Trainer Mike Maker will defend his training title during Turfway Park’s holiday meet
The 2019 racing season at Churchill Downs is entering the final stretch and several local jockeys and trainers have firmed up their winter plans with many staying in Kentucky the month of December to run at Turfway Park.
“It’s very exciting with the enhanced purses at Turfway,” trainer Mike Maker said. “It should make for some very good racing up there.”
Maker, who is a mainstay at the Florence, Ky., oval, will have some additional competition as he attempts to defend his 2018 Holiday Meet title. Trainers like Steve Asmussen, Cipriano Contreras and Dale Romans all plan to leave horses in Kentucky to run this winter at Turfway.
Romans, Churchill Downs’ all-time leading trainer, plans to split his string of horses between Gulfstream Park and Turfway.
Several jockeys who plan to winter at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., plan to stay in Kentucky to ride at Turfway until their meet opens on Friday, Jan. 24, including Declan Cannon, Martin Garcia and Joe Rocco Jr.
“It should be some good racing at Turfway in December,” said Cannon, who won two races Wednesday at Churchill Downs. “Winning races at the end of the meet should hopefully help keep my name out there and business will be good in December.”
Current Churchill Downs leading rider Corey Lanerie will head to New Orleans after the meet ends on Sunday to ride at Fair Grounds. Laneriewill be joined in New Orleans with Florent Geroux, James Graham, Brian Hernandez Jr., Miguel Mena and Gabriel Saez.
Jockeys Calvin Borel, Jon Court and Ricardo Santana Jr., will head to Oaklawn Park for their meet. Cannon, Garcia and Rocco are likely to join them following Turfway’s Holiday Meet.
Tyler Gaffalione, Chris Landeros and Julien Leparoux will ride this winter at Gulfstream Park.
Trainer Brad Cox will defend his Fair Grounds training title. His string of horses will be split between Fair Grounds, Oaklawn Park and Aqueduct. Other trainers headed to Fair Grounds include Tom Amoss, Asmussen, Bret Calhoun, Chris Hartman and Joe Sharp.
Trainer Tim Glyshaw, who previously stabled at Fair Grounds, will ship his string of horses to Tampa Bay Downs.
New to the Paulick Report? Click here to sign up for our daily email newsletter to keep up on this and other stories happening in the Thoroughbred industry.
Copyright © 2019 Paulick Report.
