From now on, Victor Espinoza's nephew is Assael, not Asa

Call him Assael.

That’s the given name for the apprentice jockey nephew of Hall of Fame rider Victor Espinoza. Young (18) Espinoza has heretofore been identified  as “Asa” in the daily programs on the Southern California circuit and has tolerated it being pronounced ACE-uh or AH-suh without complaint.

Starting Saturday here, where he is scheduled for seven mounts on a 10-race card, the program will show “Assael Espinoza.” It’s pronounced AH-see-el.

Agent Brian Beach explained that the shortened version was intended to make a simple first impression for the rider starting his professional career. With 43 career wins, a riding co-championship with fellow apprentice Heriberto Figueroa at Los Alamitos, and the No. 3 spot in the current Del Mar standings with five wins in seven days, Espinoza has made a name for himself.

In other news concerning jockeys, defending riding champion Flavien Prat will be at Monmouth Parkon Sunday to ride Core Beliefs for Peter Eurton in the $1 million Haskell Invitational.

Good Magic, winner of the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile here, is the 6-5 favorite with Bravazo second at 3-1 and Core Beliefs 4-1. Core Beliefs finished third behind Justify and Bolt d’Oro in the Santa Anita Derby, second in the Peter Pan at Belmont Park and won the Ohio Derby at Thistledown on June 23.

“I like the draw (post No. 4 of 7), like the way he’s been training and the way he’s coming into the race,” Eurton said here Friday morning.

Prat will be travelling again next weekend to ride Once On Whiskey, the Los Alamitos Derby winner, for trainer Bob Baffert in the West Virginia Derby.

“I kind of hate to do it, because you can lose out on business here,” said Derek Lawson, Prat’s agent. “But the flip side is that these are opportunities you can’t really afford to pass up.”