Heredia and Hernandez both on fire. (Benoit Photo)
Hernandez sweeps stakes taking six on the day
Trainer Graham Motion scores bi-coastal stakes with Laurelin winning Saratoga Oaks Invitational
Del Mar Press
DEL MAR, Calif.—Wathnan Racing’s Heredia burst to the front out of the gate and just kept on going for a mile and one-sixteenth on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course at Del Mar giving rider Juan Hernandez his sixth winner of the afternoon in Saturday’s Yellow Ribbon Handicap.
The 6-year-old Dark Angel mare covered the distance in 1:42.92 to finish two and a quarter length the best in the 73rd running of the Grade II offering. She earned a first prize of $120,000 from the gross purse of $201,500, pushing her career earnings to $429,285 for what was her seventh victory in her 16th start. She paid $5.40 for $2 as the 17-10 race favorite.
Abbondanza Racing, Medallion Racing and McNulty’s Public Assembly ran second, nipping Abbondanza Racing, Aldabbagh and Ivarone’s Watchtower by a nose.
Hernandez was Del Mar’s leading rider coming into Day 14 of the summer meet with 16 firsts. His six winners pushes his scores to 22 and puts him eight victories ahead of runner-up Antonio Fresu.
One of the Mexican rider’s earlier scores came aboard odds-on favorite Desert Gate in the Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds.
“I was a little surprised he (jockey Juan Hernandez) ended up on the front. But he got her to settle, and she was going so easy. Then I saw the :49. We thought maybe one of Phil D’Amato’s would go and we’d kind of slip in behind that. But when you’ve got one of the leading jockeys on her and they’re riding like he is right now you just leave it up to him,” said Motion’s assistant trainer, Alice Clapham.
Hernandez joins four other riders who had six scores in one day at the shore oval, most recently by Flavien Prat in 2022. The single-day record is seven triumphs, accomplished by Victor Espinoza in 2006 and Drayden Van Dyke in 2018.
Hernandez remarked: “She took me to the front. My filly was really fresh at the post parade. And I was like ‘She’s gonna break sharp’ and she did. You know, I was just galloping with her. It was her first time being on the lead, but she loved it. She was strong. I just feel she was really happy, and I just let her be. I was waiting for the quarter pole. She took off again around the quarter pole. And you know, that was it. She was fire to the wire”.
When asked about winning 6 out 9 races today and one last to go Hernandez has this to say; “Always, when I jump on the horse, I just try and win the race, you know, I’m just going to jump on the next horse.”
The winning owners Wathnan Racing are from Lexington, KY.
Racing resumes at Del Mar Sunday.
