Jimenez wins fourth riding title in five meets

The 15-day holiday meet at Turfway Park ended Thursday with Albin Jimenez atop the rider standings with 23 winners, nine more than Rodney Prescott. It’s the fourth time from the last five Turfway meets that Jimenez, a 24-year-old native of Panama, has been the top jockey.

Perennial leading trainer Mike Maker had two winners on the Thursday evening card, allowing him to claim yet another title. Maker, whose best horses currently are in Florida, wound up with seven winners, one more than Kim Hammond.

The leading owner with three wins was the partnership of Willowbrook Stables and Jerry Carden.

The meet featured 135 races, with field sizes averaging a healthy 10.2 starters per race.

The winter-spring meet began Friday evening.

◗ Stakes at the winter-spring meet will be run every other Saturday through February, with the next stakes being the $50,000 Forego for older sprinters Jan. 16. After the John Battaglia Memorial on Feb. 27, the only remaining stakes day will be April 2, when the $550,000 Spiral will be one of three stakes.

◗ Jimmy McNerney has been calling the Turfway races all week in the absence of Mike Battaglia, who took the week off. Battaglia recently said he intends to gradually ease out of the announcing duties he has held at Turfway since 1972.