Rescheduled tribute to Perry Ouzts on tap for Friday

With an untimely freeze having come and gone in northern Kentucky, racing was expected to be conducted without interruption this week at Turfway Park, starting with Friday’s card. Racing was canceled last Friday and Saturday because of extreme cold.

The nine-race Friday night card includes a rescheduled tribute to jockey Perry Ouzts. The 62-year-old jockey is 11th among North American jockeys with 6,712 career wins, and local fans have begun a petition drive asking for him to be considered for the Racing Hall of Fame. A silent auction to benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund also has been rescheduled for Friday, when first post is 6:15 p.m. Eastern.

The $50,000 Wintergreen Stakes, which was to be run last Saturday, will not be made up, said Turfway racing secretary Tyler Picklesimer, who added the purse money will be used for overnight races.

The next Turfway stakes is the $50,000 Forego on Jan. 21.

◗ Rafael Hernandez, whose mounts have earned more than $9 million over the last two years, is named on horses this week at Turfway and plans to commute regularly from his family’s home in suburban Toronto. Hernandez will ride primarily for perennial leading trainer Mike Maker, according to Matt Muzikar, who is temporarily working as agent for Hernandez until racing resumes in April at Woodbine.

Hernandez further bolsters a riding colony led by Albin Jimenez, Alonso Quinonez, Abel Lezcano, and Jack Gilligan.