LAUREL, MD—Alberto Delgado, who earned Eclipse Award honors as the Champion Apprentice Jockey in 1982, recorded his first win as a trainer when In Honor of Jeff rallied from last in Sunday’s sixth race at Laurel Park, a $12,500 non-winners-of-two claimer for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs.
It was the ninth starter saddled by Delgado, who retired from riding to train full-time on December 28.
“It feels great. I ran a couple of horses, and they were not running well,” said Delgado. “Even though this horse was training well, you just don’t know. I’m just speechless right now.”
Jockey Jean Briceno didn’t receive any pre-race instructions from Delgado. “I hated it when [trainers] gave me instructions,” Delgado admitted. “Sometimes it took me off my game.”
The pace was electric as favored Manseeyasway and Clavin sparred through an opening quarter in 22.27 seconds. Manseeyasway dueled with Clavin and Gallo on the turn, beat back Neverworkedaday’s mid-race bid, but was softened up enough for the closers.
Kitty’s Son kicked up the fence nicely, but Briceno had the slow-breaking In Honor of Jeff in full stride on the far outside. At the wire, it was In Honor of Jeff by a neck in 1:13.32 over the fast track. Kitty’s Son was second, a half-length ahead of Manseeyasway.
“When I saw that 22, I was still worried that he was a little too far back, but he kicked in at the top of the lane,” Delgado stated.
Delgado, a second-generation jockey from Carolina, Puerto Rico, was a hit from his first ride, winning 245 races during his Eclipse Award-winning season. On Aug. 16, 1982, he rode five consecutive winners at Delaware, then drove to Timonium, where he swept the late daily double. He surpassed the 200-win mark in each of the next four years.
According to a July 17, 1990, Washington Times article by Rick Snider, Delgado broke his collarbone in 1987 and again in 1988.
Some things don’t change for horsemen. Delgado is currently nursing his fourth broken collarbone, the result of a morning spill on Preakness Saturday.
“I was galloping a horse. She stumbled, fell, and I broke my collarbone,” Delgado said.
From 1993 to 1996, Delgado won more than 120 races each year. In 1995, he guided Oliver’s Twist to victory in Pimlico’s Grade 3 Federico Tesio Stakes. Four weeks later, Delgado and Oliver’s Twist finished second in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of the Triple Crown.
During a sojourn in Southern California in 2013, Delgado rode California Chrome in five of the colt’s first six starts, including a maiden special weight victory and a 2¾-length win in the $100,000 Graduation Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park.
California Chrome won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in 2014 under jockey Victor Espinoza. He retired with earnings of $14,752,650.
Delgado, 61, retired from riding with a record of 2,951 wins in 25,534 rides and career earnings of $42,072,982. He earned 115 stakes wins, including 10 graded triumphs, and won five Maryland Million races.
Bred in Maryland by John and Gina Robb’s No Guts No Glory Farm, In Honor of Jeff is a 3-year-old gelding by Madefromlucky. He won one of five starts for the Robbs before Delgado acquired him.
“When he was an apprentice rider, I was his biggest fan,” Gina Robb said of Delgado. “I used to wait outside the [jock’s room] when I was about 10 years old. It’s really cool.”
In Honor of Jeff holds a special place in Gina Robb’s heart. He was named after a dear friend who served as a second father to her while she was growing up.
Delgado noted that a training win doesn’t feel the same as a riding victory.
“It’s a different emotion,” he said. “I feel like I’m watching my kids play a game, and they’re winning. It’s great. I love it.”
*Around the track:
Unbeaten 3-year-old Doubting Thomas, unraced since wiring the field in Colonial’s Jamestown Stakes on August 23, breezed a half-mile on turf around the dogs on Sunday morning for trainer Mike Trombetta.
*Jockey Yedsit Hazlewood rode two winners on Sunday. The meet’s leading rider wired the field in the third race aboard trainer Keri Brion’s Christmas Jones ($5). Hazlewood then rallied from off the pace with Cactus ($5.60) in the featured seventh.
*Jockey Brittany Scampton scored a riding double, pushing the early pace on Ginger Girl ($9.60, trainer Joanne Shankle) and Woodline ($5.20, Rudy Sanchez-Salomon).
Live racing resumes Friday with a nine-race card featuring two “Value Pick 5” wagers, each with a low 12% takeout. The first race is at 12 pm ET.
The free “Laurel Park Handicapping Guide” is available on every race day. It provides picks, analysis, trainer stats, trip notes, horses to watch, track bias info, and more from The Maryland Jockey Club’s team of handicappers. Friday’s guide is available Thursday afternoon. Click here to view it.
Enjoy live racing action and fine wine at Laurel Park’s “Rosé on the Rail” celebration on Sunday, June 14, at 12 pm. Join for an afternoon crafted for rosé lovers, race fans, and summer Sundays done right. Rosé on the Rail pairs live horse racing with a curated tasting of refreshing wines, light bites, and scenic rail-side views. For tickets and more information, visit here.
Celebrate Father’s Day at Laurel Park with an unforgettable afternoon of live horse racing, hospitality, and prime race views. Treat Dad to a day at the races on Sunday, June 21, with an all-inclusive Father’s Day experience featuring thrilling live racing, great food, a wager voucher, and a complimentary Old Fashioned upon arrival. For ticketing and more information, visit here.
Never miss a second of the action on the Laurel Park YouTube channel. Click here to watch full pan and head-on replays.
Watch “Today at the Races,” the Maryland Jockey Club’s morning handicapping show every racing day at 11 am ET on the Maryland Jockey Club X account. Click here to watch.
