Photo by Laurie Asseo.
From Staff Reports
PARX RACING: VELAZQUEZ GETS WIN 1,000
It was just a $7,500 claiming race, the first race on a Tuesday.
But for trainer Alfredo (Freddie) Velazquez, the memories will probably last a bit longer than most Tuesday races.
When Rosie My Way, under Lane Luzzi, zipped to the early lead and then held off the late charge of favored Rum Therapy in the first at Parx Racing on Tuesday, it gave Velazquez the 1,000th win of his training career. Rosie My Way, a six-year-old mare, won by three parts of a length and paid $5.20 in the process.
Velazquez, who lodged his first win as the trainer of record in 1984 (a year when he won just one of 42 starts), has now won 1,000 times from 6,465 starts with total purse earnings of $15,828,191. He saddled 65 winners in 1998, his biggest year in terms of wins.
But 2014 has been his best year from a financial perspective. That year, his charges won 20 of 119 starts with purse earnings of nearly $1.4 million. That was the year he guided Private Zone to Grade 1 wins in the Vosburgh and the Cigar Mile, as well as a third-place effort in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Those are the only graded wins, and only Breeders’ Cup appearance, of his career to date.
So far this year, he has six wins from 23 starters.
PARX RACING: KICK OFF TAKES FEATURE
As a two-year-old, Kick Off could only manage one second place finish from three starts.
His three-year-old season was better, sort of: four thirds from four starts.
But the Bernardini ridgling’s four-year-old season is shaping up quite nicely, thank you. After finally breaking his maiden — in his eighth career start — in February, Kick Off shipped south to Parx Racing yesterday, where he blitzed a first allowance field by over five lengths under jockey Jose Ortiz, who made the trip down from his New York base.
Kick Off is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin for Godolphin Racing LLC. He is out of the Grade 1-winning Menifee mare Game Face.
