Apprentice Correa eyes Aqueduct move
Three wins on an April day for bug boy Julio Correa. Photo by Jim McCue, Maryland Jockey Club.
Laurel Park-based jockey Julio Correa, leading all apprentice riders in the country in wins, will be moving his tack to New York next month.
The 25-year-old native of Caguas, Puerto Rico guided Smart Angle’s 3-year-old filly Yesterdaysplan to a head victory over favored Esterina in the $50,000 Distaff Starter Handicap on Saturday for his first victory in Maryland Million competition.
Correa, represented in Maryland by Mark Mace, will have a new agent when he arrives in New York for Aqueduct’s fall meet, which opens Nov. 1. Correa rode twice at Aqueduct last winter after launching his pro career, landing in Maryland full-time in mid-March.
“I’m going to move to Aqueduct in the middle of November, the 14th or 15th. That’s my plan. My agent right now, he’s taking care of it,” Correa said. “I’ll have a new agent there. I’m excited. It’s a dream of every jockey to ride there. When I first started riding, I dreamed about riding there. If I keep doing good, I hope to stay there.”
Correa captured four races on closing day to finish with 43 for Laurel Park’s summer meet and become the first apprentice to win its riding title since Yomar Ortiz at the winter 2013 stand.
A rider’s one-year apprenticeship begins after victory No. 5, which for Correa came Feb. 18 at Parx. Through Sunday’s program at Laurel, he had 110 wins and nearly $2.9 million in career purse earnings according to Equibase statistics. South Florida-based Cristian Torres had 98 wins and more than $2.7 million in purses earned.
LATEST RACING NEWS
Despite EHV, Laurel Park expecting stakes to hold together
A case of equine herpesvirus has a Laurel Park barn under quarantine and led to fears about Saturday’s stakes card – but early returns are promising.
Muad’dib heads rugged Confucius Say field
Coastal Mission won’t be in Saturday’s Confucius Say at Charles Town Races, but just about every other major local older horse, including Muad’dib, will be.
Charles Town jockeys and trainers to watch
Which Charles Town jockeys and trainers are winning more than their odds would predict? We crunch the numbers.
Mid-Atlantic Three Stars: April 15
Your five-minute read to catch up on all the Mid-Atlantic racing action you may have missed over the weekend…
Coastal Mission wins Whiteley thriller
Coastal Mission edged Prince of Jericho in a thriller in the Frank Whiteley Stakes at Laurel Park, one of four stakes on the day.
Intrepid Dream powers to fifth straight in Heavenly Cause
Intrepid Dream won her first stake and fifth straight race over three years, and jockey Jevian Toledo won two stakes at Laurel Park Saturday.