Castellano earns first Keeneland riding title, Ramseys take
record 15th owner title
Castellano clinched his first Keeneland leading rider
“I’m very blessed,” Castellano said. “The Keeneland meet is very prestigious
On Friday, Castellano will ride Hellenistic in the Bewitch
“It’s a great achievement to be mentioned with that level
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The native of Venezuela has had success at Keeneland with
124 career wins, including 26 stakes victories, through April 24. His first
mount at the track resulted in a victory when Proper Gamble won the 2002 Beaumont
S. (G2).
Castellano said claiming his first leading rider title
caught him a bit off guard.
“You don’t think about (the wins) in the moment, you just
go with the flow,” he said of his success at the spring meet. “The more you
win, the more you want to win more races. It’s momentum. You try to focus on
each race and do the best you can for each horse, and at the end of the day you
realize you’ve had a good (meet).
“I’ve been very lucky and got to ride a lot of cool
horses,” Castellano added. “I’m very fortunate to be in this position.”
On a sidenote, the spring meet also saw jockey Joel Rosario score his 2,000th
North American win when he rode Dating Lady Luck (Arch) to win
Thursday’s 2ND race. Al Stall Jr. trains the
three-year-old filly, who won the 1 3/16-mile turf contest by
three-quarters of a length in 1:56 4/5. Rosario also won the third race on Tale of Verve and the
fourth on Mighty Moon.
Horses owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey won one race Thursday
to push their meet-leading total to 11 with starters in five races entering
Keeneland’s closing day on Friday. That was enough to award the Ramseys with
their record 15th leading owner title at Keeneland.
The Ramseys needed 15 years to set the record. Through
2014, they were tied with T.A. Grissom, who earned 14 leading owner titles
between 1954-1977, recording titles singly and in partnership with J.E. Grissom.
The Ramseys have won or shared seven spring meet leading
owner titles (2004, 2006, 2010-2013, 2015) and eight fall meet titles (2000,
2002, 2007-09, 2012-14). The couple received Eclipse Awards as outstanding owner
and breeder in 2013 and 2014 and as outstanding owner in 2004 and 2011.
As the Keeneland meet wraps up, horsemen offered their opinions on the
venue’s new dirt track, which was given a stiff test thanks to the second-wettest April on record in Lexington,
Kentucky.
Nearly 11 inches of rain fell during the spring meet,
including seven inches in a 24-hour period that covered opening day. Despite the
torrential rain, which caused standing water in the infield, the new track
drained well.
“I’ve never seen a course drain like this one does,” said trainer Larry
Jones, who sent out Lovely Maria (Majesticperfection) to win the Ashland S. (G1) the day
after the deluge. “Over that day’s period of time, we had between seven and
eight inches of rain, and the very next day — the day of the Ashland — (we
had) a dry, fast track.
“It’s like draining a bathtub, getting water off this
thing. It’s unreal how it does. It’s fabulous.”
Over the summer of 2014, Keeneland installed a new dirt
track that uses a unique drainage system along the inside and outside rails that
works in tandem with the existing system beneath the track. The first of its
kind in North America, the system is designed to collect and discharge water
consistently away from the track.
“(The track has) held up really good,” Keeneland Track
Superintendent Javier Barajas said. “I’m really impressed with how it absorbs
the water and goes right down to the inside (of the track) and then washes away
pretty good. Even with all these rains, only one time has (the track) been
sloppy.
“The composition of the race track combined with the drainage and the hard
work of the track crew, it really all goes together. It’s not just one
component. I’m really fortunate that I got handed a track with great
composition. You can be the best or worst track (superintendent) but it all has
to do with the composition of the dirt that makes you look good or bad.”
The dirt surface, which comprises sand, silt and clay
native to Kentucky, has been well-received by trainers.
“I love the surface here,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who has kept
Kentucky Derby (G1) contender Carpe
Diem (Giant’s Causeway) in training at Keeneland following his win in the April 4
Blue Grass
S. (G1). “(Keeneland) has done a tremendous job with the new surface here.”
Barajas praised his team for their efforts this spring,
which includes arriving at the track at 3 a.m. (EDT) and working on the track long
after each day’s final race. The crew has also spent significant time keeping
the turf course, Polytrack training track and horse paths in top-notch
condition.
“You can always bet that if Keeneland does something
they’re going to do it right,” Jones said. “They set the standard. Once again,
they have done it. They hit it dead in the bull’s-eye. I’ve never seen a dirt
course like this ever.”
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