Italian jockey

It's no surprise that Italian-born jockeys are doing well at the current meet at Del Mar. They have been making their mark in Southern California for some time now. Antonio Fresu is second in the standings and Umberto Rispoli is third. But who is the leading rider? The answer might surprise you. The 46-year-old veteran Mirco Demuro, who left Japan earlier this year to try the Southern California circuit, went into the weekend at Del Mar on top of the jockey standings with 10 winners. He has had just 22...

Umberto Rispoli understands how hard it can be for a foreign rider to break in at a place like Santa Anita. That's why he was delighted to be tied for seventh in the standings at the current meet with six wins after Sunday's card. But the former champion rider in his native Italy didn't come here to be mid-pack in the jockey standings. "My target is to win some of the major races in the U.S.," he said. "Flavien Prat is a good example. He came from Europe and he...