Rosario puts together another 5-win day at Kentucky Downs
Franklin, Ky.
He gave credit to the horses and his agent. Perhaps Joel Rosario ought to take a little for himself.
Rosario rode Pixelate (9-2) from eighth in the field of 10, traveled seven-wide in the stretch and picked off rivals one by one on the way to winning the Grade 3, $1 million t Million on Monday, his fifth triumph of the day at Kentucky Downs.
After cutting short his Saratoga summer, Rosario also had five wins Sunday on a wet opening day.
"Yeah, that was great," Rosario said. "Again."
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Rosario did not take long to master the ever-changing condition of the lush course at this boutique, turf-only meet. It deteriorated to yielding Sunday, but it dried to firm Monday.
"You're always trying to find where the good spot is and go from there," Rosario said. "See where the horses can hold the track better."
One of Rosario's wins Monday came after he broke from an inside post and immediately veered his mount diagonally to the middle of the track, where the grass was not as beaten the first two days.
"It's the way they're moving and the way they're getting hold of the track," he said. "That's where the track is better, you know?"
In the case of Pixelate, he said the pace made the one-mile race. And the victory.
Taking a relaxed approach early, Rosario and Pixelate were as many as 10 lengths off the early fractions of 21.83, 44.96 and 1:09.10. In textbook, closing fashion, they took the lead in the last 120 yards and went on to win by 2 1/2 lengths. The winning time was 1:34.04.
"The speed in front of us helped us," Rosario said.
The hot jockey riding for trainer Mike Stidham didn't exactly hurt.
"He's riding with such confidence," said president Jimmy Bell of Godolphin, the breeder-owner of the 4-year-old City Zip colt who is now 20: 6-6-4 with earnings of $1,098,850. "We were joking in the paddock that any of his previous ways of winning will work here. He finds great ground. In our case he said the horse fit the course very well."
Somelikeithotbrown (5-2) chased the early pace and finished second. Monarchs Glen (11-1) closed from last to finish third (43-1), and Argentello was fourth. Post-time favorite Flavius (7-5) settled for fifth.
As always Rosario credited the quality of horses he rode. But Rosario also gave props to his agent for giving him so many competitive rides.
"I have a great agent like Ron (Anderson)," he said. "That's very important."
Anderson got him at least 21 more rides at Kentucky Downs, and that does not even count Sunday's closing day card, which will be drawn Tuesday. That means Rosario has a great chance to get the three victories he needs to have the winningest riding season in the track's three-decade history. The record of 12 is jointly held by Rafael Bejarano (2004) and Florent Geroux, who did it twice (2015 and 2016).