Herrera showing riding versatility in Southern California
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Last Sunday, jockey Diego Herrera had a four-win day unique to a rider based in the Los Angeles area.
Herrera won two races in the afternoon at Santa Anita, including his first Thoroughbred stakes on Neige Blanche in the $100,000 Possibly Perfect Stakes for fillies and mares on turf. In the evening, Herrera won two more races at the Los Alamitos meeting for Quarter Horses and lower-level Thoroughbreds.
Those wins were preceded on the evening of June 17 by a two-win day at Los Alamitos, highlighted by a victory in a $25,000 stakes for Quarter Horses at 350 yards on the promising 2-year-old filly Wicked Cowgirl Smart.
The doubleheaders continue for Herrera this weekend, but the drive time is considerably shorter. Through July 9, Herrera will ride afternoons and evenings at Los Alamitos. The Los Angeles County Fair afternoon Thoroughbred meeting began at Los Alamitos on Friday for a three-week season.
This Sunday, Herrera has five mounts on the afternoon program as well as mounts in the first two races of the evening card. It helps that Herrera is 19, and full of enthusiasm. He retains connections to the backstretch at Los Alamitos, where he began his career in 2021.
“I’m trying to stay busy,” he said last weekend. “The people there give me a lot of support.”
Herrera has mounts in two of Sunday afternoon’s leading races – a maiden race at 6 1/2 furlongs and an allowance/optional claimer at a mile.
In the allowance/optional claimer, the last of eight races, Herrera rides Taishan, who starts from the rail in a field of seven. Trained by George Papaprodromou, Taishan finished seventh of eight after a wide trip in an allowance /optional claimer at a mile on turf on June 4 at Santa Anita in which the 6-year-old gelding was eligible to be claimed for $80,000.
Taishan is not entered for a claiming price on Sunday.
Taishan runs from off the pace and must outfinish another closer in Hembree, who won a $28,000 claimer at a mile on turf on June 3 at Santa Anita, and Shortman, a troubled fifth in an allowance race for California-breds at a mile on May 28 at Santa Anita.
In the maiden race, Herrera rides the longshot Benelli, who was pulled up in his debut at Santa Anita on May 13 and has since been gelded. Trained by Eric Kruljac, Benelli has had a series of solid works at Los Alamitos in recent weeks for his second start.
The field includes the first-time starter Levon, a colt by Practical Joke who was purchased for $750,000 as a yearling and has worked fast in recent weeks for trainer John Sadler; and Uncle Reg, a well-beaten second after setting the pace in his first start in nearly five months on May 29 at Santa Anita.
Trainer Bob Baffert has three runners, including the first-time starter Wickline, jockey Juan Hernandez’s only mount on the program. Wickline, purchased for $275,000 as a yearling, is by Twirling Candy and has displayed fast works in recent weeks at Santa Anita.
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