VALDIVIA MAKES SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RETURN,

Jose Valdivia Jr., a top rider in Southern California in the 2000s, has returned to this circuit after years of riding in the Midwest. Valdivia, who has two mounts on Friday’s eight-race program at Del Mar, is relaunching his California career at a venue he knows well.

Valdivia won 11 stakes at Del Mar from 2003 to 2012 and will ride there for the first time since the Breeders’ Cup in 2017.

“The thing about it is a change of scenery is good and you appreciate what you left behind,” he said.

Valdivia said last weekend that he plans to remain in Southern California in 2020 and will not return to the Chicagoarea circuit, where he has been riding. Valdivia was the leading rider for five consecutive seasons at Arlington Park, from 2015 through this past summer.

Opportunities for Valdivia at Arlington have waned in recent years, with fewer days and fewer races per day.

Valdivia was at Santa Anita during the build-up to the Breeders’ Cup in late October and had five mounts in late October and last weekend. Valdivia acknowledged it will take time to rebuild business in Southern California.

“Hopefully, it will work out,” he said. “The response has been good. I’m happy to be back.”

Valdivia, 45, won the 2001 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Belmont Park on Val Royal and the 2011 Belmont Stakes on Ruler On Ice.

Valdivia’s family lives in the Del Mar area, which will make riding at the four-week autumn meeting, which begins on Friday, even more convenient. There will be times when he will face a drive to Santa Anita to work horses since many stables are remaining there this month.

“I’m not crazy about the traffic,” he said. “After racing, I’ll already be home.”

Ronald R continues ascent

Ronald R went from winning a $40,000 claimer in May 2018 to a victory in the restricted Lure Stakes at Santa Anita last Thursday. Now trainer Ron Ellis is considering giving Ronald R his graded stakes debut in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap on Nov. 30 at Del Mar.

The $200,000 race is run at 1 1/16 miles on turf and would be a test for Ronald R, who missed more than a year of racing because of body soreness diagnosed in the summer of 2018, Ellis said. Since returning to racing in July, Ronald R is unbeaten in three starts – two optional claimers at the Del Mar summer meeting and the Lure Stakes.

Ronald R, a 5-year-old Irishbred gelding, has earned $122,220 this year. His owner, Jim Harrison, races under the stable name Hotter Than H Racing.

A winner of 6 of 15 starts, Ronald R was claimed in May 2018 and remained in training for a brief time following that race before he was turned out.

“I tried to get him to the races for a couple of months and I kind of gave up,” Ellis said. “He wouldn’t get over the body soreness.”

Ronald R resumed workouts in March before his return to racing in July. In the Lure at a mile on turf, Ronald R closed from last in a field of nine to win by a half-length at 13-1 under jockey Drayden Van Dyke.

Prat, Cedillo tie for title

Jockeys Flavien Prat and

Abel Cedillo finished in a tie for the riding title at the Santa Anita autumn meeting, which ended Sunday, with 21 wins.

They will both ride at the Del Mar autumn meeting, which begins Friday, although Prat will have a twoday advantage. Cedillo is not riding on Friday and Saturday while serving a three-day suspension for a recent riding infraction.

Cedillo, 30, said last weekend that he planned to spend a few days this week visiting family in Northern California.

While the 27-year-old Prat has been a fixture at the top of the jockey standings at Southern California tracks in the last few years, the Santa Anita meeting was Cedillo’s first title since he relocated to this circuit from Northern California in June.

At the Del Mar summer meeting, Cedillo finished third with 25 wins. Prat led all riders with 42 wins.

Desi Arnaz first week highlight

The first week of the Del Mar autumn meeting, which begins its four-week run Friday, is the only one without a graded stakes. The richest race this week is Sunday’s $100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs.

The race drew 16 nominees, including Leucothea, the easy winner of the Anoakia Stakes at six furlongs on Oct. 13 at Santa Anita, and Powerful attraction, who was second in the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar in August and seventh in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Aug. 31 in her most recent start.