Page 10 - September2021

TRACK CHATTER
THE MONTH IN REVIEW
by Jennifer K. Hancock
DELTA DOWNS MEET LEADERS
Delta Downs concluded its 2021 American Quarter Horse season July 31 with a program tabbed as Louisiana Showcase Day. During the card, the track honored its leading horsemen for the 46-day meet which began May 10.
The race for leading jockey was all wrapped up before closing day, but rider Everardo Rodriguez put an exclamation point on the accomplishment as he booted home four winners, all stakes, to bring his season- ending total up to 55. The riding quadruple included a tally in the year’s richest race, the $826,620 Lee Berwick Futurity-RG1 with the undefeated colt Blood Money. Rodriguez also
led all riders in terms of mount earnings with
a record total of $1,663,763, eclipsing the old mark of $1,396,410 set by Alphonso Lujan in 2008. The majority of earnings for the San Luis Potosi, Mexico, native came by way of
his astounding 12 stakes wins, which also set
a single-season high for jockeys. Following Rodriguez in the standings were David Alvarez (38 wins), Bobby Ransom (24), Juan F. Garcia Jr. (23) and Ubaldo Luna (22).
Kenneth Roberts Sr. took the title of leading trainer at Delta Downs for the 2021 season as his trainees visited the winner’s circle 40 times during the meet. The accomplishment marked a record 10th time Roberts has ended a season on top of the standings during the Boyd Gaming era. Roberts’ barn earnings total of $853,539 ranked second to Rosendo Valdez, Jr., who’s runners amassed a total $1,305,683. Rounding out the top-5 trainers for the season by wins were Rosendo Valdez Jr. (32), Trey Ellis (27), Martin Trejo (16) and Orlando Orozco (13).
Running away with his first leading owner title this year was Rosendo Valdez, father of trainer Rosendo Valdez Jr., who saw his horses win 15 races during the meet to outpace last year’s leading owner Rayne Knight, who had
10 wins. The owner with top earnings for the meet was Ebelyn Rojos’ Rojas Racing Stables LLC with $602,181. The vast majority of that amount, $413,310, came when Blood Money won the Lee Berwick Futurity. Following Valdez and Knight in the standings in terms of wins were Jose O. Barron (8), Rogelio Marquez, Jr. (7) and Christopher A. Villatoro (7).
SAM HOUSTON CONCLUDES MEET
Sam Houston Race Park hosted a stakes- filled 11 race card Aug. 7 to wrap up its 2021 Quarter Horse live racing season. The evening also concluded by honoring leading owner John Boegner; trainer Juan Diaz Jr. and jockey Victor Urieta Jr.
Victor Urieta Jr. won his first Sam Houston jockey title with domination throughout the season as he made 54 trips to the winner’s circle. The 27-year-old rider was third in the standings in 2019. Sam Houston Race Park did not conduct a Quarter Horse meet last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Luis Vivanco won 41 races to finish second. Juan Diaz Jr. held
the commanding lead in the trainer standings throughout the meet, finishing with 43 wins and $1.6 million in purses. Toby Keeton was
second with 24 victories. The leading owner title went down to the wire with John Boegner winning seven races over Carlos Ponce and Jose R. Espinosa who tied with six wins each.
INDIANA HORSE RACING ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES INDUCTEES
The Indiana Horse Racing Association recently announced the newest class of inductees into the organization’s Hall of Fame. Ernie Gaskin, longtime Standardbred owner, trainer, and breeder, and the late Dr. James Carmichael, who was a longtime advocate, owner, and breeder in Quarter Horse racing, have been selected for the prestigious honor.
Gaskin came to the state of Indiana in
the early 1990s as the head trainer for Viking Meadows Farm. He and his wife relocated
to Anderson to create and operate Crimson Lane Farm. Gaskin has worked tirelessly to assist with projects in horse racing, including lobbying for casino gaming at racetracks, enhanced breed development funding, and overall positive solutions impacting horse racing. Gaskin is a 2-time leading trainer at Harrah’s Hoosier Park (1997 & 1998) and was the track’s all-time leading trainer in wins for more than a decade.
Dr. James Carmichael of Sullivan, Indiana,
is being inducted posthumously. Carmichael, a longtime practicing veterinarian, joined his father, Eugene, in creating Carmichael Stock Farm, a Quarter Horse breeding operation in the western part of the state. They raced across the country before Quarter Horse pari-mutuel racing came to Indiana in 1997. In the 1970’s, the Carmichaels purchased Jaguar Rocket to add to their breeding and racing operation. The stallion was a stakes winner in the late 1960s, winning 10 of 40 starts before being offered for sale. His impact on
the state of Indiana has endured the past three decades. Jaguar Rocket is an inductee into the Quarter Horse Racing Association of Indiana Hall of Fame and has a stakes race named in his honor at Indiana Grand.
In addition to breeding and racing Quarter Horses, Carmichael also served on the board
of QHRAI for more than a decade, an organization he stayed active in until his death in 2009. The Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine graduate also served on the Thoroughbred Breed Development Committee where he was elected chairman.
Delta Downs Leading Jockey Everardo Rodriguez.
Delta Downs Leading Trainer Kenneth Roberts.
8 SPEEDHORSE September 2021