John Velazquez gets top honours at Saratoga
Saratoga proved to be a stunning success for jockey John Velazquez again, as he raked in yet another top riding title. Over the 40 days of the meet, the jockey accumulated a stunning 57 race wins beating Javier Castellano’s 54 wins by a comfortable margin. Castellano has never won the title at Saratoga but he has had successes at the other two NYRA tracks, Belmont and Aqueduct.
It was a tough run for both jockeys. The two were close all the way to the end and actually switched places in their standings 6 times before he could take the lead over Castellano. Javier was the only rider in a position to challenge Velazquez’s first place position. The two jockeys had moved far into the lead at Saratoga. Castellano had 11 more wins ahead of third place jockey.
After the conclusion of the meet and when the race for first place had been concluded, Velazquez showed his lighter side. “The numbers come afterwards, but I'd still ask Javier, 'Where are we?' I wasn't going to give it away to him. I said, 'I try to get away from you, and you come right back at it.' So I was just making it fun for both of us”.
When asked which of his many victories he was most proud of, Velazquez didn’t have an immediate answer. “The whole meet”, is all he could say. He said that he couldn’t pick one over the other and that the whole Saratoga season went well for him. “It was just very special”, Velazquez said. The jockey has won some of the most notable races at Saratoga including the Grade I Ruffian Invitational, Amsterdam and the King Bishop Stakes.
Castellano was equally impressive and just as pleased with his performance at Saratoga. “I wouldn’t call it decent,” he said. “I think it’s phenomenal”. Castellano might have fallen a few races behind Velazquez but he had what no other jockey could manage, the prestigious Travers Stakes. Riding ‘Afleet Express’, Castellano came out on top of the competition in Travers, even if just by a nose.
Last year was comparatively much slower for Velazquez when he was forced into 7th place in the winners standing at Saratoga while jockey Ramon Dominguez’s 45 wins earned him the first place. This year’s phenomenal success is owed in great part to the record setting season that trainer Todd Pletcher had. Velazquez is one of Pletcher’s top riders and a good season for Pletcher automatically translates into a good season for Velazquez, and vice versa.
Last year’s dismal performance for Velazquez was mirrored by Pletcher’s. Velazquez said that last year Pletcher won only 18 races in contrast to this year’s 36. “That adds up to a big lack of numbers for me”, Velazquez said. Pletcher has been named the top trainer for his success. This is the trainers 7th Saratoga title. From this year on the top trainer title would be named after legendary trainer and hall of famer, Allen Jerkins. “It's special when it's Saratoga,” Pletcher said adding that this year’s title means more because it would be the first one honouring Mr Jerkins. Velazquez too had a special reverence for Saratoga. He said that Saratoga attracts the best riders, trainers and horses. “So it's always special to do it again at Saratoga,” the jockey said.
It’s unclear which of two, the trainer or the jockey is more beneficial to the other. Should Pletcher be credited for shouldering Velazquez or was the Jockey’s top form responsible for the success of the Pletcher’s trainees? Neither would be an accurate assessment. The two are good for each other. They are synchronized and create a synergy that drives both men forwards.
Both men also realize this. Pletcher was not at all hesitant in acknowledging Velazquez’s contribution. “It helps when you have good horses, but it helps when you push the right buttons, and he's certainly been doing that”.
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