DEL MAR, Calif.— Rider Juan Hernandez opens up week four of the summer meet at Del Mar with a sizable lead in the Del Mar Jockey Standings, while the trainers’ race is up for grabs.
Hernandez has won 19 races through the first three weeks of the meet, eight better than runner-up Umberto Rispoli, who is one ahead of Joe Bravo. Out of his 80 mounts, Hernandez is winning at a 24% clip and has finished in the money 55% of the time. His mounts have earned over $1.3 million through Sunday August 7.
“I’m really happy, I feel good,” Hernandez said. “I’m having fun here at Del Mar and hopefully we can keep it up.”
Hernandez, sitting in a golf cart on the backside with agent Craig O’Bryan, credits his agent for much of his success.
“He’s been picking the winners, all the good horses.” Hernandez said. “We’ve been lucky with the horses and I’ve been available to bring them to the winner’s circle.”
The trainers’ race is a little more congested. Phil D’Amato and Bob Baffert are locked in a tie with eight wins each. George Papaprodromou, Peter Miller and Doug O’Neill are next, just one win back with seven.
What is not as tight is the earnings race among trainers. D’Amato has the highest earnings so far at Del Mar with $949,086. Papaprodromou is next with $646,040. D’Amato says, for his barn, the best is yet to come.
“I think we’re going to slowly pick up steam here and have a good second half of the meet,” D’Amato says. “but we’re happy with where we are at so far.”
Four trainers have each won two stakes races at the meet. D’Amato won the first two stakes of the meet, the $100,000 Oceanside on opening day with Balnikhov and the G2 San Clemente the next day with Bellabel; Marcelo Polanco won the Wickerr with Irideo and the G1 Clement Hirsch with Blue Stripe; Papaprodromou won the G1 Bing Crosby with American Theorem and the G3 La Jolla with Cabo Spirit. Richard Mandella has two stakes to his credit at the summer meet, the G2 San Diego with Royal Ship and the $175,000 Real Good Deal with Big City Lights, giving him 72 over his career at Del Mar and lifting him past Bobby Frankel (70) into fifth place all-time. Mandella needs two more stakes wins to catch Charlie Whittingham (74) on Del Mar’s all-time list.
DMTC Press Release
Photo: Juan Hernandez (Benoit Photo)
