Vazquez closes in on Los Alamitos riding title

Jockey Ramon Vazquez began the Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Los Alamitos with two-win days on June 25 and 26, the opening weekend of the brief season.

Vazquez has a chance to end the meeting with a flourish Sunday when he rides the final four races on a 10-race program.

Through Thursday, Vazquez led all riders at Los Alamitos with eight wins, two more than close pursuers Tyler Baze and Diego Herrera. One of them will be the leading rider at the meeting, with Vazquez well positioned to claim the title.

Vazquez, 38, moved from Oaklawn Park to Southern California in April, a response to the departure of local leader Flavien Prat to the East Coast. From his arrival through the end of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting on June 19, Vazquez rode 25 winners from 158 mounts.

At Santa Anita, Vazquez ranked third in the standings from April 1 to the end of the meeting, trailing eventual leading rider Juan Hernandez, who won 55 races in that span, and Baze, who won 30.

While several Southern California jockeys ride sparingly or not at all at Los Alamitos during the summer, Vazquez, Baze, and Herrera took a different approach. They have been active in recent weeks.

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For Vazquez, the Los Alamitos meeting was another chance to establish his position on the local roster in advance of the prestigious Del Mar summer meeting, which begins July 22. Vazquez will ride at Del Mar for the first time this summer on a full-time basis.

Following Sunday’s program, there is no daytime Thoroughbred racing in Southern California until Del Mar’s opening day.

On Sunday, Vazquez rides Devine Feminine in the seventh race, A Good Law in the eighth, Edinburgh Express in the ninth, and Tizzy Twister in the 10th. This will be the first time Vazquez has ridden Devine Feminine and Edinburgh Express. A Good Law is a first-time starter in a maiden special weight for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Tizzy Twister is a familiar mount for Vazquez. He has been aboard the 3-year-old filly in her last two starts – a win in a starter allowance/optional claimer on May 20 at Santa Anita and a troubled fourth in a field of five in an allowance race June 10 at Santa Anita.

Trained by Steve Knapp, Tizzy Twister had a poor start and raced wide on June 10, effectively ending her chance for a third win in her sixth start.

On Sunday, Twizzy Twister is part of a field of seven in an allowance race for California-bred fillies and mares at 5 1/2 furlongs.

Baze rides Vella, who was second in the same race as Tizzy Twister on June 10 despite stumbling at the start. Pawnee, fourth in two stakes for California-bred 3-year-old fillies in 2021, will have her first start of the year Sunday.

With Sunday’s final day of the meeting, there are mandatory payouts in the $2 pick six and the 50-cent pick five.