Amador streaks to prominence in jockey standings

Jockey Silvio Amador is suddenly an overnight success at age 32.

Amador won with seven consecutive mounts last week to open plenty of eyes. The U.S. record for consecutive wins is nine, shared by Albert Adams in 1930, Tony Black in 1993, and Russell Baze in 2006.

Amador’s streak began Sunday, Aug. 24, when he guided Gabbro Glitz ($15.60) and More Champagne ($23.40) to victories in turf races. He won two more when racing resumed Thursday, Aug. 28, with Deep Reflection ($8.60) and Loveintheshadows ($4).

Last Friday, he guided Flyingtothefinish ($4) to a win in his lone mount of the day. He won with his first two mounts Saturday, Whilly Pink ($6.40) and Cava Kavia ($9.20), and then finished third aboard Twin Six in the sixth race to end his streak.

“It was exciting,” Amador said of his streak. “It felt good to do so well for the trainers.”

Amador and new agent Fernando Navarro hope the streak will attract more business.

“I’m getting better mounts and riding for more trainers, and I appreciate their support,” said Amador, a native of Mexico.

He first rode in the United States in 2009 at Santa Anita’s Oak Tree meet, where he had one second from two mounts, and then he went 2 for 47 at Hollywood Park. He enjoyed some success at Santa Anita’s 2009-10 winter-spring meet, riding 14 winners from 164 mounts, but had only one winner from 58 mounts at the subsequent Hollywood Park meet and returned home to Mexico to ride.

Amador came back for this year’s Golden Gate Fields winter-spring meet, finishing 12th in the standings with 22 wins. Going into Friday’s card, he’s third in the Golden Gate summer-meet jockey standings with 10 wins in 26 starts along with 4 seconds and 3 thirds.

“When he showed up originally, I kept an eye on him,” said Deep Reflection’s trainer, Gil Matos. “He knows where he’s at and what he has underneath him. As soon as I watched him, I said, ‘I’ve gotta get him some mounts.’ ”

In Deep Reflection’s victory, Matos thought there would be speed in the race and suggested that Amador sit back with his mount. But the race didn’t develop as expected.

“He recognized the speed was not there, so he sat closer than I told him,” said Matos. “He’s smart. He makes adjustments.”

Tough week for Morey

Trainer Bill Morey Jr. came into last week on a high.

His undefeated Look Quickly was ready to make her 3-year-old debut last Friday, while Black Spirit was preparing for last Monday’s Rolling Green Stakes over a turf course where he was a perfect 3 for 3.

Neither won.

The multiple stakes-winning Look Quickly ran second in an allowance race against older fillies and mares. Black Spirit got hooked up in a pace battle with Reno Rebel and tired badly in the Rolling Green, beating only his pace rival.

Morey said he didn’t expect Black Spirit to be on the lead, but that “sometimes you find yourself in a spot you don’t want to be.”

Look Quickly came out of her race in good shape, and Morey pointed out that the winner, the Lloyd Mason-trained 4-year-old Rathmoon, is now 4 for 5 with a third over the Golden Gate main track.

Look Quickly won all four of her starts last year at 2, including the Juan Gonzalez Memorial at Pleasanton and the Golden Gate Debutante. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 71 for her second-place finish last week, well below her 2-year-old bests of 80 and 75.

“I don’t know how good she is,” Morey said. “She got some high Beyers as a 2-year-old, but they have to do it again as a 3-year-old.”

Morey said he’s not sure where Look Quickly will run next.

Ontrack handle spikes at Ferndale

Despite running two fewer days than the eight-day 2013 meeting, the 2014 Humboldt County Fair meet in Ferndale, Calif., showed a 25 percent increase in ontrack handle.

The six-day meet handled $614,957 ontrack, an average of $102,492 per day. The 2013 eight-day total was $490,537, an average of $61,317. The daily ontrack increase was a whopping 67 percent.

There was a 14 percent decrease in all-sources handle, from $2,419,541 for the eight-day meet to $2,081,064 this year. But the daily average all-sources handle showed an 11 percent increase.

Hernandez on mend

Jockey Juan Hernandez sustained bruises and a laceration to his right thigh that required 15 stitches when Hidethegoodstuff crashed into the temporary rail in race 4 on Friday (won by Rathmoon, with Look Quickly second).

Hernandez, who is on antibiotics, missed the next three days to avoid tearing any of the stitches but is considered day-to-day to return.