Jockey Hamilton settles into a groove

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Jockey Quincy Hamilton is used to the nomadic life of a racetracker, but after 11 years of traveling and shipping, the 30-year-old Texas native and father of two children is looking for some stability.

That’s why Hamilton came to Tampa Bay Downs this winter for the first time, and that also is why he’s headed for Canterbury Downs when this meeting closes this Sunday. Hamilton, winner of 1,393 races lifetime, has 18 winners at the current stand, a respectable total for a jockey riding at this track for the first time. The other day, the rider said learning the vagaries of the main track and turf course and how to approach race strategy day in and day out here made this season a work in progress for him.

“I love riding here,” he said. “Both the main track and the turf are great to ride over, but it’s true there are a number of little bits of knowledge you have to know to be successful here, and it’s taken me a while to gain that knowledge this season. I really love the weather here after battling the cold up north for several winters, and I’d like to make this my winter base in the future. My dad was a jockey, and I’ve been traveling, it seems like, all my life, but now I’d like to settle into a regular schedule that involves a lot less moving around.”

It was after some discussions with Richard Grunder that Hamilton made the decision to head to Canterbury this summer. Many know Grunder as the voice of Tampa Bay Downs, as he has been the track announcer here for the past 30 years, but what a lot of people don’t know is that for a number of years, Grunder has been one of the top jockey agents at Canterbury Downs. For seven of the last 10 seasons, he has handled the engagements of the leading rider at the track in Shakopee, Minn.

“After Richard and I talked, I felt like we could make a good team,” Hamilton said. “His record at Canterbury speaks for itself, and if we can go there and have a good meeting, Canterbury and Tampa Bay Downs would make a solid year-round setup where I can ride good horses, win races, and have the chance to spend more time with the kids.”

◗ Antonio Gallardo had a big week and has pulled away from Ronnie Allen Jr. in the riders’ standings moving into the final week of the winter portion of the meeting, while Jamie Ness holds a sizeable lead in the trainers’ standings.

In the unofficial category of comeback trainer of the year, the winner would have to be Lynne Scace. Scace has won 14 races from just 71 starters, posting a solid 19 percent winning percentage. Honorable mention goes to Richard Ciardullo Jr., who was away from the business for several years but came back this season with a rebuilt stable and won six races from 27 starters for a 22 percent win percentage.

Manny Criollo also deserves a mention. Criollo, who won a single race last season, has an outfit with a number of runners who displayed poor form before moving to his barn, but Criollo, who won races Saturday and Sunday, including one winner who returned $40.40, has improved the form of a number of those horses, winning five races from 36 starters.