Jockey Jaime Rodriguez put on a masterclass at Laurel Park on Sunday, booting home four winners on the card and launching himself to the top of the standings in the newly underway spring meet. Having already wrapped up the winter meet with an impressive 38 victories, Rodriguez showed no signs of slowing down, punctuating his dominant day with a determined ride aboard Arrow Speed in the $49,000 allowance feature.

In Race 5, the spotlight event of the day, Rodriguez guided Arrow Speed to a gritty victory over 1 1/8 miles on a sealed dirt track rated “good.” Breaking from post 2, the 4-year-old gelding by Tapit out of Avie’s Empire hugged the rail early, tracked the pace in a compact field, then swung wide turning for home. Drifting slightly in the lane but never relinquishing command, Arrow Speed held firm to win by two lengths over Runandscore, stopping the clock in 1:55.43. Favored Deadpan was third.

Trained by Jamie Ness for DEA Thoroughbred Racing LLC, Arrow Speed returned $9.60 to win and showcased his heart, rebounding from a seventh-place finish in his prior start at Parx Racing.

Arrow Speed has five wins from 17 starts. He paid $9.60 to win.

Rodriguez’s other victories on the afternoon came aboard:

• Quit Quay, for trainer Rudy Sanchez-Salomon, who notched a hard-fought win earlier on the card over rival Cluck Cluck;
• Divine Armor, another Ness trainee, highlighting the potent Rodriguez-Ness partnership;
• and Heard On Thestreet, trained by Mike Geralis, who stormed to a decisive win to round out the quadruple.

With Sunday’s quartet of wins, Rodriguez continues to cement his status as one of the top riders on the Maryland circuit. He has a colony-leading five wins thus far during the spring meet at Laurel

The Laurel Park spring meet is just getting started, but Rodriguez has made one thing clear: he’s the one to beat.