Amadeo Perez wasn’t aware that when he won two races this past Sunday at Hastings Racecourse he officially became Canada’s leading jockey.
Entering the day, Woodbine’s top rider Kazushi Kimura and Perez were tied with 50 wins at their respective tracks … the best in the country. Today the leaderboard reads: Perez, 52; Kimura 50.
What must be noted is the fact Woodbine’s thoroughbred racing dates total 133 from April through early December, while the Hastings meet consists of just 45 race days.
To put that into perspective, when Perez won for a 51st and 52nd time Sunday it was after 130 starts at the halfway mark of the Hastings schedule. Kimura, currently recovering from a concussion following a July 8 spill, hit 50 wins at Woodbine after 218 starts.
“I didn’t know about being the leading rider in all of Canada,” said Perez, the top jockey five times at Hastings dating back to 2012. “My focus is always on winning and to keep working hard. It’s always a challenge.”
Big Days Ahead at Hastings
The upcoming second half of the Hastings Racecourse 2023 season kicks into high gear with the 12th edition of The Cup on Saturday, July 22. It has become the popular ticketed event at Hastings expected to draw 10,000 Derby-style revellers decked out in stylish daytime fashions enjoying live entertainment, exotic food and cocktails and, not to be forgotten, eight exciting thoroughbred races.
Regular racing with free admission, resumes with a 2:00 p.m. post time Sunday, July 23 prior to the first of four popular Friday Night Live Racing cards on Friday, July 28 with a start time of 7:00 p.m. The remaining Friday Night attractions are set for August 4, 11 and 18.
Highlighting the month of August will be the long-established BC Cup Day extravaganza on the August 7 Holiday Monday featuring six $50,000 Stakes with the BC Cup Classic for 3-year-olds & up and the BC Cup Distaff for fillies and mares 3-year-olds & up sharing centre stage.
In addition, the 2:00 p.m. card includes the BC Cup Nursery for 2-year-old colts and geldings; BC Cup Debutante for 2-year-old fillies; Hong Kong Jockey Club for three-year-old fillies and Sir Winston Churchill for three-year-olds.
Monday, August 7 also marks the first leg of the Western Canadian Triple Crown when Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia band together to stage a new series with $450,000 in purse money with a potential $100,000 bonus on the table.
It begins with the $125,000 Manitoba Derby at Assiniboia Downs August 7, followed by the $200,000 Canadian Derby at Century Mile in Edmonton on August 26 and the $125,000 BC Derby at Hastings on Saturday, September 16. If a horse wins all three of the prestigious Derby events for three-year-olds there is an additional $100,000 bonus awarded to the successful owner.
In the meantime, the popular $20,000 Pick 4 Guaranteed Pool at Hastings continues through the balance of the season as well as the Classic $1 Pick 5 with a takeout of just 15%.
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