Rojas rides hot streak to top of standings

It doesn't seem to matter who's riding for trainer Murray Rojas these days at Penn National.

Rojas went 6 for 16 last week to pass Scott Lake and move to the top of the meet's trainer standings with 17 victories from 82 starters through March 22.

Four different jockeys rode winners for Rojas, including two apiece by Justin Kravets and 10-pound apprentice Manuel Chaves.

Chaves is a prime example of how getting a live mount from Rojas makes a difference. He's 0 for 72 at the meet for all other trainers, but 3 for 11 riding for Rojas, including maiden-claiming winners Bullfeathers ($4.80) last Saturday night and Laces Out ($3) on March 19.

Kravets is 0 for 10 riding for other Penn trainers, but 3 for 3 for Rojas, including recent winners Donewithmakingdo ($15.60) and Nothingupdonssleeve ($5.20).

Rojas has been especially potent with maiden-claiming runners, going 6 for 27 with a $2.20 return on investment in that category since the meet began in mid-February.

Bettors hoping to cash in on a Rojas winner should also pay attention to any horse connected with the Wanderers Stable. Three of last week's six winners were owned by that group.