9/2/2022
The Power Rankings are meant to be fun and to focus on the human competition between these awesome athletes. Moreover it’s a chance to focus more on each rider and their accomplishments each week. We stress there is nothing “official” about these rankings and we know there will be varying opinions which is also great and we hope it does create more conversations about our sport and our athletes.
In our 16th Jockey Power Rankings there was plenty to sift through to come up with our latest rankings including a hot Quarter Horse rider. Let’s jump in with our latest and 16th edition of the Emerald Jockey Power Rankings:
#1 Alex Cruz (last ranking #2)
The leading jockey Alex Cruz is likely still smarting over being DQ’d from 1st in the Washington Cup for colts and geldings and placed 2nd on Sunday. He then came right back to finish 2nd again in the Wa Cup for fillies on Driveway just missing a chance to get his 2nd stakes win of the year. But Cruz led all riders with 6 wins on the week added 4 seconds and its easy to see where many believe it should have been 7 wins and 3 seconds but also added 5 shows and 4 4ths. He had a 27% win rate was in the exacta 45% of the time, trifecta 68% and 91% top 4. More than enough for Cruz to reclaim the top spot in the PR’s.
#2 Javier Matias (last ranking #6)
Javier Matias has for sure gotten out of his mid-summer slump and has been tearing it up with limited chances. He only had 10 mounts last week and won 3 placed once, showed 3 times and ran 4th for a 30% win rate and 70% in the trifecta and 80% top 4 finish and he did it with an average odds of 10-1. The wiley veteran is cranking it up here in the stretch run.
#3 Kevin Radke (last ranking #1)
Kevin Radke slipped a couple of places this week out of #1 to #3 after turning in a solid week and a brilliant ride on Annette Marie at 13-1 in the Washington Cup for fillies. Sometimes Radke gets dinged a little bit because he does lead all riders in starts but he also will say yes to anyone, we think he’s ride a LLama in a thoroughbred race if someone asked. He finished with a very solid week of 4 wins, 5 places a show and 2 4ths from 18 mounts for a 22% win rate, 56% top 3 and 67% top 4.
#4 Jake Samuels (last ranking #5)
Jake keeps pushing his way up the PR’s and he remains steady and consistent in the money while bringing in some nice prices. Samuels is a must in your exotics as he will bump up those trifecta and super pays. Last week he was on 13 won 3 took 2nd 4 times, 2 shows and a 4th for a 23% win clip, 69% top 3 and 77% superfecta finish.
#5 Juan Gutierrez (last ranking #3)
Juan Gutierrez dropped a bit this week he had just 2 wins and 1 via DQ but did place 4 times, showed and took 4th 3 times each from 15 mounts for an 80% top 4 week. Gutierrez also was DQ’d out of a 1st place win this week. Don’t be surprised tho if the all-time Emerald winner has something left for the final 8 days.
#6 Guillermo Suarez (last ranking unranked)
It’s very difficult to come in from another track to ride in just a couple of races and hit our top 10 but how can we resist this awesome story of Guillermo Suarez who is an accomplished quarter horse rider. Suarez came in to ride in both quarter horse stakes races and was breaking from the difficult 5 post in each race. Suarez was on the big favorite in the John Deere and did not disappoint in fact blew the doors off the competition by nearly 2 lengths in the 350 yard sprint. The he came back in the Bank of America stake on Dr Tool at nearly 6-1 and was the 5th choice of the bettors and pulled out a neck win. Suarez called it his best day ever as a jockey collecting a total of just shy of $47,000 of the $101,000 up for grabs. We celebrate Guillermo’s big day!!
#7 Kevin Orozco (last ranking #4)
Kevin Orozco was coming off a big week with 4 winners and had jumped up the Power Rankings to #4 but this week went 1-0-1-1 on just 6 chances. He only rode once on Friday and Saturday. 17% win rate and 50% top 4.
#8 Leslie Mawing (last ranking #8)
Leslie Mawing holds onto the 8th spot for the 3rd straight week after a pretty even week and did get win and a place with 3 shows and 4 4ths from 12 rides. His top 3 finish was 42% and 75% in the superfecta.
#9 Jose Zunino (last ranking unranked)
Last week Jose Zunino had fallen out of the top 10 but rallied back getting a win on Sunday on Mr Stang and picking up a 3rd and 3 superfecta finishes from 12 rides. Enough to squeak back into the top 10.
#10 Cerapio Figueroa (last ranking unranked)
Cerapio Figueroa was a regular rider at Emerald during the pandemic and has been back and forth a few times since and was here on Sunday riding in both quarter horse races but also picked up a ride for Jorge Rosales in the 2nd race and brought home Stanwood Warrior at a big price of 15-1 for the win. He failed to place in both QH races but had a win from 3 rides and 1-1 on thoroughbreds moves him into the top 10 this week.
Power Rankings Notes:
A couple of our regulars and favorites here on the PR’s had a tough run. Alex Anaya got on several horses with 14 rides. Most very long shots and he did go 0-1-1-2 but could not find the winner’s circle. Eddie Martinez only had 5 rides and got a 3rd and 2 4ths, looking to see both turn around this week in a hurry.
Vladmir Jensen would have easily been in the top 10 this week without the QH success of Suarez or Figueroa getting a win as he was 100% top 3 and top finishes with 2 places and a show from 3 rides. Clayan Millwood dropped off but keeps knocking on the door and has settled in since shifting his tack from Florida to the PNW, he had 5 rides with a place and a show. James Wooten was back and placed 3rd in the Bank of America QH stake but was 0-2 on his other 2 rides.
Speaking of QH’s, the other invading riders struggled with Cruz Contreras placing 4th in 2 rides, Mark Jasso getting a 3rd in 2 chance while Salvador Ibarra and Santiago Jimenez were both shut out.
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