Harry Hernandez to ride at Oaklawn
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Harry Hernandez has been the runaway leader in the jockey standings at Turf Paradise the last two years.
He has no plans to try for a third straight title.
With the Phoenix track’s racing schedule unsettled, Hernandez said earlier this week that he plans to begin riding at Oaklawn Park for the first time later this year. Recent developments indicating that Turf Paradise will resume racing in early 2024 have not swayed the 26-year-old jockey.
“I want to try to go to Oaklawn,” he said on Thursday. “I want to give it a shot.”
Hernandez said Turf Paradise remains a second option.
“If everything is slow, I can always go back,” he said.
Last winter, Hernandez won 150 races at Turf Paradise, well clear of Karlo Lopez, who finished second in the standings with 65. This summer, Hernandez was the leading rider at Canterbury Park in Minnesota for the second consecutive year.
Hernandez is currently riding for the first time at Remington Park in Oklahoma City where he was tied for ninth in the standings with nine wins through Wednesday.
“The trainers here like me and they want to give me a chance,” he said.
The current Remington Park meeting ends on Dec. 15. Oaklawn Park’s meeting runs from Dec. 8 through May 4.
Oaklawn will present a more high-profile challenge for Hernandez.
“I know it won’t be easy, but it will be fun,” he said.
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