The ASSINIBOIA DOWNS racing season may be half over, but jockey ANTONIO WHITEHALL has certainly made a statement in Winnipeg at the track that opened first in Canada.
Since the meeting is shortened due to COVID-19, Whitehall’s lead by wins as a rider in the country won’t hold up since Woodbine has 100 dates (or unless Whitehall continues his tear at other tracks later this season) but right now he is winning at 29% with 36 wins from 126 mounts. Recently he won 5 of 6 races on the card and missed the other by a nose. He has has won a total of 44 races in Canada including 8 at Century Mile.
Rafael Zenteno Jr is also doing well at the meeting with 26 wins putting him 3rd in Canada.
Rider Mounts- 1st – 2nd – 3rd- Purses -Win %
1 Antonio Whitehall 126- 36- 23- 17 -$235,034 —29%
2 Rafael Zenteno Jr. 112- 26 -20- 11- $169,743— 23%
Leading the trainer’s list is JERRY GOURNEAU who brought in some 40 horses to Assiniboia and he has won 30 races, a 25% clip. His main owner Henry Witt Jr has 21 wins and over $201,000 to leading owners.
Trainer Stats 1st 2nd 34rd Earnings Win %
1 Jerry Gourneau 118 — 30 26 13 $201,682 25%
3 Tom Gardipy, Jr. 116 — 13 21 18 $104,171 11%
2 Shelley Brown 67 — 12 13 9 $116,479 18%
Owners
1 Henry S. Witt, Jr. 68 – 21 – 12 -9– $127,766
2 Riversedge Racing Stables, Ltd. 29 -7- 9- 4 $63,949
More from Assiniboia’s first half of the season from, Ivan Bigg here
CENTURY MILE has not been racing as long as ASD and leading the trainer’s list currently are three trainers with 5 wins: Tim Rycroft, Dale Saunders and Carson Frey.
Rycroft also has a string of horses at Woodbine.
Top rider by wins at Century Mile in Nisku, ALB is Rigo Sarmiento and Rico Walcott, they are tied at 9 wins each.
WOODBINE’s rider standings is certainly different at the moment than in past years since Eurico da Silva has retired.
As expected RAFAEL HERNANDEZ is leading but he is just 5 wins ahead of JUSTIN STEIN, having a big year and 8 ahead of EMMA-JAYNE WILSON, also having a big year.
Jockeys
Rafael Manuel Hernandez 145- 29 -19 -19 -$1,019,959
Justin Stein 129 -24 -17 -17 -$931,136
Emma-Jayne Wilson 126 21 12 20 $698,817
Trainers
Mark E. Casse 89 — 18 14 11 $926,315 20%
Norman McKnight 47 — 10 4 4 $185,275 21%
Josie Carrol l 36 — 9– 5 –5 $457,917 25%
Owners
1 Chiefswood Stables Limited 29- 3- 4- 3- $205,101
2 Stronach Stables 14- 2- 2- 2 $189,878
3 Colebrook Farms 54- 2 -4 -5 $156,479
At FORT ERIE – MELANIE PINTO leads riders with 16 wins over Kirk Johnson’s 12 and trainers JULIE MATHES and SHARON CECCATO are tied with 7 wins each.
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