Rosario in position to threaten stakes-win records
ELMONT, N.Y. – Joel Rosario is within striking distance of setting single-year records for graded stakes victories and total stakes wins by a jockey.
Rosario, 36, won Saturday’s Grade 2 Sands Point at Belmont Park aboard Fluffy Socks for his 46th graded win of 2021 and his 65th stakes victory overall. Jerry Bailey holds the record for graded stakes wins in one year with 55 in 2003, while Garrett Gomez set the single-year record for total stakes wins with 76 in 2007. The common denominator with all three riders is agent Ron Anderson.
“I’m always stakes oriented,” Anderson said. “I’d rather ride a stakes at Keeneland over three live runners [at Belmont]. The marquee horses you have to try and stay with.”
Rosario has been a man on the move this fall. Since Sept. 25, he won stakes at Parx Racing, Remington Park, Santa Anita, Churchill Downs, Keeneland and, of course, Belmont, where he won four graded stakes over two weekends. Rosario was at Woodbine on Sunday where he rode La Dragontea to a second-place finish in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor.
Rosario’s next stakes mount comes aboard Crowded Trade in Friday’s $100,000 Carle Place. Saturday, Rosario will ride Soldier Rising in the Grade 2 Hill Prince for Christophe Clement. Rosario will be at Keeneland on Friday Oct. 29, to ride Toby’s Heart in the Grade 3 Valley View before returning to Belmont for the weekend of Oct. 30-31.
At the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 5-6, his mounts include Classic favorite Knicks Go, Sprint favorite Jackie’s Warrior, Distaff contender Royal Flag, and Juvenile Fillies contender Ain’t Easy.
Rosario leads all jockeys in North America in purse earnings with $25.5 million, while his 203 wins rank him eighth in that department.
A solid finish to the year figures to put Rosario in line to capture his first Eclipse Award as North America’s champion jockey.