STORY SLUG: HOLNOTES
FILE NAME: talamo_350x250_050809.jpg
HEIGHT: 350
WIDTH: 250
ALT VALUE: Joe Talamo
CREDIT: Barbara D. Livingston
CAPTION: Joe Talamo missed out on riding the favorite in the Derby.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The view that Joe Talamo had of the Kentucky Derby last Saturday was not the one that he envisioned through the month of April.
"I ended up in the boxes with my parents," he said.
Apprentice rider Erin Wilkinson, a 24-year-old native of Marietta, Ga., won two of the eight races at River Downs on Saturday. In the third race, she won aboard Lil Firefly ($4.60) for trainer Randy Kerr. In the eighth race, she won on Adoring Dori ($34.80) for trainer Daniel Thompson. It was the first time she had ever recorded two wins in the same day, and the victories gave her a total of 4 wins from 22 starts at the meet.
Most jockeys grew up around horses or always wanted to be a jockey. But not Wilkinson, she left Georgia for school in Kentucky in 2002.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Brandon Bridges took a year off from training back in 2007 to sell cars at a dealership down the street from Lone Star Park. Saturday, the 25-year-old will send out Red Lead in the Grade 3, $400,000 Lone Star Derby.
Red Lead is one of six probables for the 1 1/16-mile race. Mythical Power and Mayor Marv, both trained by Bob Baffert, arrived on a flight from Kentucky late Wednesday morning. Others officials consider probable are Cape Truth, Galloping Gulch, and Uno Mas.
After four days of racing, Ernesto Oro has opened a daylight lead in the jockey standings. He has six winners, double the output of David Cardoso and Weldon Cloninger Jr. Six trainers have two winners, Angel Feliciano, Rod Madrigal Sr., Jevon Crumley, Jerry Noss, Tony Rini, and Randy Faulkner.
Grade 1-winning Quarter Horse juveniles First Prize Leesa and Sir Ellerton will meet Saturday night at Remington Park in a trial race for the $1 million Heritage Place Futurity. The horses will square off in the eighth, which is one of 18 trials to be run for the Heritage Place between Friday and Saturday night at Remington.
The five fastest qualifiers from each night will make up the field for the May 30 final. The trials are at 350 yards, and the purse for each is $15,500.
Breeder-owner Isaac "Gene" Phelps has experienced plenty of success during his lengthy participation in racing. But with the classy veteran Wayzata Bay and flashy sophomore filly Don'ttalktome in his stable, things have never been better for the Minnesota native. Both runners reside in trainer Judi Hicklin's barn at Prairie Meadows and are being pointed to stakes races here in the coming weeks.
Orlando Mojica has won the riding title three times at Indiana Downs and is off to a good start during the first two weeks of the current meet. Mojica won two races Tuesday, raising his total to 18 wins and putting him seven in front of Leandro Goncalves. A 27-year-old native of Puerto Rico, Mojica won the second race aboard Winnersgeteven ($12.40) for trainer Phil Simms and the fifth race on Blue Cherries Spin ($3.40) for trainer Joe Woodard.
Mojica began riding in 2000 at Garden State Park. He attended jockey school in Puerto Rico before coming to the United States.
Trainer Vann Haywood swept two rich, restricted Grade 2 Quarter Horse futurities Saturday night at Delta Downs, when Baby Im Game ($16.80) took the $272,500 Laddie and Beyondthegame ($29.60) upset the $250,000 Lassie. Both races were for 2-year-olds bred in Louisiana.
Danny Lavergne was aboard Baby Im Game for H 3 Farms, and J.R. Ramirez rode Beyondthegame for Kris Locklear. Both horses led throughout in their races, with Baby Im Game dominating by 1 1/4 lengths over favorite Heza Skipin Fast in the Laddie.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Stonestreet Stables of Jess Jackson announced Wednesday that it had reached an agreement to purchase Rachel Alexandra, the sensational winner of the Kentucky Oaks last Friday at Churchill Downs, from owners Dolph Morrison and Mike Lauffer.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. A source close to the negotiations said that Rachel Alexandra would be transferred to the barn of trainer Steve Asmussen as soon as Thursday.
