Laurel Opens 9/21

Ramon's career really kick started here. then he left for greener pastures - well - maybe not greener but richer! it's good to see him keeping busy - truly a man of class

Dominguez Salute, Autograph Session On Opening Weekend Top Fall Promotional Schedule

LAUREL, MD. 09-11-13---Eclipse Award-winning jockey Ramon Dominguez, who retired in June due to the severity of injuries sustained in a spill at Aqueduct in January, will make a special appearance at Laurel Park next Saturday, Sept. 21. Live racing returns to the major Maryland tracks two days earlier after a 14-week break.

Dominguez, who was a regular rider at Laurel and Pimlico Race Course for five years earlier in his career, will be saluted with a winners’ circle presentation after the second race. The Maryland Jockey Club will make a donation to Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) in his name. Dominguez will then conduct an autograph session in the grandstand from 2-3 p.m.

“I am doing pretty well,” said Dominguez this morning from his home on Long Island. “I have come a long way and am continuing in the recovery process.”

The Venezuela native arrived in Maryland in 2000 and won 1,012 races at the major Maryland tracks over the next five years, including 297 victories in 2001 when he finished atop the standings at all four meets. He finished first or second in the yearly jockey standings four times during his time in the Maryland colony. In 2003, he earned his first Grade 1 score when he guided A Huevo to victory in the 2003 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash.

“That is a great memory for sure,” Dominguez said. “I rode the horse for Mike Dickinson. He was very talented and ran extremely well that day. It was one of those things that took a while to sink in but I am glad my first Grade 1 was at Laurel because that was home for me at the time.”

The $350,000 De Francis Dash tops the Sept. 21 card. The program also features five open stakes races on the turf course and the Jameela Stakes for Maryland-breds.

“It is extremely exciting for me to be there for many reasons. Maryland was one of the places where I had the most success and just to see so many friends will be special,” said Dominguez, who won 16 graded stakes races in the state during his career. “I am very much looking forward to it. It will bring back so many great memories.”

Dominguez, who has two young sons with his wife Sharon, retired with 4,985 career victories and earnings of $191.6 million. Last year, he earned his third consecutive Eclipse Award as the nation’s best rider when he surpassed Jerry Bailey for the single-season record in North America with $25.6 million in earnings.

The 36-year-old is now devoting his time in assisting the PDJF, a 501 (c) (3) public charity that provides financial assistance to former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries.
“I always knew how important the PDJF was but now I have a greater appreciation,” added Dominguez. “Unfortunately many injured riders do not have the money to pay for basic needs. Doing events like this one will help raise awareness for the organization. These athletes have given it all to the sport, so I am just contributing in any way I can so people can realize how important donations are. I am very passionate about this next chapter in my life.”


RAMON’S MARYLAND MEMORIES

•two G1 victories: 2003 De Francis Dash (A Huevo) and 2006 Pimlico Special (Invasor)
•won G2 Dixie Stakes five times (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 & 2010)
•rode Regal Engagement to victory in the 2006 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2)
•pair of victories in G2 General George Handicap: My Cousin Matt (2003) and Bustin Stones (2008)
•aboard Harissa in Barbara Fritchie Handicap (G2) score in 2011
•five G3 victories at Maryland tracks: Allaire DuPont Distaff (2011), Miss Preakness (2004 & 2006), Laurel Futurity (2003) and Anne Arundel Stakes (2000)
•10 Preakness Stakes (G1) mounts during a 12-year period from 2001-2012, which included runner-up finishes aboard Scrappy T (2005) and First Dude (2010)
•Tops all riders in Maryland Million victories with 17, including a record five wins in 2005
•leading rider in state in 2001 & 2003; ranked second in 2000 & 2002

Laurel has many good races - but Pres - I bet they have some maiden races too

Stakes grouped on six big days; super high 5 added
By Joe DeVivo
DRF

Taking its cue from other racetracks that have enjoyed success by bundling multiple stakes onto a single program to create a major event day, the Maryland Jockey Club has altered its presentation of stakes at Laurel Park and added a new exotic wager tied to those races.

The 59-day fall meet that begins Thursday will feature 29 stakes worth a collective $3.25 million. But unlike the past, when Laurel tried to offer one stakes each weekend, all the stakes are now clustered on six Saturdays from opening weekend to late December. The Fall Turf Festival, normally held in late October, kicks off the revised stakes schedule this Saturday. The program is highlighted by six turf stakes, plus the $350,000 Frank De Francis Memorial Dash at six furlongs on the main track.

Among the horses considered probable for the De Francis Dash are Il Villano, idle since finishing third in the Grade 3 General George Handicap in February; Sage Valley, the winner of two Grade 3 sprints this season; Saturday’s Charm, who missed by a nose in the Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap in March; Ribo Bobo, winner of the Icecapade at Monmouth Park on Labor Day; plus 2013 stakes winners Broad Rule and Service for Ten.

Maryland star Ben’s Cat was nominated to the De Francis Dash but is expected to run instead in the $100,000 Laurel Dash at six furlongs on turf.

Saturday will also feature the unveiling of a new super high five wager and a ceremony honoring retired jockey Ramon Dominguez, a former Maryland regular.

The super high five wager will be offered exclusively on stakes during the fall meet. It is a $1 minimum bet with a takeout of 25.75 percent, and will be limited to stakes that have at least seven different betting interests. To win, bettors must select the first five finishers in exact order. If there are no correct tickets, the entire net pool – money wagered minus takeout – is carried over to the next race that offers a super high five. Any accumulated carryover will be paid out on the last super high five wager of the meet, even if there are no perfect tickets.

Dominguez, who retired in June due to a head injury sustained in a spill at Aqueduct in January, will make a special appearance at the track. A regular rider at Laurel and Pimlico for five years early in his career, Dominguez will be honored in the winner’s circle after the second race. The Maryland Jockey Club will make a donation to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund in his name. Dominguez will then conduct an autograph session in the grandstand from 2-3 p.m.

After this weekend, there will be no more stakes racing until Jim McKay Maryland Million Day on Oct. 19, which features seven stakes and a pair of starter handicaps for the offspring of Maryland-based stallions. Two of the stakes that were part of the Maryland Million, the Turf Sprint and the Oaks, have been eliminated, but there will still be 11 races on the card. Replacing the two dropped stakes are a pair of $50,000 maiden races on the turf. In addition, the purses of the Turf and Ladies have been increased from $100,000 to $125,000.

There will be four $100,000 stakes apiece on Nov. 9, Nov. 16, and Dec. 7, followed by a stakes tripleheader on Dec. 28.

With Frank Carulli leaving following last spring’s Pimlico meet to try his hand as a professional gambler, his duties have been assigned to two people. Keith Feustle will take over Carulli’s morning-line duties, while Gabby Gaudet becomes the racing analyst on in-house television.

The co-features on the opening-day nine-race card are a pair of first-level allowances for fillies and mares, one on the main track and the other on turf. Both races are worth $42,000.