FERRER STAYS HOT, RIDES THREE WINNERS

By Mike Henry —-

OLDSMAR, FL. –Jose Ferrer continued his efforts to turn back the clock at Tampa Bay Downs today, riding three winners only four days after he captured the Grade II, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on trainer Mark Casse’s colt Helium.

The 56-year-old Ferrer’s victories came with three consecutive mounts. He won the fourth race on B C Beautiful, a 4-year-old filly owned by Don B. Danard and trained by Kerri Raven. After not having a mount in the fifth, Ferrer won the sixth by 8 lengths on Mermaid Kisses, a 4-year-old filly owned by Ridenjac Racing, Dale Howes and Asta Fico and trained by Dennis Ward.

Ferrer added the seventh race on the turf on Princess Nina, a 3-year-old filly owned by David Gruskos and trained by Jose H. Delgado, before settling for second in the eighth with Glory Roll.

“Experience,” Ferrer said in explaining his recent winning ways, which have resulted in 10 winners from his last 39 mounts. “When you’ve ridden as many horses as I have (more than 30,000, with more than 4,500 winners), it comes in handy. And you have to have the horse. I’m so blessed to keep doing what I love to do. You can’t do this without loving it, and knock on wood I stay healthy.”

Ferrer said jockeys will get into a zone when they win a big race and keep going, and acknowledged that is how he felt today.

“Great things happen when you ride with confidence. You feel good about yourself, and all those positive thoughts and feelings come together and you win more races,” he said.

His hat trick moved Ferrer into ninth place in the Tampa Bay Downs standing with 22 victories.

Around the oval. Jose Batista rode two winners today. He captured the first race on Li’l Meatball, an 8-year-old Florida-bred gelding owned and trained by Rohan Crichton. Li’l Meatball was claimed from the race for $5,000 by new owner-trainer Tim Padilla.

Batista also won the eighth race aboard Nowitna River, a 6-year-old Florida-bred mare owned and trained by Anthony Granitz.

Kerri Raven sent out her second winner in the ninth race on the turf, winning with 5-year-old Florida-bred gelding Chess Master. Raven also owns Chess Master, who was ridden by Jesus Castanon.

Thoroughbred racing continues Friday with a 10-race card beginning at 12:15 p.m. The featured seventh race is a $26,250 conditional allowance/optional claiming event for horses 4-years-old-and-upward at a distance of a mile-and-sixteenth on the main track. The 2-1 morning-line favorite is 7-year-old Florida-bred gelding Bow and Arrow, who is trained by Jon Arnett and will be ridden by Antonio Gallardo.

Tampa Bay Downs currently races on a Wednesday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday schedule. The track is open every day for simulcast wagering, no-limits action and tournament play in The Silks Poker Room and golf fun and instruction at The Downs Golf Practice Facility.