TAMPA BAY: BOOT BARN TRAINER OF MONTH DELGADO, JOCK FERRER EACH WIN THREE

By Mike Henry —-

OLDSMAR, FL. – When it comes to preparing his horses for their best effort in a race, Jorge Delgado doesn’t play favorites.

“I spend 6 or 7 hours a night sometimes on the computer, trying to find the best spots for each horse,” said the 32-year-old Venezuela product. “I just want to get the best out of all of them, whether it’s running in a $16,500 claimer or a $500,000 stakes.”

Delgado’s attention to detail with every horse nearly paid off today in a record-equaling four training victories, a feat accomplished six times in Tampa Bay Downs history – most recently in 2019 by Gerald Bennett, who has won four races on a single card here three times.

A head loss in the fourth race by Creative Cloud to 11-1 shot Camptown Races kept Delgado from tying the mark.

Also winning three races today was jockey Jose Ferrer, two of the victories coming for trainer Gerald Bennett. And it was Ferrer who prevented Delgado from winning four times with his aggressive, frenetic ride on Camptown Races.

Delgado, who won the $100,000 Inaugural Stakes on Dec. 3 with his 2-year-old colt Super Chow, swept today’s early daily double with two of his less-talented runners. In the first race, his 7-year-old gelding Trappezoid won by 2 ¼ lengths in gate-to-wire fashion under jockey Eddie Santiago. Trappezoid was claimed from the mile-and-40-yard victory for $5,000 by new owner-trainer Kathleen Guciardo.

Dancin Dee was even more impressive in the second race, surging to the front approaching the quarter-mile pole and powering to an 8 ½-length victory. Carlos Rojas was the jockey.

After the runner-up effort in the fourth, Delgado’s 3-year-old filly G G’s Dark Star won the sixth race in a three-horse photo finish with Rojas in the irons. Sunny Meadows Farm is the owner.

That gave Delgado a meet-high seven victories from 19 starters, along with three seconds and three thirds.

Even before today’s victories, Delgado had clinched the inaugural Boot Barn Trainer of the Month Award, based largely on Super Chow’s performance. Yet if Delgado has his way, he may soon be channeling the popular old Bachman-Turner Overdrive hit song, You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet.

“Every day I want to do better,” said Delgado, who sends out 4-year-old gelding Willy Boi in Saturday’s $100,000, 7-furlong Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Marion County Florida Sire Stakes for registered Florida-bred males 3-years-old-and-upward sired by an FTBOA-registered Florida stallion.

“I want to see how I can get to better places and better races and keep getting better horses.”

Willy Boi is the even-money morning-line favorite in the eight-horse field for the FTBOA Marion County FSS, which is the ninth race on a 10-race program beginning at 12:27 p.m. Willy Boi is owned by Bill Cosgrove’s Lea Farms and will be ridden by Chantal Sutherland, the same connections that combined with Delgado for Super Chow’s Inaugural score.

Saturday’s other stakes, which is the sixth on the card, is the $100,000, 7-furlong FTBOA City of Ocala Florida Sire Stakes for registered Florida-bred fillies and mares 3-and-upward. Last year’s winner, the now-4-year-old filly R Adios Jersey, is the 7-5 morning-line favorite in the six-horse field. Owned by Averill Racing and Jayson R. Werth and trained by Gerald Bennett, R Adios Jersey will be ridden by Antonio Gallardo.

Back to Delgado, who has enjoyed a 2022 campaign worth savoring. Willy Boi won the Grade III Smile Sprint Invitational at Gulfstream, earning a trip to Keeneland for the Qatar Racing Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Another 2-year-old colt, Florida-bred Awesome Strong, is 4-for-4 after sweeping the three-race Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes series at Gulfstream. And 3-year-old Florida-bred colt Lightening Larry, who was twice stakes-placed at Oldsmar last season, won the Grade III Chick Lang Stakes in May at Pimlico.

Delgado is tied for fifth in the Gulfstream Park standings with 10 victories.

Delgado moved to the United States 10 years ago to set off in search of his goals. He worked as a hotwalker and groom at Calder in Miami, then as an assistant under trainer Juan Rodriguez. He continued his apprenticeship under his uncle Gustavo Delgado, a multiple Grade I-winning trainer, before going out on his own in the summer of 2017.

Delgado, who was also Trainer of the Month in April at the end of the 2021-2022 Tampa Bay Downs meet, values his owners, who recognize his drive and passion to maximize each horse’s ability, and he prides himself on keeping the lines of communication open. “I thank each and every one of them for supporting me and trusting me with their investment. That is a key to my success,” he said.

Around the oval. Jose Ferrer, as mentioned above, rode three winners today. In addition to his score on Camptown Races, Ferrer won the seventh race on the turf with Harpoon Harry, a 4-year-old gelding owned by Mr. Pug, LLC and trained by Gerald Bennett.

Ferrer then added the ninth and final race on the turf with Talk Much, a 3-year-old filly owned by Averill Racing and Jayson R. Werth and trained by Bennett.

Trainer Diane Morici and jockey Jose Batista combined for two victories for owner Mastic Beach Racing. They captured the third with 5-year-old Florida-bred mare Real Doozie, who was claimed from the race for $5,000 by owner-trainer Juan Arriagada. Morici and Batista added the eighth with 5-year-old gelding Ain’t Wasting Time.

After Saturday’s 10th race, Tampa Bay Downs will turn the track over to those lovable Corgi dogs and their handlers for the annual Corgi races. Admission is free, as the dogs’ owners engage in friendly competition for bragging rights while entertaining spectators, many of whom can’t remember the previous time they so enjoyed an event.

Tampa Bay Downs races each Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with Sundays added to the mix on Jan. 1. The track is open every day except Christmas, Dec. 25, 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.