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Calder Gives Jockeys a Leg Up © Greg Melikov
Jul 27, 2003
Talented jockeys have honed their skills at Calder Race Course before branching out - and quite successfully - to other tracks.
Four come to mind, including Rene Douglas who captured his first title a decade ago at the South Florida track.
On two occasions, the 36-year-old native Panamanian rode six winners in a single day: Dec. 8, 1993, during the Tropical-at-Calder meeting, and on July 15, 1995, during the regular Calder meeting.
On July 24, Douglas went one better when seven of his nine mounts triumphed at Arlington Park, where he's so far ahead, more than 30, that he most assuredly will take his third consecutive championship. Arlington's all-time record of eight victories in nine mounts on Sept. 13, 1989, belongs to Pat Day.
From 1996 to 2000, Eibar Coa won four of five Calder titles; most of '98 he rode in Kentucky and New York. He also wore three straight Tropical-at-Calder crowns beginning in '96-'97.
Coa, with Douglas, shares the six-winners-in-one-day record with two others at Calder, where he has the third most triumphs since the track opened in '71. He needs just two victories to pass Jacinto Vasquez as the top Tropical-at-Calder rider.
The 32-year-old native Venezuelan won the 2003 Gulfstream meeting, was 10th at Aqueduct and seventh at Belmont.
Javier Castellano, who finished fifth at Aqueduct and ninth at Belmont, holds a pair of Tropical titles, '99-00 and '00-01. He shares the most-Tropical-winners-in-a-day record with Douglas and Vasquez.
The 25-year-old native Venezuelan comes from a riding family. His father and uncle were jockeys. His younger brother, Abel, started out at Calder and also has moved on.
Last, but not least, is Cornelio Velasquez, the defending riding champion at Calder after capturing two consecutive titles at both meetings.
After being runner-up behind Coa at Gulfstream, he finished third at Keeneland. Then the 34-year-old native Panamanian bested Day for the title at Churchill Downs.
Most impressive is Velasquez, Coa and Douglas rank among the Top 30 jockeys through late July. Velasquez is fourth in most victories and 10th in earnings.
The current leaders at Calder could be the next riders to seek greener pastures. Manoel Cruz, the 33-year-old Brazialian-born winner of the 2002 Tampa Bay meeting, has the most Calder victories after finishing second last year.
Apprentice Eddie Castro, born 18 years ago in Panama who is second, was hotter than a firecracker in July. On July 19, he rode five winners. On July 25, he repeated the feat.
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