Leparoux to ride Oaklawn winter meet

Jockey Julien Leparoux, an Eclipse Award-winning rider nearing 3,000 career wins in North America, will be based at Oaklawn Park for the first time this winter, agent Jose Santos Jr. said Wednesday.

Leparoux is currently riding at Keeneland. He will head to Arkansas following the upcoming Churchill Downs meet. Santos said Leparoux is scheduled to begin working horses at Oaklawn the first week in December. The meet opens Dec. 8.

Leparoux in the past has wintered at Gulfstream Park.

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“He’s kind of changed things up,” Santos said. “He asked what my opinion was for what would be best for the winter time and after thinking about it I told him I felt Oaklawn. It has a lot of high quality fields and it always seems to be the home of a Derby and Oaks horse. We want to leave the winter with some stakes horses.”

Santos said Leparoux would ride regularly at Oaklawn until the start of the spring meet at Keeneland. He said the schedule in Arkansas places the rider at Oaklawn through Arkansas Derby Day as the card has a little earlier date this meet, of March 30.

Leparoux had won 2,944 races from 17,109 mounts through Tuesday, according to statistics from Daily Racing Form. He has compiled mount earnings of $191 million. Leparoux’s first win came in 2005. He won the 2017 Arkansas Derby aboard champion Classic Empire.

Santos also will be representing Manny Esquivel this meet at Oaklawn. It will be the first time the rider has been based at Oaklawn, the agent said. Esquivel is currently riding at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

“He’s fifth in the standings,” Santos said. “It’s a new move for him. We’re hoping to get some support from a number of different barns. He’s a super good rider.”

Santos said Esquivel’s uncle is trainer Cipriano Contreas. Contreras long has wintered at Oaklawn.

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