Apprentice Christian Maldonado. (Maryland Jockey Club)
David Joseph/Maryland Jockey Club
LAUREL, Md. – No More Mask, owned and trained by Jose Corrales, shook off pace pressure from Fancy Princess and pulled clear through the stretch to give 10-pound apprentice Christian Maldonado his first career riding victory Friday at Laurel Park.
No More Mask ($14.20), a 5-year-old Maryland-bred mare making her 29th career start, was the 31st mount for Maldonado, a 20-year-old native of Puerto Rico, and 22nd since coming to the U.S. in late January after attending the famed Escuela Vocacional Hipica.
The six-furlong claiming event for fillies and mares 4 and up was the seventh lifetime win for No More Mask, racing for the first time since being clamed for $5,000 out of a runner-up finish March 3 at Laurel. The winning time was 1:12.76 over a fast main track.
“It feels amazing,” Maldonado said. “It’s been a lot of hard work. Two years at school and now this. I’m working hard in the morning every day and I’m so happy.”
Maldonado is the son of retired jockey Nestor Maldonado, a multiple stakes-winning jockey with 137 wins between 2001 and 2013 according to Equibase statistics. Christian Maldonado was winless in nine races at Camarero Race Track before making his domestic debut Jan. 27 at Laurel, finishing seventh on Leave Drama Behind.
“He’s a little green still but I told him to come to the states where I could help him. He came over and I started working with him a little bit, and I told him, ‘I’m going to put you on a winner,’” Corrales said. “I’m so happy for him because he deserves it. He works hard every morning and he’s going to do well.”
Notes ~ ~ ~
Trainer Brittany Russell saddled a pair of winners Friday, Golden Lion Racing’s Riley G ($3.60) in Race 5 and Repole Stable’s Maryland-bred Overly Dramatic ($3.20) in Race 7 …
Trainer Jamie Ness also sent out two winners, Magical Monarch ($7) in Race 1 and Margin of Air ($) in Race 8 …
4-year-old filly Riley G was making her third start for Russell and sixth overall in the seven-furlong maiden special weight, winning in 1:26.77 over a fast main track …
Overly Dramatic, a 3-year-old daughter Into Mischief that had raced twice this winter at Gulfstream Park for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, was a popular winner of the six-furlong waiver maiden claimer in 1:12.37 …
There will be a carryover of $2,816.44 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 5-10).
