Two apprentice jockeys to ride in Del Mar summer meet

After months without an apprentice jockey based in Southern California, two such riders, Melvis Gonzalez and Ruany Orantes, plan to ride the Del Mar summer meeting, which begins on July 20.

Orantes, listed in official documents by his formal first name, Welfin, has won seven races in California and Washington since his career began in 2022.

Orantes, 25, won three races at the three-week Los Alamitos summer meeting that ended on Sunday. He returned to riding in late June for the first time since last fall at Grants Pass in Oregon.

Prior to the start of the Los Alamitos summer meeting, Orantes exercised horses at Santa Anita for trainers Ron Ellis and Leonard Powell in recent months.

Gonzalez, 24, has won seven races at Gulfstream Park since early May, including a two-win day on June 21. Gonzalez had one win at Panama in 2022. He is scheduled to arrive at Del Mar later this week.

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