Year in review: January’s top stories and photos
Page McKenney’s first start in over eight months was a win in the Native Dancer Stakes. Photo by Laurie Asseo.
Starting December 25, we’ll be conducting our own “12 days of mid-Atlantic racing.” Each day we’ll revisit our most popular stories from a given month of the year, and we’ll highlight some of our favorite photographs.
Be sure to check in each day to review what 2017 brought us!
Jockey Kevin Krigger nears return to racing
In our most-read story of January, Linda Dougherty shares the interesting tale of jockey Kevin Krigger, who in 2013 became one of the very few African-American riders in recent years to ride in the Kentucky Derby, aboard Goldencents. Krigger stopped riding because of injuries the following year but resumed riding this year.
We jumped the gun a little on this one. Although Krigger’s agent at the time indicated the jockey would be back in the saddle as early as January, he didn’t actually make his 2017 debut until June. He has three wins from 34 starts this year.
Arnaldo Bocachica looking to overcome loss, build on past
Ted Black told the tale of Arnaldo Bocachica, the up-and-coming Charles Town-based jockey who had had a big 2016, following on a career year in ’15. But Bocachica entered 2017 with some uncertainty: his father-in-law and agent Joe Mascolo had passed away in mid-December 2016.
From a racing perspective, Bocachica didn’t miss a beat. He completed the year as Charles Town’s second-leading rider by wins — with 139 — and money earned (over $2.2 million). He trailed only Christian Hiraldo in both categories. Overall, Bocachica will complete the year with at least 149 wins and over $2.5 million in purse earnings — the third straight year to reach those levels.
Teresa Genaro shares this tale of one of the countless behind-the-scenes folks who make the racing game go.
For claiming trainers, different approaches in search of similar results
Linda Dougherty spoke with several claiming trainers to find out what they’re looking for when they drop a slip on a horse…
Frank Vespe reported on what was a pretty common occurrence at the Maryland Racing Commission in 2017: a trainer’s appeal of a medication violation.
January’s photos
