Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Australian jock plans to return
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – At 29, Blake Shinn is an established Australian jockey. Australian, not American. Shinn finishes a five-week stint at Arlington on Saturday, and during his brief stay in America, he has worked on becoming an American kind of rider.
“I think the biggest difference for me is the style change that I’ve had to sort of adapt a little bit to,” Shinn said Thursday. “That’s something that I’ve had to work very hard with because the American trainers, I suppose, aren’t really that accepting to the European style of riding.”
Shinn worked on unlearning the fundaments of his craft and reconstructing the way he sits on a horse and moves his body during a race. And it’s worked. Shinn looks different in races now than he did when he first began riding at Arlington last month.
“It’s taken me a little bit,” Shinn said. “I’ve had some great people to help me with my technique.”
Shinn met trainer and former jockey Wesley Ward several years ago, and it was Ward who made Shinn’s foray into American racing happen.
Ward hooked Shinn up with agent Steve Leving, who represents Arlington leading rider Jose Valdivia. Shinn said Valdivia offered helpful guidance, and Leving’s strong relationship with trainer Wayne Catalano gave Shinn a real foothold at Arlington. Riding Catalano-trained horses, Shinn has gone 5-1-0 from nine mounts.
Arlington just started racing four-day weeks after previously having a three-day schedule. On dark days, Shinn said, he flew to Washington, D.C., then went to Laurel Park in Maryland and worked with trainer and former jockey Jose Corrales on his riding technique. It was Ward who set that up, too. “I knew nothing about Jose when I first went out there,” Shinn said. “He’s been a great mentor.”
With two cards left to ride at Arlington, Shinn has gone 10-9-5 from 66 starts (64 at Arlington, two at Belmont), a solid showing that looks even better considering that Shinn, who had his first Arlington mount June 9, won only two races from his first 42 runners.
Shinn will go straight back to work in Australia. His first day riding after flying home this weekend is Wednesday. But Americans probably haven’t seen the last of him.
“I want to keep coming back,” Shinn said. “Everyone made me feel like I belonged here. I have a five-year visa, and I look forward to coming back next year.”
The Pizza Man to Million again
The Pizza Man will make his next start in the Arlington Million, according to owner Rich Papiese of Midwest Thoroughbreds.
The Pizza Man, 7, has raced in the Million the past two years, winning in 2015 and finishing sixth, beaten just 1 1/2 lengths, last summer. In 2014, he won the $400,000 American St. Leger on the Million card.
The Pizza Man finished fourth against fellow Illinoisbreds in the Black Tie Affair Handicap while making his 2017 debut in June but had a host of excuses for that performance. He improved July 8, when he was second in the Stars and Stripes Stakes over 1 1/2 miles. In that race, The Pizza Man made the lead in midstretch but was caught late by Keystone for victory.
“He likes to chase other horses,” Papiese said. “It’s all timing with him. If the timing is right, he’s there, but that being said, it’s difficult to get the timing right. We’ll be in our third race off the bench, so we should be fine.”
The Pizza Man is based at Churchill Downs with trainer Roger Brueggemann.
◗ Prado’s Sweet Ride, who ran below form on a soggy course last month in the Mike Spellman Memorial for Illinoisbreds, bounced back to her best with a good second to Dona Bruja in the July 8 Modesty Handicap and is a possible runner Aug. 12 in the Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes.
“We’re going to nominate and see what comes in besides the filly who won the Modesty,” trainer Chris Block said. “Then we can evaluate whether we should take a shot in there.”
◗ The 3-year-old Malraux, a Speightstown colt trained by Ignacio Correas, ran his record to two sharp wins from three starts when he captured a first-level off-the-turf allowance race Thursday at Arlington. After earning a 92 Beyer Speed Figure for his maiden win, also in a race rained off the turf, Malraux got a 91 Beyer on Thursday. He ran 5 1/2 furlongs on Polytrack in 1:03.83 and beat Midnight Blue Note by 1 3/4 lengths.