7/12/2024

(Auburn, WA) Our 10th Power Rankings of the season covers last week’s racing from July , 6 and 7. A couple of the Veterans were quick to remind everyone why they are former Champions and both Longacres Mile winners and can do it from all angles and all odds. Leslie Mawing and Juan Gutierrez won 7 of the 24 races this weekend which is 30% of the total races. 

Alex Cruz had his 4 week run snapped as he had a solid week but not close enough to hold onto #1. Karlo Lopez had another strong week as did Carlos Montalvo and Kevin Orozco. Let’s get to this week’s Power Rankings!

2024 Power Rankings #10

#1 Leslie Mawing (Last Week unranked)

Leslie Mawing has been toiling a bit with some solid weeks and then some less than where he’d like to be. Well this last week he put it all together with a triple at an average addos of 13-1 blowing up the toteboard. Mawing also had a great ride in the King County Express bringing in Bodi Zafa 2nd at 8-1 with a nice career debut run in the stake taking 2nd. Mawing is a former champ and 2 time Longacres Mile winner and you cannot dismiss him especially if he’s got odds. Mawing finished the week 3-2-0-2 from 11 mounts for a 27% win rate and 64% top 4 finish and rockets to the top of the PR’s.

#2 Juan Gutierez (Last Week unranked)

Another veteran who was unranked last week but blew up on Sunday winning 3 of the 1st 4 races and finishing with 4 wins a place and 2 4ths for a massive 44% win rate and 78% superfecta finish. It was a coin toss for the top spot between he and Mawing but we gave Mawing the slight edge because of the strong finish in the Stakes race. Gutierrez raised his overall win percent to 32% on the year. Guti is back, simple as that!

#3 Karlo Lopez (Last week #4)

Karlo Lopez had one of his best weeks of the season coming off his worst week 2 weeks ago he has certainly corrected himself. He also won his 1st stakes race and could have easily been #1 or #2 but he finished with 3 wins from 19 rides for just a 16% win rate. He continues to rack up on the board finishes with a record of 3-4-5-1 and is still trying to convert more of those 2nds into wins. He jumped from 16% win rate to 68% top 4 finish and moves up 1 in this week’s poll.

#4 Kevin Orozco (Last week at #8)

A couple of years ago Kevin Orozco was the top Stakes rider and he got his 1st Stakes win of 2024 with a big win in the Angie C with Precise Timing for trainer Kay Cooper. It was reported that Orozco kind of talked the connections into running in the Angie C despite it being Precise Timing’s 1st career start. Orozco also had 2 other wins on the week for his best week of the season, he makes a big move up the charts. Orozco was 3-0-1-1 from 8 starts for a 36% win clip.

#5 Carlos Montalvo (Last week #7)

Carlos Montalvo looked like he might run away with the top spot this week after tripling on Frireworks night. He would not add to that win total though and finished 3-1-2-3 from 11 starts and was a 25% win percent for the week and 75% top 4. His big win was the feature race on Fireworks night with 8-1 Whiskeyjack. Montalvo moves up 2 spots to #5.

#6 Kevin Krigger (Last week #5)

Kevin Krigger continues to win at a blistering pace and is tied with Juan Gutierrez for the highest win percent both at 32%. Krigger had a pair of wins this past week along with 4 2nds from just 7 mounts fvor an incredible 86% exacta finish. Krigger is still trying to break through in the Stakes races but you keep putting up numbers like this it’s gonna be tough to ignore him. Krigger another former riding Champ making a splash.

#7 Alex Cruz (Last week #1)

You can say Alex Cruz had an off week but he still went 2-5-2-3 getting more 2nd than usual and from 20 mounts so he won at 10% but finiished in the top 4 at 60%. Pretty silly to think he would stay on top for the rest of the season but we doubt Cruz will be out of the mix for long. Ignore him at your own risk.

#8 Isaias Enriquez (Last week #3)

Isaias Enriquez drops this week after tallying 1 win and finishing 1-1-2 from just 8 mounts for a 13% win rate and 50% top 3 finish percent. Enriquez remains a reliable rider and is always one to consider when he is in the saddle he is going to remain a force for the entire season.

#9 Luis Reyes (Last Week #6)

Although Luis Reyes drops a few spots that can happen when you grind out solid week after solid week and that is what Reyes is doing. He had 2 wins again last week but his top 4 rate remains on the low side so he gets knocked a littel bit for that. Reyes was 2-0-5-0 from 17 starts for a 41% top 4 percent. 

#10 David Martin (Last week unranked)

David Martin got his 2nd win of the season on a beautiful ride on Firewalker at big odds rolling up from well off the pace. Martin is such a hard worker getting the most oout of his limited attempts and deserves a spot in the top 10 this week.

**Honorable Mention Connie Doll

We have to pull out the seldom used Honorable Mention this week for Connie Doll who rode for the 1st time since September of 2022 due to injuries. She got back on a ride in the 1st race on Sunday and finished 4th. Just the fact Connie is even back but hitting the board in her 1st ride back deserves big time Honorable Mention! 

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