Monday, November 05, 2012
Jockey Alejandro Medellin rode a track-record seven winners at Zia Park on Monday.
Medellin won the first seven races he rode in, followed by second- and third-place finishes. His victories came in five Thoroughbred and two Quarter Horse races.
“I am very happy,” Medellin said. “Everything went perfectly – good horses, good post positions, and not many problems in the races.”
A native of Mexico City, Medellin, 36, has been riding in the U.S. for five years. He regularly rides both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, and that's an important skill for New Mexico-based riders, as all five of the state's tracks run mixed meets.
“It’s very different,” Medellin said. “(For Quarter Horses,) it’s about the start and speed and keeping the horses under control. (For Thoroughbreds), it’s more relaxed, and you use your head more.”
The American record for most victories by a jockey on a single race card is held by Eddie Castro, who rode the winners of nine Thoroughbred races at Calder Racecourse in Miami in 2005. Medellin won Monday’s first race, a 330 yard Quarter Horse maiden race, with 3-2 favorite Blazin Mr Perry. He did not ride the second or third races on the 11 race card. In the fourth race he piloted Asian Brook, the longest shot at 15-1, to victory in a 400-yard Quarter Horse allowance race.
Medellin then won the next five races, all Thoroughbred events. He won the fifth with Blastitary (at odds of 5-1), the sixth with Proud Spanky (the 9-5 favorite), the seventh with Western Way (6-1), the eighth with Blue Samurai (the 2-1 second choice), and the ninth with Certification (the 2-1 favorite).
“Today was the day when everything fell out perfectly,” said Medellin’s agent, Rick Evans. “We've been on the verge of having a good day, and it seemed like today we drew good and all the horses were good. He rode hard, everything just got on a roll, and I think (his) confidence level seemed to get up.”