Leparoux reaches one milestone, McGaughey nears another

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Julien Leparoux was absent from riding at Gulfstream Park on Wednesday for good reason: He became a U.S. citizen at a ceremony in his adopted hometown of Louisville, Ky.

Leparoux, 34, first came to the United States from his native France in 2003. He began his riding career in the United States in 2005 and has become a perennial leading jockey at Keeneland and Churchill Downs while also competing regularly at Saratoga in the summer and Gulfstream in the winter.

McGaughey nears 2,000 mark

For the trainer who has done most everything, another notable feat is within reach. Entering this weekend, Shug McGaughey was just six winners away from hitting the 2,000-win mark.

McGaughey, 67, was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2004. Among his many other accomplishments are a 1988 Eclipse Award as top trainer and a Kentucky Derby victory in 2013 with Orb.

11 races on tap Sunday

A $44,000 hybrid allowance for older Florida-bred turf sprinters will serve as the nominal feature on an 11-race Sunday card that begins at noon Eastern. Carded as race 9, it’s part of a Rainbow 6 sequence that runs from races 6 to 11.

Entering Friday action, the Rainbow 6 jackpot had swelled to $1,682,088, with Dec. 7 being the last time a solo winning ticket had emptied the pool.

◗ Mondays are usually dark at Gulfstream, but an 11-race card (first post, noon) will be held this Monday because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. There is no makeup dark day, meaning 11 programs will be held here during a 12-day stretch (Jan. 10-21), with only Jan. 16 dark.