7/28/2023
The 11th Power Rankings were all about the Stakes as Jose Zunino gets few chances each week yet he is a monster in Stakes and swept the Washington State Legislators Stakes on Our Lyla Grace and the last Longacres Mile Prep in the Governor’s Stakes with Slew’s Tiz Whiz and is set to defend his Longacres Mile Championship with Slew.
Meantime, the heated race for the top jock award continued last week with Alex Cruz shaving off another win to pull within 3 by the end of last week of Luis Negron. Cruz led all riders with 4 wins, Negron scored 2 wins on Sunday to keep his lead to 3. Here’s our 11th Power Rankings of the 2023 season!
The Red Hot Mover of the Week!
#1 Jose Zunino
Jose Zunino is our RED HOT MOVER of the week! Zunino has just 62 mounts on the year which not even an average of 2 rides per day. Yet Zunino is a beast in Stakes races. Zunino has ridden in 8 of the 10 possible stakes races including the State Legislator’s and Governor’s Stakes this past weekend in which won both! He won with Our Lyla Grace at 14-1 in the Leg Stakes and took the Gov with Slew’s Tiz Whiz at 2-1. Amazingly Zunino’s record in the 8 stakes races he has ridden is 2-3-2 or a 29% win rate and an 88% top 3 clip. The lone miss was a 5th place finish. On top of that his average odds when he wins and in all 8 races is 8-1 so he not on these odds-on big favorites. The lowest odds he’s been on was last Sunday on Slew’s Tiz Whiz at 9-5. Zunino is RED HOT when it counts the most.
#2 Alex Cruz
Alex Cruz was #1 and our Red Hot Mover last week and followed up by winning 4, more than anyone else. Cruz finished the weekend with 22 rides and a record of 4-7-3-3 for an 18% win percent and 73% top 4 finish. Cruz added to his Friday win streak to 21 straight weeks and has pulled within 3 of leading rider Luis Negron.
Blazer of the Week!
#3 Silvio Amador
Silvio Amador is our Blazer of the week! Amador has been sensational as of late with picking up wins on limited opportunities and moreover upping his underneath finishes. This past week he was one of four who tripled and ended the week with a 25% win rate and 75% top 4 with a record of 3-2-2-2 from 12 starts.
#4 Rocco Bowen
Rocco Bowen had his best week since coming back to ride and knocked down some big numbers after his 1st 3-day schedule at Emerald. Bowen was 3-7-6-1 from 20 starts, His win percent was 15% and he was in the superfecta 85% of the time, Bowen starting to get comfortable in his old stomping grounds.
#5 Luis Negron
Luis Negron was struggling with just 1 win going into Sunday and then he got a tight on an odds-on shot in the 5th and then went wire-to-wire in the finale on another odds-on choice to triple for the weekend. However, both wins came after Alex Cruz had won twice and pulled within 1 win of Negron. Luis rallied for a pair of wins to push his lead back to 3. Negron finished the week with a 3-1-4-3 record from 16 starts for a win rate of 19% and top 4 at 68%.
#6 Isaias Enriquez
Isaias Enriquez bounced back with a triple after a couple of slow weeks. Enriquez also took 2nd in the Governor’s Stakes. The wiley veteran finished the week 3-1-2-0 from 11 starts and won at a 27% win clip and top 4 rate of 55%.
#7 Kevin Radke
Kevin Radke fell a few notches after 2 red hot weeks but still picked up a pair of wins. Radke for the 1st time this year finished the week without a show placing but was 2-3-0-3 from 17 mounts winning at a 12% rate and hitting the board 47%. He remains solidly in 3rd place in the standings.
#8 Alexis Valdes
Alexis Valdes leads off the final 3 with each scoring a win. Valdes rode just 5 horses last week making his 1 win a 20% rate and fnished 1-0-1-1 for a 60% top 4 rate.
#9 Carlos Montalvo
Carlos Montalvo coming off a hot week with a stakes win also only got 5 rides but did make one of them count and got in the winners circle also winning at 20%. Montalvo finished the week with a 1-0-0-1 record for a 40% top 4 rate.
#10 Kevin Orozco
Kevin Orozco rounds out the top 10 and gets back on the Power Rankings. Orozco finished the week with a 1-0-0-2 record from 8 starts for a 13% win percent and top 4 finish rate of 38%.
One other note apprentice Welfin Orantes made his 2nd and 3rd starts at Emerald Downs and hit the board for the 1st time with a 3rd place finish. We expect Welfin to get more opportunities with the weight advantage in the next few weeks.
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