Joel Rosario Moving Tack Back East
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Photo: BENOIT PHOTO
Rosario aboard Edwards Going Left after their win in the Tiznow Stakes at Santa Anita
Santa Anita Park's leading jockey, Joel Rosario, will move his tack back to the East Coast effective immediately, his agent, Ron Anderson, said March 6.
His reasoning was simple. As of March 5, when Santa Anita canceled racing indefinitely to assess the safety of its main track, there is no racing being conducted in Southern California. Rosario will ride at Tampa Bay Downs on the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) card and then will move to Gulfstream Park until Keeneland's meet begins in April. The rider relocated to Southern California from the East Coast in December.
BALAN: Santa Anita Cancels Racing Indefinitely
"I mean, there's no racing," Anderson said. "I've already had multiple calls for options to go and ride at Gulfstream and other places. We were planning to go to Keeneland anyway, but the ripple effect of all this is a really, really big problem."
Anderson was thankful he has options with his rider but also expressed he has mixed feelings, because that is not the case for everyone.
"We have an option to do that, and I feel bad because other guys don't have an option to do anything," Anderson said. "How about the other jockeys? How about the mutuel clerks? How do you tell them to go home and just take a vacation?"
Anderson also indicated Gift Box, who was expected to be one of the favorites for the March 9 Santa Anita Handicap (G1), would likely head to the March 30 Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates Airline (G1) next.
Through the most recent day of racing at Santa Anita March 3, Rosario topped the jockey standings with 51 wins from 207 starts, five wins ahead of second-place rider Flavien Prat.