Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Gonzalez savors career year
This has been a career year for Claudio Gonzalez, who enters the final weekend of the Laurel Park fall meet not only on the verge of winning the training title, but, more importantly, topping the 2017 standings in Maryland.
Each year, the Maryland Jockey Club recognizes the jockey and trainer with the most total wins at the season’s three Laurel meets and Pimlico’s spring session. Kieron Magee has won the overall title the past three years, but trails Gonzalez, 81-73, coming into the Friday card.
Jevian Toledo will be the circuit’s leading rider for the second time in the past three years.
Gonzalez, whose stable is primarily a claiming operation, won the fourth Maryland meet title of his career at Laurel this summer. This year, he has 115 wins from 468 starts (24 percent). His barn has earned purses of $2.8 million. Each of those stats is a career high for the 41-year-old native of Chile.
“I have more winners because I have more horses and owners who understand what I want to do,” Gonzalez said. “I have usually had 25 horses; now I have 40. To win the yearend title is big to me because we have very good trainers here in Maryland – 20-, 30-year trainers – and I have only been training five years.”
The path to the top has not been easy for Gonzalez, a cancer survivor. When he emigrated to the U.S. in 1995, he went to work as an exercise rider for Juan Serey. In 2008, he was galloping horses for Bennie Perkins Jr. when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Unable to work for six months, and with a wife and two children, Gonzalez was in a tough spot. But Perkins kept him on the payroll and offered moral support until he had completed chemotherapy and could resume riding.
“If not for Bennie, I would not be here doing what I am doing,” Gonzalez said. “I must thank Bennie for what he did the rest of my life. Not many people help you when you are down. When I win, people are happy, but Bennie helped me when I had nothing.”
Gonzalez has been a consistent winner since taking out his trainer’s license in 2012. Just this past week, he moved his family to Maryland from New Jersey.
This is a big weekend at Laurel, which will host six stakes with total purses of $550,000. Gonzalez can end the year on a high note with Afleet Willy in the Dave’s Friend, My Magician in the Politely, and Line of Best Fit in the Thirty Eight Go Go.
Afleet Willy, a 10-time winner and an earner of $367,000 whom Gonzalez claimed for $25,000 out of a maiden win two years ago, and My Magician, a $25,000 claim in May who has since won two stakes, are top contenders in their races.
Because of his humble beginnings, Gonzalez does not take his success for granted.
“I would like to thank all my employees,” he said. “Without them, I could not win the title. I would not be where I am today without them.”
Solid fields for stakes
The six stakes on Christmastide Stakes Day at Laurel Park on Saturday have come up strong, especially the $100,000 Dave’s Friend, carded as race 8.
The six-furlong Dave’s Friend has drawn a field of 10, but Do Share, who won the Gravesend at Aqueduct last Saturday, will be scratched, according to trainer Linda Rice. That still leaves a salty field that includes Recruiting Ready, Afleet Willy, Favorite Tale, El Areeb, and Struth.
Recruiting Ready will be making his first start since finishing third in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens at Belmont Park in June for trainer Horacio De Paz.
“We think he’s going to develop as a 4-year-old into a pretty decent horse,” De Paz said. “I’d be surprised if he needs the race, but it’s going to be cold this week, and I’m sure they’ll be working the track a lot. It could be loose.”
Afleet Willy will be shortening up in distance after two-turn stakes wins at Laurel and Delaware Park. The 6-yearold warrior Favorite Tale was second to the quick Chief Lion in the $200,000 Fabulous Strike at Penn National in his most recent start.
In the seven-furlong Heft Stakes, a $100,000 race for 2-yearolds, Diamond King will try to get back on track for trainer Butch Reid after clipping heels and throwing jockey Frankie Pennington entering the first turn of the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs.
Pennington will be back aboard Diamond King, who had scored two impressive victories at Parx before shipping to Kentucky.
In the $100,000 Gin Talking, the temperamental 2-year-old filly Limited View will shoot for her fourth consecutive victory, all for trainer John Salzman Jr. Oldfashioned Style, who was second in the Grade 3 Tempted for trainer Gary Contessa, should offer a strong challenge.
The other stakes are the $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go, a one-mile race for fillies and mares, and a pair of $75,000 Maryland-bred stakes, the Jennings and the Politely.
Pick-five carryover Friday
There is a $10,245 carryover in the late pick five at Laurel on Friday. There is also a Rainbow 6 carryover of $3,157.
In race 5, a $15,000 claiming race that begins the pick five, Mythos, Matador, and Stone, who is part of an Anthony Farrior-trained entry, figure strongly.
The late-running Heaven’s Door should get a good pace setup in race 6, a $5,000 claiming sprint. Races 7 and 9 are wideopen maiden-claiming races.
The race 8 feature is a firstlevel optional claimer at a mile for 2-year-old fillies. Vindictive Ways was in over her head last time out in the Grade 2 Demoiselle, but looked good winning a maiden race in her prior start.
Vente to Go was second best at this level two starts back before facing the talented Limited View last out in the Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship.
Joycee’s Spirit, trained by Butch Reid, made her last start against optional-claiming company at Churchill Downs. She is better spotted Friday.