Laurel: Carlos Carrasco launches riding career by winning with first two mounts
Carlos Carrasco, the 18-year-old younger brother of top Maryland rider Victor Carrasco, won with the first two mounts of his career at Laurel Park last Saturday.
Carrasco scored a 15-1 front-running upset aboard the Jose Corrales-trained Wilko’s Last Dance in race 3 and came right back to win the fourth on 3-5 favorite Speightshill for trainer Jonathan Maldonado.
Unlike his 24-year-old brother, Victor, the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice of 2013, Carlos did not attend Escuela Vocacional Hipica, the famed Puerto Rican jockey school. He came to the United States a year ago and learned to ride under his brother’s guidance.
“It’s been a long journey, me working with him, making sure he’s taking his time,” Victor Carrasco said. “He’s been listening to me real well.”
Carlos Carrasco will try to keep his perfect record intact Friday at Laurel when he has rides in races 4 and 9. Marty Leonard is his agent.
Fantasy Owners Day at Laurel
Laurel Park has scheduled five stakes for March 18, including the Private Terms, a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds. The card has been dubbed Celebration Day and will include a long-sleeve T-shirt giveaway to everyone buying a program, a complimentary buffet luncheon for all current owners and breeders who register, and a Fantasy Owners Day schedule of events for those wishing to know more about racehorse ownership.
The Fantasy Owners Day schedule includes a session on the grandstand apron during training at 8:30 a.m. and a seminar in the Ruffian Room at 10:30 a.m.
During the seminar, attendees will be randomly matched with a horse running on the Saturday card. They will then get to spend time with the horse’s connections at lunch, in the paddock, and have access to the winner’s circle for the trophy presentation.
The event is jointly sponsored by the Maryland Jockey Club, the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, and the Maryland Horse Breeders Association.