Joel Rosario

Warrant earned the first graded victory of his career with a gritty performance in the GIII Oklahoma Derby Sunday night at Remington Park. Settling in fifth behind a contested :23.68 quarter, the chestnut crept closer down the backstretch and Joel Rosario decided to step on the gas as frontrunner Flash of Mischief drifted off the rail nearing the far turn. Taking over from that rival into the lane, Warrant faced a resurgent foe before asserting himself once and for all outside the sixteenth pole and edging clear. "It was a...

Leading sprinter Jackie's Warrior, who defeated Life is Good (Into Mischief) to win the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. Aug. 28 at Saratoga, followed up that rival's win in the GII Kelso H. at Belmont Saturday afternoon with an effortless victory of his own at Parx. Displaying his normal early dash, Jackie's Warrior clicked off an opening quarter in :21.97, though he did have some token 'pressure' from the rail-drawn Real Talk. Dispatching  that rival with consummate ease at the three-furlong pole, Jackie's Warrior was past the half-mile in :44.13,...

The FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs wrapped up Sunday with a nearly 24% rise in handle from the same period last year. A total of $74,088,532 was wagered via all-sources handle, up $14,260,088 (or 23.8%) from last year's total of $59,828,444, which was also a record at the time. Sunday's card of 10 races saw a handle of $13,899,277, third-highest at the all-turf track. Saturday's wagering of $20,849,967 on 11 races set a new mark for one day of racing at Kentucky Downs. The big story of the six-day meet...

Sunday, Saratoga AMSTERDAM S.-GII, $200,000, Saratoga, 8-1, 3yo, 6 1/2f, 1:15.46, sy. 1--JACKIE'S WARRIOR, 124, c, 3, by Maclean's Music 1st Dam: Unicorn Girl, by A. P. Five Hundred 2nd Dam: Horah for Bailey, by Doneraile Court 3rd Dam: Horah for the Lady, by Rahy ($95,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-J. Kirk & Judy Robison; B-J & J Stables (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Joel Rosario. $110,000. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 9-6-1-1, $1,058,964. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree 2--Drain the Clock, 124, c, 3, Maclean's Music--Manki,...

3rd-Belmont, $78,300, Msw, 6-10, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:06.47, ft, 9 3/4 lengths. VELVET SISTER (f, 2, Bernardini--Backslash, by Sharp Humor), bought for $500,000 after breezing a :10 1/5 furlong at Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream, debuted a sharp maiden winner Thursday at Belmont for Stonestreet Stables and Steve Asmussen. Showing a quartet of half-mile works at Keeneland, highlighted by a :47 2/5 (5/99) spin from the gate May 8, and a pair of maintenance spins over the local training track, the New York-bred was made a distant 12-5 second choice in a three-horse...

Joel Rosario, who guided Japan's France Go de Ina (Will Take Charge) to a troubled sixth-place effort in the G2 UAE Derby when last seen Mar. 27, will retain the ride aboard the colt for the GI Preakness S. at Pimlico May 15, his agent Ron Anderson confirmed Wednesday. France Go de Ina landed at Los Angeles International Airport early Wednesday morning, the first leg of his journey to Old Hilltop for the second leg of the Triple Crown. According to Kate Hunter, a Triple Crown recruiter who frequently accompanies...

The 15-day Spring meet at Keeneland Race Course concluded Friday, with total all-sources wagering reaching $164,680,229, an improvement of 7.55% versus the 2019 Spring meet, when all-sources handle totaled $153,116,119. The 2020 Spring meet was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Average daily wagering on the Keeneland product was $10,978,682, an increase of 14.72 when compared to $9,569,757 during Spring 2019. A limited number of patrons were allowed on track during the 15-day stand. Attendance totaled 96,243 for a daily average of 6,416. With four winners on Friday's closing-day program,...

Jockey Joel Rosario will replace Umberto Rispoli on unbeaten GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby hero Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the GI Kentucky Derby. The decision came after it was announced that Bob Baffert trainee Concert Tour (Street Sense), who Rosario had ridden in each of his four starts, would skip the Derby and opt for the GI Preakness S. Rosario rode Rock Your World in his turf sprint debut win at Santa Anita Jan. 1, but Rispoli was up for both the Pasadena S. and Santa Anita...

Jockey Joel Rosario, who leads North America with 20 stakes wins this year, was fined $200 for misjudging the finish wire aboard a 9-5 favorite who lost an Apr. 10 stakes race by a nose at Oaklawn Park. Rosario piloted Rushie (Liam's Map) in the $400,000 Oaklawn Mile S., but apparently forgot races at that distance at the track end at the sixteenth pole and not the traditional finish line. Rushie had seized the lead off the turn and was getting reeled in by a fast-closing By My Standards (Goldencents)...

The temperatures were on the cool side Saturday in Central Kentucky, but jockey Joel Rosario was hot. As in en fuego. The Dominican sensation had ridden, in succession, Flagstaff (Speightstown) to victory in the GIII Commonwealth S.; Bound For Nowhere (The Factor)--who was drawn somewhere in the middle of Versailles Road--to win the GII Shakertown S.; and produced 'TDN Rising Star' Malathaat (Curlin) at just the right time to snatch the GI Central Bank Ashland S. Rosario completed a spectacular stakes four-timer in the day's penultimate race, riding Ten Broeck...

With principal Sheikh Hamdan having passed away just 10 days earlier, unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Malathaat (Curlin) provided the Shadwell team with a major pick-me-up as she ran down Pass the Champagne (Flatter) in Keeneland's GI Central Bank Ashland S. Saturday under red-hot Joel Rosario. "I can't put it into words," said an emotional Rick Nichols--Vice President and General Manager of Shadwell--after the race. "I am sure [Sheikh Hamdan] is up there with a big smile on his face looking down on us. We really needed this." Already with 10...

The further we get down the GI Kentucky Derby trail, the more evident it becomes that Bob Baffert will saddle the favorite on the First Saturday in May. The only question is which of his super star colts it will be. 'TDN Rising Star' Life is Good (Into Mischief) kept his unbeaten record in tact with a dominant score in the GII San Felipe S. last weekend with barnmate Medina Spirit (Protonico) in second. On Saturday, Baffert sent out another undefeated colt to a sensational victory in a Derby prep...