Paul Fowler Jr.’s 4-year-old Shaft’s Bullet. won a resounding victory in the March 17 feature 8 race at Laurel Park to complete a record-breaking seven-match day for jockey Jaime Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, 32, drew Horacio Karamanos and Chuck Baltazar for the most wins on a single card at Laurel. Baltazar rode seven consecutive winners on December 15, 1969 and Horacio Karamanos equalized on October 26, 2002.
“I was very happy to win the first prize,” said Rodriguez. “I think everything that I ride has a chance today. I give everything to whoever I ride. I’m very happy. It’s a big day. Seven wins in a day? Really impression.”
A native of Puerto Rico, Rodriguez won the first five races on Friday aboard Center Mid Maddie ($8.60), Albertano ($4.80), Six the Hard Way ($12.40), Big Cheeks ($6.20) and Pelota ($3.60) before entering were broken when he finished fifth in race 6 on Peach Be With Q.
Rodriguez came back to win race 7 on Semper Fi ($3.80) and capped his achievement on Shaft’s Bullet. Watching the Local Motive vs Momos showdown while racing for third in a clear three-way area, Shaft’s Bullet took the lead in the first leg and won after heading home.
After glancing behind him in the middle of the track to keep an eye on any late runners, Rodriguez threw a fist as he dashed up the rope unhindered 5 1/4 lengths ahead of late runner-up Be. Better. Winning time in the second level option claim grant for kids 4 and up is 1:37.89 for a mile on the fast main track.
“I was pretty confident he had a shot and I said, ‘I think today will be the seventh,'” said Rodriguez. “Thank God, everything went well and he did. won the race.”
Center Mid Maddie, Big Cheeks, Pelota and Semper Fi are all coached by Jamie Ness, who led Laurel’s winter league with 31 wins. Ness and Rodriguez were a 26 to 86 combination at the encounter.
“We have a pretty good relationship. I trust him and he trusts me too. Everything we do, we do as a team and we start from there. That’s how we do it. work,” said Rodriguez. “I cycle a lot for him but the efforts that I give to him, I will give to everyone. I am not picky. Whatever I have, I will give 100%.”
Rodriguez, who was mountless in Laurel’s 9th race finale, entered his apprentice day behind Jeiron Barbosa with a win for the winter encounter equestrian title, and is currently 47-41 ahead. .
The rider had his best season ever in 2022, with the highest number of wins of his career (243) and pocket earnings ($7.5 million) from 982 rides. , ranked seventh among North American drivers in terms of victories. He won for the second time in a row Delaware Park equestrian title with 134 wins, 75 more than runner-up Mychel Sanchez, also 24 to 89 at Parx (27%).
Rodriguez racked up 1,955 wins and accumulated over $36.4 million in earnings. He’s in six of the 10 races on Saturday in Laurel, including the multi-stakes winner Coffeewithchris in $100,000 Shares Personal Terms for 3-year-olds, our nation on parade in $100,000 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial Bet for children 4 years of age and older, and mavilus in $75,000 Conniver Stakes for older female sprinters crossbreeding/breeding in Maryland.
This press release has been edited by BloodHorse Staff for content and style.
