Quinones heads jockey standings

Keep an eye on apprentice Carlos Quinones, an up-and-coming rider on the Maryland circuit.

Quinones, 21, a native of Puerto Rico, was tied for first in the jockey standings after the first four days of the Pimlico meet, thanks primarily to sweeping the final four races on last Friday's card.

Quinones's four-win day was highlighted by a front-running win on Hanalei Bay ($31) in a 1 1/16-mile race for $32,000 optional claimers.

"Winning races makes me even hungrier," Quinones said afterward. "I want to get better every day."

Quinones came to Maryland last fall after beginning his career in New York. He finished sixth at the recently concluded Laurel Park winter meet.

His agent, J.D. Brown, is hopeful Quinones can drum up more business before he loses his five-pound weight allowance in August.

"We won a lot of races without a big outfit until Dale Capuano started riding us late in the Laurel meet," Brown said. "One of the things I like is that he still wants to ride for the little people. He loses the bug in August and by that time we are hoping to keep the business we have earned as a journeyman."

* Rosie Napravnik took the first step on her comeback from back injuries when she worked three horses at Pimlico last Thursday for trainer Richard Small.

Napravnik, 19, Maryland's leading rider in 2006, has been sidelined since she sustained three compression fractures in her back as the result of a spill at Laurel on Jan. 26.

Napravnik intends to ride full-time at Delaware Park this season. She is named on two mounts on the track's opening-day program Saturday and is listed to ride in three races on Sunday's card.

Napravnik also made it clear she may be saying good-bye to Maryland for now, but not farewell forever.