Five riders shipping in for Tampa Bay Derby

OLDSMAR, Fla. – At least five out-of-town jockeys are expected in action here Saturday, including Junior Alvarado, who has a return call on Candy Man Rocket for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Alvarado will travel across the Florida peninsula from Gulfstream Park, as will Luis Saez (Promise Keeper), Julien Leparoux (Unbridled Honor), and Angel Arroyo (Boca Boy).

In from Turfway Park will be Rafael Bejarano, the well-traveled Peruvian with a multitude of riding titles in Southern California and Kentucky. Bejarano rode Hidden Stash in both Kentucky wins but missed the Davis because of pandemic-related complications.

The two Tampa jockeys engaged in a heated battle for leading jockey at this five-month meet, Antonio Gallardo and Samy Camacho, also have mounts in the big race, with Super Strong and King of Dreams, respectively.

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Leparoux, meanwhile, has employed Frank Lyons as his agent since early December and will continue to do so when returning to Kentucky for the Keeneland spring meet, which begins April 2. Leparoux’s longtime former agent, Steve Bass, took ill last fall with a serious heart ailment but is now recovered and looking for another rider. Bass said he and Leparoux parted “on the absolute best of terms. Working 15 years for Julien changed my life, and I’m extremely grateful to him.”