Peru rider school nets $10K

Roughly $10,000 was raised for the Jockey School of Peru at special events held Monday at River Downs in Cincinnati.

With such distinguished riders as Edgar Prado, Jorge Chavez, Jose Valdivia Jr., and Rafael Bejarano on hand, two of the seven races on the Monday card were for horses ridden exclusively by Peruvian jockeys. The first was won by Easy Ellis, ridden by Marco Ccamaque, and the second was won by Prado aboard Nitty Gritty.

Half of the jockeys' shares of the total purses in those races, along with a portion of the winner's share in other races won by Bejarano and Edgar Paucar, were donated to the jockey school, which was started in 1986. More than $5,000 also was netted through a silent auction and other fund-raising activities.

Bejarano, who led all North American jockeys with 455 wins last year, was honored between races. He gratefully acknowledged the work of Teobaldo Vega, the instructor who heads the jockey school and has been a guiding force in the careers of many of the country's top jockeys.

"This was a great honor and a great day to share with all my fellow riders from Peru," Bejarano said.