Mawing, Gutierrez lead strong Emerald jockey colony for 2014

AUBURN, Wash. – Leslie Mawing, Juan Gutierrez, and Isaias Enriquez – the past three leading riders at Emerald Downs – were all on hand this weekend as Emerald began its new meeting, and the competition for the top spot in the jockey standings could be one of the summer’s most intriguing stories.

Mawing, who notched 129 wins at Emerald in 2011, returned to the Pacific Northwest this month after spending the past year in Northern California. He joins Gutierrez, Emerald’s leading rider in 2012, and Enriquez, the top jock last summer, in a top-heavy colony that also includes Eliska Kubinova, the defending riding champion at Portland Meadows.

Mawing, who has a home in Idaho, tired of the commute from the Bay Area. According to his agent, Vito Lucarelli, that figured strongly in his decision to return to Emerald Downs.

“Leslie’s decision was strictly based on family,” Lucarelli said. “He doesn’t want to be gone all the time. And down there, he can’t get home enough. Here, he can do a 50-50 split at home, where down there, he’s 90 percent gone. But he did well down there. He was leading rider at a couple of the fairs, and then he got a little chilly at the latest Golden Gate meet.”

Lucarelli also handles business for Enriquez, who arrived from New Mexico a year ago and quickly gained a following with some of Emerald’s top trainers. Enriquez was blanked on opening night in 2013, and then rode at least one winner on 16 consecutive cards. He finished with 101 wins, five more than Gutierrez. The standings might have been reversed had Gutierrez not gone down in a late-season spill that no doubt cost him a handful of victories.

Gutierrez ranks second all time at Emerald Downs in both wins (1,091) and earnings (more than $11 million), and no rider has been more consistent over the past decade. Gutierrez has finished in the top five in the Emerald standings every year since 2002.

“It’s a pretty strong colony,” Lucarelli said. “There’s more depth to it than there has been.”

One newcomer, Felipe Valdez, could push his way into the upper tier if he has sufficiently recovered from injuries suffered in a 2010 spill at Hollywood Park. Valdez suffered three fractured vertebrae in his lower back and was told he would never ride again.

“Felipe fits in the mold with the top guys,” Lucarelli said. “He’s been out for four years, but he’s a pretty good rider. He could be in the top five if he is 100 percent.”