Category: Jockey

Louisiana Natives Albarado, Perret Among Finalists for National Museum of Racing’s 2017 Hall of Fame

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Five jockeys, three trainers, and three racehorses comprise 11 finalists on the National Museum of Racing’s 2017 Hall of Fame ballot, as selected by the Museum’s Hall of Fame Nominating Committee.

The finalists are jockeys Robby Albarado, Javier Castellano, Victor Espinoza, Garrett Gomez, and Craig Perret; trainers Mark Casse, John Shirreffs, and David Whiteley; and racehorses Gio Ponti  , Goldikova, and Kona Gold.

Albarado, Castellano, Casse, Shirreffs, Gio Ponti, and Goldikova are first-time finalists.

Hall of Fame voters may select as many candidates as they believe worthy of induction to the Hall of Fame. A maximum of four candidates with the highest vote totals—provided they receive majority approval (50.1%) of the voting panel—will be elected to the Hall of Fame. The results of the voting on contemporary candidates will be announced April 24.

The induction ceremony will be at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Aug. 4 at 10:30 a.m. This year’s ceremony will be open to the public and is free to attend.

Lafayette native Robby Albarado, 43, began riding at the age of 10 and progressed to riding at bush tracks  by the age of 12. After turning professional, he earned his first official win at Evangeline Downsin 1990. He has won 5,026 races to date with purse earnings of more than $206 million in a career that began in 1990. The regular rider of two-time Horse of the Year and Hall of Fame inductee Curlin  , as well as Horse of the Year Mineshaft  , Albarado has won 202 graded stakes in his career, including three Breeders’ Cup races and the 2007 Preakness Stakes (G1).

Craig Perret, 66, who was born in New Orleans, began riding horses at age five and by seven was riding quarter horses in match races. At age fifteen he began his career in thoroughbred racing and in 1967 was the leading apprentice jockey in the United States in terms of money won. He  has won 4,415 races with purse earnings of more than $113 million in a career that spanned from 1967-05. The Eclipse Award winner for outstanding jockey in 1990, Perret won the Belmont Stakes (G1) in 1987 with Bet Twice by 14 lengths, denying Alysheba the Triple Crown. Three years later, Perret won the Kentucky Derby with Unbridled. He won four Breeders’ Cup races and totaled 208 graded stakes wins.

Chaired by Edward L. Bowen, the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee is comprised of Bowen, Cot Campbell, Tim Capps, Steven Crist, Tracy Gantz-White, Teresa Genaro, Jane Goldstein, Steve Haskin, Jay Hovdey, Tom Law, Leverett Miller, Neil Milbert, Bill Nack, Jay Privman, John Sparkman, and John von Stade.

The finalists were selected by the Hall of Fame’s nominating committee from a total of 86 initial candidates suggested by turf journalists, Thoroughbred industry participants, and racing fans.

To be eligible, trainers must have been licensed for 25 years, while jockeys must have been licensed for 20 years. Thoroughbreds are required to be retired for five calendar years before becoming eligible. All candidates must have been active within the past 25 years. The 20- and 25-year requirements for jockeys and trainers, respectively, may be waived, at the discretion of the Museum’s Executive Committee. Candidates not active within the past 25 years are eligible through the Historic Review process.

Former Jockey Larry Melancon Suffers Stroke While Vacationing In North Carolina

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by 
Larry Melancon piloted Off Duty to victory in the G3 Phoenix Stakes in 2007
Larry Melancon piloted Off Duty to victory in the G3 Phoenix Stakes in 2007

Former jockey Larry Melancon remains hospitalized in North Carolina after suffering a stroke on March 3 while vacationing with his wife.

The Daily Racing Form reports that Melancon, 61, was airlifted to Mission Neurology Hospital in Asheville on Friday. He had begun showing symptoms of a stroke that morning at the hotel where he was staying with his wife, Denise. Doctors put Melancon in an induced coma after he underwent a six-hour surgery on Saturday.

Melancon retired from riding in 2010, after a successful career that spanned close to 40 years. During his career, Melancon won over 2,800 races and his mounts accrued over $60 million in earnings. Since his retirement, Melancon remained active in racing, working for trainer Al Stall Jr. for a few years. He then briefly represented Calvin Borel as his jockey agent.

A Go Fund Me page has been set up to help with medical expenses, and to help transport Melancon back to Louisville.

Read more in the Daily Racing Form, and click here to donate

Broussard Balances Riding and Motherhood

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Broussard Balances Riding and Motherhood
Photo: Marshall Blevins

Jockey Ashley Broussard’s mounts have won more than $5 million in purses

They’re up there in the dense fog. Circling. You can hear them, but you can’t see them. It’s a long migration from Canada to the rice fields of Rayne, La., but geese don’t rely on GPS.

Inside her modest kitchen, jockey Ashley Broussard is fixing breakfast for her 2-year-old son Bentley while going over a mental checklist for the day: exercise two horses at the Evangeline Downs Training Center, need talcum powder, check the oil in the car, take down the Christmas tree, out of cough medicine, call Mom, clothes in the dryer, macaroni and cheese for Bentley, leave a note for Uncle Cliff the baby sitter, ride five horses tonight at Delta Downs.

It’s not easy being a single parent, but like the geese, Broussard knows where she is going and how to get there.

The challenges of being a mother and maintaining her riding career have proved a steep climb full of surprises.

“In the beginning it was sleep deprivation,” Broussard admitted. “Having to wake up every three or four hours was a mental stress that was hard to overcome. My brain was totally consumed with different issues. I have always been around kids, but putting in a car seat was a new experience. I used to be in the gym all the time before I had Bentley, but now there is not a lot of time to go and lift weights.”

Broussard tipped the scales at 138 pounds during her pregnancy. She now weighs a fit 101.

“Chasing Bentley around keeps me in shape,” Broussard said with a laugh. “The everyday routine of working horses and riding puts you into a level of fitness. You have to have a strong core as well as back and legs. All of that translates into your arms, wrists, and shoulders so when you get on a really tough horse you find out what you got.”

The sharp turning, balance, and maneuverability against the clock of barrel racing contributed to Broussard’s skill as a jockey. The rodeo sport also revealed her tenacious urge to compete. As a teenager, she was ranked first in Louisiana for multiple years and was fifth in the world on two occasions.

Broussard was also raised with horse knowledge. Her father was a match-race jockey on the local bush tracks and became a longtime assistant to trainer Gene Norman. With a cowboy reputation of being able to handle the toughest horses, Clarence Broussard kept his daughter away from the racetrack but close to the farm and breaking babies.

“The animals are not strangers to me,” the 24-year-old Broussard said. “I’ve learned that every horse has its own personality and character. The trick is to persuade them to do things without being forceful or making them do it. When you treat them with kindness, it’s amazing how much smarter they are than humans.”

The gift of an exercise saddle from one of her father’s clients stimulated the dream of Broussard (then 16) to become a jockey. She sat down with her parents and told them she wanted to be a jockey, with a plan and the patience to carry it out. At 18, she got a job at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots with trainer Steve Asmussen. Then, in the spring of 2013, Asmussen needed an exercise rider at Keeneland, and he needed one immediately. It was time to put up or shut up.

“I still had a lot to learn, but it was time to take a jump,” Broussard said of her decision to pack her bags. “I figured I might not ever get another chance to work for a Hall of Fame trainer. I’ve never been one to do things half-assed. If I am going to do something, I want to go all the way, so I took a deep breath and took off.”

Far from home for the first time, Broussard stayed in a cheap hotel on the interstate and went to the track early each morning. She “manned up” and there was no relief. Some days she was legged up on a dozen horses. Her next milestone was a move to Churchill Downs to get serious about becoming a jockey. She secured a salaried position with trainer Kellyn Gorder, received gate approval from the stewards, and was given her jockey license. She won her first race at Ellis Park in August 2013. She had been galloping horses for more than three years.

“A lot of people nowadays that have never been around a racetrack decide one day that they want to be a jockey,” Broussard said. “Three weeks later they are in a race somewhere. I’m not sorry or apologizing for taking so long. I wanted to learn everything from the ground up.”

The 2014 fall/winter meet at Fair Grounds landed Broussard in the same jock’s room as the meet’s leading rider, Rosie Napravnik, who drilled Broussard like it was basic training for the Navy SEALS. Her learning curve shot through the roof, and Broussard went on to become the meet’s leading apprentice rider.

“First of all, she looked good on a horse,” Napravnik remembered. “Ashley is smart and level-headed, and she somehow manages to listen to the right people that can help. You can preach, preach, preach to some young riders, but Ashley listened and then went out on the racetrack and applied what she learned.”

Broussard’s sacrifice has paid off. Despite the detours of child birth and an accident (broken collarbone and busted ribs) that kept her away three months, her mounts have won more than $5 million in purses. Her 130 wins in 2016 ranked 110th of the jockeys’ list in North America. The multiple stakes-winning rider is currently second in the standings at Delta Downs. She has had too many riding triples at Evangeline Downs to count. She won honors as the Jockey’s Guild’s Jockey of the Week after winning six consecutive races for five different trainers last Dec. 14 at Delta Downs. Two weeks prior to that performance, Broussard booted home five winners on a single card at Delta.

Wherever Broussard’s internal compass tells her to go, she has the markings of a bright future, and son Bentley will be right there with her.

“I just want him to stay healthy and follow his dreams,” Broussard said. “My parents never pushed me in any certain direction. They let me find my own path and just made sure I was safe along the way. I do want him to see that nothing happens in one day. That you have to work for what you want. Horse racing has offered me many life lessons, and if that is the path he loves, then I will be right there to follow him.”

This story first appeared in the Feb. 18 edition of BloodHorse Magazine. To purchase a copy including the full version, visit www.bloodhorse.com/subscribe.

Louisiana Native Hernandez Has Momentum, Confidence on His Side

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Hernandez Has Momentum, Confidence on His Side
Photo: Coady Photography

Brian Hernandez Jr.

Brian Hernandez Jr. is quick to give credit where credit is due.

In recalling his 2016 season, when he celebrated a career-high eight graded stakes wins and tallied his second highest single-season earnings, the 31-year-old jockey talked about the wave of good fortune that came his way. Good mounts make for even better outcomes and in that vein, Hernandez said he “got lucky and had the right kind of horses for the right races.”

Quietly yet methodically, the 2004 Eclipse Award winner for outstanding apprentice jockey has taken an already full career that boasts more than 1,600 victories and started adding some key intangibles to it.

A year ago, he rode in his first Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) aboard 12th-place finisher Tom’s Ready. By the end of the evening Feb. 11, he could be linked with a horse considered the leading contender this season for the first Saturday in May.

Hernandez has been in the eye of big-race hype before, but there is no buildup that quite compares with being attached to an unbeaten, graded stakes-winning 3-year-old about to take his first step on the Kentucky Derby trail. As the regular rider for Janis Whitham’s homebred colt McCraken, the 2-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs, Hernandez could find his current groundswell of momentum dwarfed by what could come should his Ian Wilkes-trained mount prevail in his seasonal debut.

When Hernandez guided McCraken to victory in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs Nov. 26, it locked the son of Ghostzapper   in as a sophomore to watch for 2017 and sealed the best season for his jockey since he steered Fort Larned  —another Wilkes-trained, Whitham homebred—to victory in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). The $7,791,059 in earnings Hernandez amassed in 2016 was second only to his career-best total of $8,034,048 four years earlier.

WINCZE HUGHES: McCraken the Real Deal in KY Jockey Club

The Kentucky Club Jockey Club triumph capped off a whirlwind stretch that saw the Louisiana native win three graded stakes in as many days. The other victories came aboard Thatcher Street in the Nov. 24 River City Handicap (G3T) and Linda in the Nov. 25 Mrs. Revere Stakes (G2T).

“You know, it just kind of snowballed,” Hernandez said of 2016. “Last year was one of the first years where I had multiple really good horses and won multiple graded races, and the momentum just kept building. Even last May, I was getting on a lot more 2-year-olds than I normally do.

“We had a really big year with the 2-year-olds and some of the older horses I had been riding, they kind of stepped up and won a couple graded races. … And to have the owners put the confidence in me to ride their better horses, it helps a lot and that’s the biggest thing.”

Hernandez’s ability has long been acknowledged as a solid presence on the Louisiana and Kentucky circuits, not that anyone could ignore him much after he racked up 243 wins during his Eclipse Award-winning season. It often takes a fortuitous pairing for an upstart jockey to gain access to that next, elite level, however. Appropriately enough, Hernandez cites his association with Fort Larned as that catalyst.

He gained the mount on the future multiple grade 1 winner in the 2012 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (G3), when the colt’s previous rider, Julien Leparoux, was committed to pilot Successful Dan in the same spot. The chemistry was instant as Hernandez booted Fort Larned to victory both that day and during his subsequent start in the Whitney Invitational Handicap (G1) in the run-up to their Breeders’ Cup heroics.

MITCHELL: Fort Larned Wins Thrilling BC Classic

In addition to notching the first grade 1 victories of his career, Hernandez was also building a relationship with the Wilkes barn that has evolved him into the go-to rider for the former assistant to Hall of Famer Carl Nafzger.

“He understands what I’m trying to do, and he’s a great asset to my barn in helping and developing horses,” Wilkes said. “He’s good and he just knows how to put a horse in position to win a race.”

“It’s been a great working relationship, because riding for guys like Ian and Carl, they entrust me on some of the better horses and they’re easy to talk to,” Hernandez added. “It makes it to where it’s a team effort, where you don’t have any pressure going forward, like ‘Oh man, if I mess this up, I might not get another chance.’ With Ian and Carl, they are always behind you. Even in the big races … it’s ‘Let’s look at the bigger picture and get them to the next step.'”

Wilkes has plainly stated that the Sam F. Davis is not the end goal for McCraken. He doesn’t want the bay colt coming too much into his own before the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Hernandez has already compiled a career dotted with successes many will never get to the opportunity to experience. Like his late-running mount, momentum has been his friend in recent times, a powerful surge brought on by inherent talent that is being given a chance to reach a career pinnacle.

“We’re just going to try and get McCraken (to the Derby) and let him showcase how good he is,” Hernandez said. “I think the biggest thing we have to do is make sure it’s not any of us that stops him from running his best race. Just stay out of his way and let him take us there. But it’s excitement, really. There is no nervousness.”

Gabriel Saez Reaches 1,000th Win

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Gabriel Saez Reaches 1,000th Win

Gabriel Saez Reaches 1,000th Win
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt

Gabriel Saez

Jockey Gabriel Saez achieved a milestone Feb. 4 when the newly turned 29-year-old native of Panama City, Panama earned his 1,000th career victory on I Hope in the eighth race at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

A graduate of the Laffit Pincay Jockey Training Academy in his native country, Saez began riding professionally on Dec. 8, 2006 in Panama, and won his first race there on Jan. 8, 2007. He came to the United States that year, joining the jockey colony at Delaware Park and going on to ride regularly for major supporter and multiple grade 1-winning trainer Larry Jones.

Saez’s top mounts include champions Proud Spell, Havre de Grace, and Kodiak Kowboy, as well as grade 1 winners Summer Soiree and Believe You Can, and multiple graded stakes winners Friesan Fire   and Just Jenda. He considers his most talented partner thus far to have been Fox Hill Farm’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) runner-up, the great filly Eight Belles. So far he has won 22 graded stakes, three grade 1s, and more than $34.2 million in purses.

“It feels great. I’m glad I got it done down here at Fair Grounds, basically where everything started for my career,” Saez said. “I’m glad to be back at Fair Grounds and back in New Orleans, and there can’t be a better place to have a 1,000th winner than here.”

Albarado Rides 5,000th Winner Sunday

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Robby Albarado celebrates his 5000th career win at the Fair Grounds
Robby Albarado celebrates his 5000th career win at the Fair Grounds

Jockey Robby Albarado joined an elite group on Sunday at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots when earning his 5,000th career victory. The 43-year-old Lafayette, Louisiana, native became only the 33rd rider to reach the milestone when guiding Oak Tree Stables’ Scott Gelner-trained Vivacious V. V. to victory in the day’s first race.

Albarado began riding professionally at age 16 in June of 1990 and has ridden the likes of top horses Not This Time, Captain Steve, Orientate, Court Vision, Stellar Jayne, Banshee Breeze and – of course – two Horses of the Year in Mineshaft and Curlin. He is also the seventh-leading active jockey in earnings, with his mounts earning in excess of $205 million. In that category, he is 13th all-time.

“It’s amazing. I feel like it’s a combination of owners and trainers, family and friends’ support to get to this point – I didn’t do it alone,” Albarado said. “It’s fitting to get it here where I started out. I won three races the whole winter my first meet here. I stuck it out and now I’m here on 5,000 wins. It’s pretty special to do it here at Fair Grounds.”

A father of four who is married to Paige Albarado of Fair Grounds Horsemen’s Relations, Albarado has won 201 graded stakes, including 35 Grade I events. His top victories have been the Grade I Preakness Stakes and Grade I Breeders’ Cup Classic aboard Curlin in 2007, as well as the Group I Dubai World Cup aboard that that two-time Horse of the Year the following season. Additionally, Albarado has hit the board in the Grade I Kentucky Derby three times (2006, 2007 and 2013) and Grade I Belmont Stakes three times (2007, 2008 and 2014).

Albarado Hitting 5,000 in Full Stride

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By Michael Adolphson
Thoroughbred Daily News

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana–One would imagine they call them journeymen for a reason. Always on the go, from one horse to another, racetrack to another and airport to another. In the same fold, it is the journey that seems to have brought the most satisfaction to veteran jockey Robby Albarado as he closes in on becoming only the 33rd American rider in Thoroughbred racing history to win 5,000 races. The 43-year-old native of Lafayette, Louisiana, seems to have a keen sense of the highs and lows of the game, with enviable accomplishments and global successes intersecting with unfortunate circumstances and humbling experiences to create an equilibrium point called wisdom. From said junction is where the winner of 201 graded stakes appears to operate, with a tangible passion that defies his age.

“Things are going well,” Albarado said. “I don’t think anyone continuously wins a bunch of races and you’re bound to have your ups and downs. [Approaching 5,000 wins] makes you feel a little old and like you’ve been around a long time, but I feel great. My family life is good and I have a great support system and that helps a lot, no matter what sport you play or job you do.

“When I go out there, I always try to remember that on slower days you may feel like there are no major races, but those races are major to somebody,” Albarado continued. “A win means a lot, no matter the race and I’ve been around for a long time and learned that you feel really good when you help out people. Whether it’s by riding for someone or giving advice to help these younger riders, I think it’s important to be a good influence. Especially with the younger jocks coming up. You want them to be not just be better jockeys, but better people.”

While a senior member of the Fair Grounds and Churchill Downs colonies in maturity, the athletic three-time Breeders’ Cup winner is far from cashing in his chips. The pilot of mounts who have earned than $205 million in purses is fresh off a season in which he rode (1,179) and won (172) more races than in the previous four years, while utilizing his textbook strength-meets-finesse style to win five graded stakes. His talent with exceptional stock was on display during the abbreviated career of Not This Time (Giant’s Causeway), whose desperate neck runner-up effort would have won most GI Breeders’ Cup Juveniles.

No stranger to top horses, he has an enviable rolodex of champions upon which to reflect from his more than 31,000 mounts thus far, including such class animals as Captain Steve, Orientate, Court Vision, Stellar Jayne and Banshee Breeze.

Still, there is no question that among his 35 Grade I victories, those earned by greats Mineshaft and Curlin stand out. Each of those titans earned Horse of the Year championships by repeatedly dominating their rivals. Curlin, trained by Steve Asmussen, also gave Albarado his first Triple Crown event, Breeders’ Cup and international victories when taking the 2007 GI Preakness S. and GI Breeders’ Cup Classic, followed by the 2008 GI Dubai World Cup.

“They were easily the best two and it’s hard to compare them because they were two different horses from two different eras,” Albarado reflected. “Curlin was a big, immature horse early on who had unlimited talent and then put it together. He was really well-managed and became very dominant. Mineshaft was very special and masterfully managed by Neil Howard and [owner] Mr. [William S. Farish III]. He had a way of moving and was so fast. You could feel his confidence. I’m still not over losing the Stephen Foster on him, but that was my fault and you try to learn from it. Both horses gave you an incredible feeling. Actually, the fastest horse when it comes to speed I have ever ridden was a little Texas-bred named Touch Tone for Ronny Werner. He didn’t run very many times, but he was such a talented horse.”

Loyal horsemen throughout the country have stuck by Albarado, despite some of his tougher times. A highly publicized domestic dispute and subsequent court case took a severe toll on his business, but the eternally optimistic Albarado took it with heavy doses of humility and perspective, just as he has done while going multiple injuries, including one that cost him the mount on GI Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom the week of the race.

“The legal stuff didn’t help, but I dealt with it, owned up to it and we got through it,” he explained. “Now I’m focused on riding, I’m still the same Robby Albarado in the saddle and I try to look on the bright side. You can’t change the past, but you learn from it. I fractured my skull and busted my eardrum and now I actually hear better out of that ear. When I broke my collarbone, my golf swing went from outside-in to inside and is much better now. I try to pull the positives out of when things go poorly.

“You learn as you go,” Albarado continued. “When I was a teenager, I didn’t get within five miles of a gym, but as you get older or you get injured, you get educated about your body. You learn about how instrumental it is to stay healthy physically and mentally. You always have young, hungry and athletic jockeys coming up and coming after your spot, so you have to keep yourself in shape so you can use that as much as you use your wisdom. It’s like Derek Jeter, who is one of my favorite athletes. So many shortstops went after his job with the Yankees and he kept himself on top and in shape, in addition to obviously being very talented.”

While his talent has made it easier for said horsemen to stay steadfast and load the equine bases for Albarado, it is his character and sense of duty that have hit a home run with his colleagues.

“He’s been a big part of my career both on and off the track and meant a great deal to my operation and to my wife and family, too,” said Neil Howard, trainer of Mineshaft. “It’s no secret the kind of rider he is. He’s one of the best in the country and his accomplishments speak for themselves. Obviously when you have a good horse like Mineshaft they often aren’t too complicated, but it’s the Wednesday-Thursday-Friday horses that he’s always been a great help on. Mr. Farish and I get good feedback and he’s always candid and that’s been absolutely key.”

“Great memories {with Albarado},” Asmussen added. “Robby rode our first Grade I winner Dreams Galore in the (1999) Mother Goose, our first Classic winner Curlin (in the Preakness) and our first Breeders’ Cup winner (also Curlin).”

Since beginning his career in June of 1990 at 16 years old, Albarado has had the acquisition of a Kentucky Derby trophy on his to-do list. Adding a sprinkle of insults to the injury of losing the Animal Kingdom mount is that fact that the possible future Hall of Famer has hit the board in the Run for the Roses three times.

“You feel like a deflated balloon when you lose the Derby, but I still get goosebumps when I think of the race,” he said. “If you’ve ever been to the Derby and you don’t enjoy it, then you don’t belong in horse racing. It’s something so special and I’ve been so close, but I try not to feel bad about that. Pat Day was one of the greatest riders of all time and he only won the race one time and hit the board a bunch more. With the Animal Kingdom situation, especially with winning a Grade I the day of the race while wearing a protective face mask–that wasn’t easy, but that’s how racing goes and I still am very hungry to win it and know I can do it.”

With all that Albarado has accomplished as he approaches such a significant milestone, one would imagine some sign of slowing down would become apparent, but the father of four is firing on all cylinders in 2017 and appears to have renewed fervor. From 21 mounts in the first week of the new year, he has hit the board 15 times and landed three victories, indicating that the proverbial journey is far from its destination.

“It helps with the right horses, of course, but I feel like I’m more comfortable out there and I’m making good decisions,” Albarado said. “My agent Lenny {Pike} and I have been together for over 20 years and we have a great relationship and we feel great about how things are going. We are going after the right opportunities and the right spots.

“It’s still fun to ride,” he concluded. “I love to look at a race and pull it apart and then go out there execute it perfectly. It doesn’t always work out that way, but nothing feels better than when it does.”

 

ASHLEY BROUSSARD SCORES SIX-WIN STREAK AND JOCKEY OF THE WEEK TITLE

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Posted by  | Dec 19, 2016 | 

Ashley Broussard secured the Jockeys’ Guild Jockey of the Week honors for December 12 – 18, 2016, after a six-win race streak on a single card at Delta Downs. The award is voted on by a panel of experts for riding accomplishments by members of the Jockeys’ Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 riders in North America.

Just two weeks after winning five races in one night, jockey Ashley Broussard took her riding to a new level by winning six consecutive races at Delta Downs on Wednesday, December 14. She began her win streak in the fourth race aboard Randinsky ($6.60) and continued through the ninth race aboard Private Songster ($5.40). She had two additional mounts on the ten-race card, finishing fourth and second in the first two races of the night.

This is Broussard’s second season at Delta; she was the leading jockey in the 2015 meet until a fall resulting in collarbone and rib injuries forced her to miss the last two months of the meet. Despite the time off for her injuries, she ended the meet as the second-leading jockey behind Gerard Melancon.

With Broussard’s Wednesday victories, she is the second-leading jockey by wins for the current Delta Downs meet, which runs through March. Only Diego Saenz tops Broussard’s Delta wins.

A former barrel-racer, Broussard was a natural when she began riding as a jockey in 2013. She has since won multiple stakes and amassed over $5 million in earnings so far in her career. Last week, Broussard earned $124,320 in 25 starts, seven wins, and seven second-place finishes, bringing her 2016 totals to $2,279,502 in earnings from 730 starts.

JockeyTalk360.com spotlights the riders across North America and around the world who may be the bravest, toughest and most accomplished of all athletes. The Jockeys’ Guild Jockey of the Week is selected by a vote of representatives of America’s Best Racing, The Daily Racing Form, Equibase, Horse Racing Nation, The Jockeys’ Guild, The Paulick Report, The Thoroughbred Daily News, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, Thoroughbred Racing Associations, and Turf Publicists of America.

Broussard Wins Six Straight at Delta Downs

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Broussard Wins Six Straight at Delta Downs
Photo: Delta Downs

Ashley Broussard

While winning four races in a row already made for a memorable night, jockey Ashley Broussard sensed she could accomplish something even more special after scoring that fourth straight win in the seventh race Dec. 14 at Delta Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel.

Broussard’s feelings proved spot-on as she would rally from seventh aboard Terry Eoff’s Texas Jambalaya in the eighth race at 9-2 before winning the ninth race on 3-2 second-choice Private Songster, who is owned by Jacques Miramon Racing and trained by Karl Broberg.

In nailing down that sixth straight victory, Broussard tracked in third early, opened up by three lengths on Private Songster in the stretch, and raced steadily to the wire for a 1 1/4-length score in the five-furlong claiming race for fillies and mares.

“I thought I was going to win three or four going into the night. But when I won that fourth race in a row, I really liked my next two horses,” Broussard said. “I got real excited at that point.”

Broussard’s win streak began with a front-running score in the fourth race aboard Marie Miller’s Randinsky (2-1) before she rallied from fifth aboard Circle H Farms’ Big Risque (2-1) to win the fifth race.

Broussard actually reached the line second in the sixth race on 7-5 favorite Drummer Boy. But the stewards ruled that Dry Wood Creek, with Steve Bourque up, interfered with Tigertail Ranch’s Drummer Boy and put the latter up when Dry Wood Creek was disqualified to third. Broussard then pressed the pace in the seventh race aboard Randy Stone’s Disturbingbehavior, who scored a one-length victory as the 6-5 favorite.

Broussard, 24, of Youngsville, La., is riding her second full meet at Delta. Last year she was leading the meet in wins before missing the final two months after a fall in which she suffered a fractured collarbone and broken ribs. She still finished in second at that meet with 66 wins, behind veteran Gerard Melancon’s 78 victories.

At the current meet Broussard, a multiple stakes-winning jockey, ranks second in wins with 31; seven behind Diego Saenz.

Broussard didn’t ride in the 10th race of the night, the final event of the card. She’ll take her personal six-race win streak into the Dec. 15 Delta card where she’s scheduled to ride Concord’s Baby (3-1 ML) in the first race.

HERNANDEZ AND BROBERG REPEAT AS TITLEISTS FOR 2016 THOROUGHBRED SEASON

louisianathoroughbred

RED ROSE RACING SURGES TO OWNERS’ TITLE WITH 19 WINNERS

OPELOUSAS, LA – Evangeline Downs concluded its scheduled 84-day Thoroughbred season this weekend and the jockey and trainer standings featured familiar names leading the way in 2016, Colby Hernandez and Karl Broberg.

While Hernandez repeated as the leading rider in 2016, this summer’s season was far different than his title in 2015. Hernandez was dominant last year with a track record 174 victories for the season. For the 2016 season, Hernandez managed 90 wins from 420 mounts for an overall winning percentage of 21%. His horses earned a total of $1,484,890 in purse money. His riding championship was in doubt until the final night of the season, as Diego Saenz closed strongly to finish second with 86 victories from 390 mounts for a winning percentage of 22%. Saenz’s mounts earned a total of $1,464,244 for the season.

Saenz was one of three jockeys that achieved a milestone victory during the 2016 Evangeline Downs season. In addition to Saenz winning his 1,500th race, two Louisiana natives made history with Gerard Melancon becoming one of just 45 jockeys in history to reach 4,500 wins for his career and Steve Bourque picking up his 4,000th win during the meeting. Both of these jockeys also finished in the top 10 for the season. The full top 10 jockeys’ list was comprised of Colby Hernandez (90 wins), Diego Saenz (86), Ashley Broussard (71), Roberto Morales (65), Gerard Melancon (48), Alfredo Contreras (45), Steve Bourque (41), Kerwin Clark (37), Emanuel Nieves (32) and Alexis Batista (25).

The 2016 trainers’ race also came down to a familiar name leading at Evangeline Downs as Karl Broberg topped the standings with 49 victories from 191 starts for a winning percentage of 26%. Broberg’s horses earned a total of $657,910 in purse money. Like Hernandez, Broberg tailed off from his victorious 2015 pace, when he won the title with 98 winners and a winning percentage of 43%.

Broberg’s total of 49 wins was still more than enough to triumph over his former assistant trainer, Eduardo Ramirez, who finished second with 38 wins from 134 starts for a winning percentage of 28%. The remainder of the top 10 trainers for the season were Sam Breaux (33 wins), Brett Brinkman and Ron Faucheux (20), Danny Pish (18), Allen Landry (16) and a four-way tie for eighth between Howard Alonzo, Steve Flint, Al Stall Jr, and Lee Thomas at 14 wins each.

There was a new leading owner for the 2016 Thoroughbred season at Evangeline Downs as Red Rose Racing improved from their sixth-place finish in 2015 to take down the title with 19 wins from just 45 starts for a strong winning percentage of 42%. Red Rose Racing earned $163,285 in purse money. Tigertail Racing finished second in the standings with 16 winners, but did earn the most purse money of any owner for the season with $352,655.

Finishing third in the owners’ standings for the season were Circle H Farms with 14 wins; Elite Thoroughbred Racing, LLC and Whispering Oaks Farm, LLC tied for fourth with 12 victories; End Zone Athletics, Inc. and John Duvieilh, Keith and Earl Hernandez were deadlocked for sixth with nine wins; Dream Walkin Farms, Inc. finished eighth with eight wins and there was a six-way tie for ninth at seven wins.

Live racing will resume at Evangeline Downs when the 46-day American Quarter Horse season begins on Wednesday, September 28. The highlight events of the season will be the $1,000,000 LQHBA Breeders Futurity (RG1) for 2-year-old Louisiana-breds and the $150,000-added LQHBA Breeders Derby for 3-year-old Louisiana-breds on Saturday, November 19. In addition, the $100,000-added Evangeline Downs Futurity for 2-year-olds and the $50,000-added Evangeline Downs Derby for 3-year-olds will take place on Closing Night, Saturday, December 17. Post time for the American Quarter Horse season at Evangeline Downs will be 5:35 pm Central Time.

For more information on the American Quarter Horse season at Evangeline Downs, visit the track’s website at http://www.evdracing.com. Evangeline Downs’ Twitter handle is @EVDRacing and the racetrack is also accessible on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/EvangelineDownsRacing.