castanon, Robby Albarado
and Frederic Lenclud.
Along with Cruz, another new face at the Spa this year will be Corey
Nakatani, currently riding in Chicago.
The 40-year-old Nakatani, who has ridden the occasional stakes race at Saratoga, will be
represented by Fred Aime, who also holds the book for Desormeaux.