From a Maryland Jockey Club release
With six weeks remaining in the year, apprentice rider Victor Carrasco continues to make a late push for an Eclipse Award.
Wednesday afternoon at Laurel Park, the 21-year-old scored aboard Very Lucky ($6.20-race 6), Olympic Medallist ($175.60-race 7) and Poetry in Notion ($17.60-race 9) to move into sole possession of first place in the fall jockey standings. Carrasco has 32 victories, three more than apprentice Trevor McCarthy.
Carrasco ranks second in North America among bug riders with 175 victories, just four behind south Florida-based Edgard Zayas and is a good bet to be one of the three finalists for the Eclipse Award. After arriving in Maryland from Florida in April, he tied for second in the Pimlico standings and then finished as the runner-up at the Delaware Park meet.
“I am working hard for the Eclipse,” Carrasco said.
In the seventh race, Carrasco guided Olympic Medallist to a front-running score at odds of 86-1. The daughter of Medallist had finished on the board just once in five previous starts. The duo led from start-to-finish and held off Quintile to win by a neck.
“I just tried to put her out front to see what would happen,” added Carrasco. “It worked. She was waiting for the horses to come at her and had enough left.”
Maryland-based apprentice riders have captured nine of the 42 Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Apprentice with Chris McCarron (1974), Ronnie Franklin (1978), Alberto Delgado (1982), Allen Stacy (1986), Kent Desormeaux (1987), Mike Luzzi (1989), Mark Johnston (1990), Jeremy Rose (2001) and Ryan Fogelsonger (2002) all being honored. The last dominating apprentice in the state was Rosie Napravnik, who won 279 races during her bug year (2005-2006).
Also on the Wednesday card, veteran jockey Sheldon Russell rode longshot winners for husband-wife conditioners Jessica and Frannie Campitelli. Russell and Fleet Gold Digger got up in time to take the fourth, a $42,000 optional allowance at odds of 29-1 for Jessica Campitelli. Four races later, he guided 44-1 shot Really Right to a hard-fought score in a $42,000 allowance for Frannie Campitelli.
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