Turf Festival attracts top jockeys
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Jockey Francisco Arrieta, who won the riding title at Oaklawn Park, is scheduled to ride this summer at Colonial Downs, according to his agent, Cody Autrey.
The Colonial meet runs from July 9 through Sept. 13. Before the start of Colonial, Arrieta has mounts Friday and Saturday at Lone Star and stakes engagements July 4-5 at Prairie Meadows.
One of Arrieta’s prime Lone Star mounts will come during the track’s annual Summer Turf Festival of four open-company stakes Saturday, led by the $250,000 Texas Turf Classic. He will ride Emmanuel in the Texas Turf Classic for trainer Mike Maker.
Preakness-winning jockey Umberto Rispoli will be aboard Stay Hot in the Texas Turf Classic and Vibez in the $125,000 Wasted Tears. Both of Rispoli’s mounts are trained by Peter Eurton.
Kentucky-based jockey Keith Asmussen has several mounts on Saturday’s card, including Neom Beach in the Wasted Tears. She was a more than six-length winner of last month’s $200,000 Ouija Board Distaff at Lone Star. Neom Beach won under Asmussen’s younger brother, Erik, who on Saturday will be at Churchill Downs to ride Booth in the Grade 3 Kelly’s Landing.
“What are the odds of Erik’s No. 1 and No. 2 all-time money-winning horses being in stakes on the same day in two different towns,” said Steve Asmussen, Keith and Erik’s father who trains both Booth and Neom Beach.
Erik Asmussen said he was disappointed when he first realized there would be an overlap in schedules.
“But it is what it is and it’s a great problem to have,” he said of the quality mounts.
Keith Asmussen’s other mounts on the card include Gigante in the Texas Turf Classic, which drew a field of 10. The card also features a pair of $125,000 turf sprints.
The Lone Star meet continues through July 13.
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