MJC at Laurel: Jockey Jaime Rodriguez Rolling into New Year

By David Joseph—-

Photo provided by MJC

Jockey Jaime Rodriguez Rolling into New Year

Registers Back-to-Back Hat Tricks at Laurel Park

LAUREL, MD – Jaime Rodriguez, who captured three meet titles in Maryland and finished with the most wins among all jockeys at Laurel Park and historic Pimlico Race Course in 2023, is picking up where he left off to start the new year.

Rodriguez, 32, registered his second consecutive hat trick to kick off 2024 on Saturday, winning aboard Omar Comin ($21) in Race 1, Lady Charlotte ($6) in Race 4 and Ashlee’s Ring ($16) in Race 6 for trainers Rudy Sanchez-Salomon, Lacey Gaudet and Elliot Sullivan, respectively.

On Friday, the opener of Laurel’s 38-day winter Heritage Meet, Rodriguez won with Sun Streaming ($6.20), Southern District ($3) and Take a Hint ($3.80), trained respectively by Antonio Machado, Jamie Ness and Gary Capuano.

A native of Puerto Rico, Rodriguez won 166 races and $6,213,458 in purses at Laurel and Pimlico last year, part of a season where he established career highs with 1,102 starters and $8,200,631 in purse earnings, ranking seventh nationally with 237 wins overall.

Rodriguez was leading rider at Laurel’s winter (58 wins), summer (39) and fall (50) meets while also leading the Delaware Park standings for a third consecutive year in both wins (67) and purse earnings ($1.65 million).

Laurel wraps up its first weekend of 2024 Sunday with a nine-race program. Rodriguez is named in six races including Speedyness, part of the favored entry in Race 8, an optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds going one mile. Bred, owned and trained by Ness, Speedyness most recently ran third in the Dec. 2 Maryland Juvenile at Laurel.

Notes: Jockey Jevian Toledo doubled Saturday with Go Sherry Go ($4.80) in Race 3 and Mindtap ($4) in Race 5 … Forest Boyce rode Deeds of Love ($7.80) to victory in Race 8, moving her within six of 1,000 career wins … There will be carryovers of $1,269.76 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 4-9) and $765.52 in the $1 Jackpot Super High Five (Race 6) for Sunday’s nine-race program that begins at 12:25 p.m.

About The Stronach Group and 1/ST

The Stronach Group is a world-class technology, entertainment and real estate development company with Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core. The Stronach Group’s 1/ST business (pronounced “First”) is North America’s preeminent Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering company and includes the 1/ST RACING & GAMING, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY and 1/ST EXPERIENCE businesses, while advocating for and driving the 1/ST HORSE CARE mission. 1/ST represents The Stronach Group’s continued movement toward redefining Thoroughbred racing and the ecosystem that drives it. 1/ST RACING & GAMING drives the best-in-class racing operations and gaming offerings at the company’s premier racetracks and training centers including: Santa Anita Park, Golden Gate Fields and San Luis Rey Downs (California); Gulfstream Park – home of the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series, Gulfstream Park West and Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center (Florida); the Maryland Jockey Club at Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course – home of the legendary Preakness Stakes, Rosecroft Raceway and Bowie Training Center (Maryland). 1/ST CONTENT is the operating group for 1/ST’s media and content companies including: Monarch Content Management, Elite, TSG Global Wagering Solutions (GWS) and XBTV. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is racing’s largest racing and gaming technology company offering world-class products via its AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix brands. 1/ST EXPERIENCE blends the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality through innovative content development, elevated national and local venue management and hospitality, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and procurement development. As the advocate for critical industry reforms and by making meaningful investments into aftercare programs for retired horses and jockeys, 1/ST HORSE CARE represents The Stronach Group’s commitment to achieving the highest level of horse and rider care and safety standards in Thoroughbred racing on and off the track. The Stronach Group’s TSG Properties is responsible for the development of the company’s live, play and work communities surrounding its racing venues including: The Village at Gulfstream Park (Florida) and Paddock Pointe (Maryland). For more information, please email david.joseph@marylandracing.com. visit www.1st.com or follow @1ST_racing on Twitter or @1stracing on Instagram and Facebook.