RESTRAINEDVENGENCE TOO CLASSY IN THE ROLLING GREEN STAKES
The feature race of the summer meet, the $50,000 Rolling Green Stakes on Labor Day Monday, was won by 4-5 post time favorite Restrainedvengence. Under jockey Juan Hernandez, the 4-year-old gelding took the lead out of the gate before setting moderate fractions. He kicked away from his competition down the stretch and won the mile and a sixteenth turf contest by three and a half lengths, which is a significant margin of victory for a grass race. Local trainees Builder and Wicked Old Fashion finished second and third, respectively.
“He’s a neat horse,” said winning trainer Val Brinkerhoff. “As soon as I saw they went 49 for a half [mile], I started walking down to the winners circle for the photo.”
Before Monday’s afternoon appearance, Restrainedvengence had run just three weeks prior, finishing third in the Grade 3 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs. The son of Hold Me Back had one prior stakes victory heading into the Rolling Green: an 11-1 upset in the 2018 Oceanside Stakes on turf for 3-year-olds at Del Mar. Restrainedvengence now sports a 4-1-1 record from 16 lifetime starts with career earnings just over $220,000.
APPRENTICE JUAN ESPINOZA WORKING HARD TO LIVE HIS DREAM
21-year-old Juan Espinoza has known he wanted to be a jockey ever since Kindergarten. Almost 15 years later, Espinoza made his dream a reality when hooking up with agent Jay Robinson and beginning his career as a 10-pound apprentice on the Northern California racing circuit in June. Since then, Espinoza has graduated to the “7-pound weight allowance,” which is granted to an apprentice rider once they have posted 5 career wins.
Espinoza picked up his first win as a jockey on July 13 at Sacramento aboard the Faith Taylor trained Sequoyah Sunset. Since then, the native of Walnut Creek has won six races, three of which were produced here at Golden Gate Fields. His first career victory at Golden Gate came in the first race last Thursday with 3-year-old Mr. Diplomat.
“I feel very grateful and blessed,” said Espinoza on Thursday morning. “I’m really proud, too. Not everyone thought I could become a jockey. At times, I didn’t know if I could do it. But I kept plugging away to achieve my dreams and here we are.”
During his conversation with the Golden Gate Publicity Team, Juan made it a point to acknowledge many trainers and fellow riders that have helped, and continue to help, as he moves forward in his quest to become the best jockey possible. For three and a half years, Espinoza exercised horses for a handful of different conditioners; the list includes Ari Herbertson, Faith Taylor, Blaine Wright and Sergio Ledezma, who helped Juan get his riding license in 2015. Since becoming a jockey, Espinoza has teamed up with numerous trainers, including Taylor, leading trainer Jonathan Wong and longtime Bay Area horseman Jamey Thomas. Kyle Frey and Irving Orozco are two riders whom Espinoza cited as “mentors.”
“Kyle and Irving are two [riders] in the room who have given me good advice,” said Espinoza. “I’m really grateful for their help. Not everyone goes out of their way to help a bugboy. It’s a really great feeling when you have such talented riders coming up to you and telling you how to do things the right way. I not only learn, but it helps me really focus on the improvements I need to make.”
“Knowing this is just the beginning [of his riding career] is the fun part for me,” concluded Espinoza. “I do the best I can every race and look to improve every day.”
CEDILLO FINISHES THIRD IN THE JOCKEY STANDINGS AT DEL MAR
Abel Cedillo, the leading rider at the Golden Gate Winter/Spring meet, moved his tack to Southern California in June and has blossomed since then. In fact, Cedillo just completed his first full summer meeting at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, where the 30-year-old native of Guatemala finished third in the jockey standings with 25 wins. His mounts earned $1,165,244 in purse money throughout the 36-day meeting.
Represented by agent Tom Knust, Cedillo rode 163 races and won numerous races for top trainers like Richard Baltas, Phil D’Amato, Doug O’Neill and Peter Miller, among others. Highlights at the meeting for Cedillo included his first career Del Mar stakes win with 5-year-old gelding Two Thirty Five in the Harry F. Brubaker Stakes and a third place finish in the Grade I Pacific Classic aboard Mongolian Groom. Cedillo also navigated Mongolian Groom to a second place run in the local prep for the Pacific Classic, the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap. This past weekend, Cedillo rode 2-year-old colt Wrecking Crew to a runner up finish in the Grade I Del Mar Futurity.
Abel also won Washington state’s most prestigious horse race on August 11, the Grade 3 Longacres Mile, when guiding multiple stakes winner Law Abidin Citizen to a hard-fought nose victory for Southern California trainer Mark Glatt.
Cedillo, who finished behind top class jockeys Flavien Prat (42 wins) and Drayden Van Dyke (32) in the jockey standings, will ride next at the 2-week Los Alamitos Daytime Thoroughbred meet. He picked up mounts in both stakes races on Saturday; Motion Emotion in the $75,000 Beverly Lewis Stakes and Fire When Ready in the $75,000 E.B. Johnston Stakes.
FINISH LINES: PLEASE NOTE: BEGINNING FRIDAY, FIRST POST TIME IS 1:15 PM. This new first post will be in effect for the remainder of the meeting…Irving Orozco continues to pave the way in the jockey standings with 16 wins, two more than Frank Alvarado and Kyle Frey…Jonathan Wong has won 12 races at the current meeting, passing Victor Trujillo for the top spot in the trainer standings over the weekend. Trujillo won a handful of races last week, though, and sits in second place with 8 wins…34th times the charm for Warrior Mom, who broke her maiden in lifetime start #34 on Thursday for owner/trainer Ivan Becerra…Another interesting maiden breaker: 3-year-old filly Acadia Fleet broke his maiden on Sunday afternoon against $3,200 claimers-proven winners-for owner Bryan Carney and trainer Charles Stutts…The Stronach 5 wager is back this week. Race 4 at Golden Gate on Friday goes as Leg C of the industry low 12% takeout wager…$8,801 has been carried over into the 20 Cent Golden Pick Six jackpot wager heading into Friday’s card. Last week, one sharp handicapper hit the Golden Pick Six jackpot for over $36,000. You could be the next lucky winner!