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Erick Rodriguez and Chris Grove
Photo Credit: Jim McCue/MJC
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LAUREL, MD. 04-09-10---The 15-week Laurel Park winter meeting ended today with Erick Rodriguez and Chris Grove winning individual titles. The 51-day stand began at the central Maryland track on Jan. 1. Seven live cards were cancelled due to inclement weather.
Grove won his first training title, coming from behind in the final week of the meet to edge Scott Lake 27-25, who has won 12 of the last 16 training titles at Laurel and Pimlico Race Course. Grove began the final week two wins behind Lake, but the Frederick native moved into a first place tie with a two-win day Wednesday afternoon, took the lead Thursday with a score and then won another race Friday. Both conditioners had a pair of victories on today’s closing card.
The 40-year-old won five stakes races during the stand, including the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie and General George Handicaps on Feb. 15 with Sweet Goodbye and Greenspring respectively and topped all conditioners with $653,480 in earnings.
“The best part is that I am not a claiming trainer so we did this by winning stakes and allowance races,” said Grove, who won six races from 12 starters this week. “This is for the entire barn from the exercise riders to the grooms and hot walkers. About three weeks ago I told them we had a shot at winning this and they all wanted it.”
Rodriguez topped the rider standings with 55 first place finishes, 20 more than Harry Vega. A top ten rider in Maryland since 2003, Rodriguez had 15 multiple win days during the meet and won at a 24.7% rate. The 30-year-old also took the 2009 fall stand and has won 108 races at Laurel since last September.
“I am really happy,” Rodriguez said. ”I have been riding good horses for top trainers and now expect to win.”
Ben Mondello and Adam Russo won the owner standings, finishing first 11 times, two more than PTK LLC.
Live racing shifts to historic Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, April 17 for the six-week spring meet, headlined by the 135th running of the Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel of racing’s Triple Crown, on May 15. First post for opening day is 1:10 p.m.
Opening day at Old Hilltop will feature a ceremony honoring former Pimlico general manager Chick Lang, who passed away last month, the $70,000 Henry Clark Stakes and a “halftime” concert in-between the fifth and sixth races featuring country music star Steve Azar.
-MJC-