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RACING NEWS
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SPEEDHORSE December 2023
Francisco Calderon and Trane Station V make their way to the finish line.
three times. He’s an amazing horse—he got it done.”
Calderon was adding to his impressive 2023 purse earnings, having earlier in the year set a national earnings record for a jockey. The Futurity raised his total to $7,149,133, more than $2.1 million more than G.R. Carter’s previous record, set in 2008.
“It’s a dream,” said the jockey. “I used to watch Los Alamitos when I was small before I even wanted to be a jockey. I would put the little saddle on the laundry basket and ride.”
The race marked another first, as Trane Station V became the only horse to win the Two Million and the Golden State Million Futurity-G1 after qualifying the fastest
for both. It also completed an incredible weekend for the connections: Calderon, owner Sammy Valeriano of Valeriano Racing Stables, and trainer Heath Taylor. The
night before, they collaborated to win the
prestigious Champion of Champions-G1 with Flash Bak, who defeated World Champion Empressum.
Valeriano complimented Trane Station V by saying, “He’s a fast horse—I don’t think he knows how fast he is. I think he’ll be the nation’s number one money earner. He’s a good one.”
Taylor discussed how he and his team have worked with Trane Station V so that he starts quicker. Even with a few less- than-perfect starts, the colt has a record of six wins and three seconds in nine starts. He finished second in the All American Futurity-G1 and Rainbow Futurity-G1.
“He really wasn’t doing anything wrong,” Taylor said about the incident before the start. “When the other horse false broke, he just went with him. He thought the gate was opening, so he was really doing what we’ve been schooling him to do and step forward.”
William Zuazo, Los Alamitos
Bailey Ivey, Speedhorse