HORSE RACING: VELAZQUEZ IS THE JOCKEY TO WATCH.Byline: Daily News INGLEWOOD - John Velazquez, poised to unseat Jerry Bailey as the nation's leading money-winning jockey, will merit attention when he travels west to ride Sunday in the Hollywood Derby The Hollywood Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses on the turf run each year in December at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. and the Matriarch, the Grade I stakes that cap Hollywood Park's annual three-day Turf Festival. Velazquez, who has mounts on Timo in the Derby and Ocean Drive in the Matriarch, was unknown on the West Coast when the Turf Festival debuted in 1991. While Hall of Fame jockeys Laffit Pincay Jr., Eddie Delahoussaye Edward J. Delahoussaye (born September 21 1951) was an American thoroughbred jockey from New Iberia, Louisiana. He began his career in 1968 and in ten short years became the top American jockey with 384 wins. and Chris McCarron Christopher John "Chris" McCarron (b. March 27 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame retired jockey. He was introduced to the sport of thoroughbred racing by his older brother, jockey Gregg McCarron. were riding Turf Festival winners, Velazquez was establishing himself on the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of circuit just months after his apprenticeship expired. He finished among the top 10 riders that year in New York and has become one of the nation's leaders in recent years while winning races at a 60-percent clip in past visits to the Turf Festival. Velazquez, whose first Hollywood Park win came aboard Marlin in the 1996 Hollywood Derby, has won with six of his 10 Turf Festival mounts. He rode Vergennes to a $37.60 upset victory in the 1998 Derby and he has also been astride a·stride adv. 1. With a leg on each side: riding astride. 2. With the legs wide apart. prep. 1. On or over and with a leg on each side of. 2. Matriarch champions Starine in 2001 and Heat Haze in 2003. Velazquez, who entered the weekend with $21.8 million in purses this year, is a runaway leader over Edgar Prado ($17.6 million) and Jerry Bailey ($14.8 million), both of whom will also ride in the Turf Festival. Velazquez has a chance to move closer to Bailey's 2003 record of $23.3 million with a big weekend. Bailey, who has mounts aboard Good Reward in the Derby and Intercontinental in the Matriarch, has been the most productive jockey on visits to Hollywood Park with 15 graded stakes victories since 1994. Bailey has three Turf Festival victories, including a $63.40 upset aboard Duda in the 1995 Matriarch. The focus is on three Grade I races: --$400,000 Citation Handicap: A contentious 12-horse field includes two-time Eddie Read Handicap The Eddie Read Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and up and is raced at a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the turf. The Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California hosts the $400,000, Grade I event, which is an important prep to the Breeders' winner Special Ring, Shadwell Turf Mile winner Nothing to Lose, 2003 Del Mar Derby The Del Mar Derby is an American thoroughbred horse race run each year at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The race is open to horses of either gender, age three, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the turf. winner Fairly Ranson, and Mingun. --$500,000 Matriarch: Trainer Jim Cassidy hopes a victory by Ticker Tape Ticker Tape A computerized device that relays financial information to investors around the world, including the stock symbol, the latest price, and volume on securities as they are traded. would earn the 3-year-old filly an Eclipse Award as the nation's outstanding female turf specialist, though Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Ouija Board is the top contender. Each of the nine entrants is a graded stakes winner, Ticker Tape, Musical Chimes, Island Fashion, Etoile Montante and Denebola are Grade I or European Group 1 winners. The Matriarch decided Eclipse Awards four times in the 1990s and again in 2002. --$500,000 Hollywood Derby: The 64th running of the Derby is headed by Blackdoun, the Del Mar Derby winner who had traffic problems and finished seventh in the Breeders' Cup Mile, beaten 3 1/2 lengths by Singletary. Oak Tree Derby The Oak Tree Derby is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Santa Anita Park during the Oak Tree Racing Association meet each year. The Grade IIT event is open to three-year-old horses willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the turf and offers a purse of $150,000. runner-up and Del Mar Derby third-place finisher Laura's Lucky Boy won the Will Rogers on the Hollywood course. Imperialism, third in the Kentucky Derby, remains on turf after a fourth in the Oak Tree Derby. |
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