Smart Move By Valdivia

[Rupert Pupkin]

Jose Valdivia was always in the same spot in the jockey standings in Southern California. Every single meet, he was always 15th or 16th in the standings. He's not a bad jockey but there are about 15 guys out here that are better than him.

He won 4 races in the first 4 months of 2010 out here. Then he moved back east to ride at Delaware and Monmouth. In 3 months, he has alread won over 40 races on the east coast. I'd say he made a good move. I think winning over 40 races in 3 months is slightly better than winning 4 races in 4 months. I'm sure he wishes he made the move a long time ago.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

I'm sure he wishes he made the move a long time ago.

How many guys riding at racino dumps with similar "ability" - if you can call it that - end up later regretting that they didn't try to make it at a major circuit like Valdivia did?

How many, at best, meat and potato jocks wish they could have ridden excellent horses like Big Jag, Val Royal, Aldebaran, Heat Haze, Singletary, Rail Trip to wins in major races?

He's 6th in the standings at Delaware where the meets leading rider is Anna Rosie Napravnick. I agree that it was without a doubt the right move to make and he's making more money now ... but he got over for a long, long time in So. Cal.

Think of a guy like Kerwin John ... he rode regularly at Mountaineer Park in 2003 and was a 3% jockey there. You could have taken a poll of trainers asking to rate the top 20 jockeys at MNR and no one would have named Kerwin. The very next year - he's 8th in the standings at Del Mar and has more wins and a higher win percentage than a very accomplished jockey like Mike Smith.

He goes from a 3% win percentage and having no luck finding a decent mount anywhere in West Virginia in 2003 - to having three mounts on the Breeders Cup card in 2004. One of them, Island Fashion, was like 5/1 or so in the $2 million BC Distaff off her win in the Lady's Secret last out.

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

How many guys riding at racino dumps with similar "ability" - if you can call it that - end up later regretting that they didn't try to make it at a major circuit like Valdivia did?

How many, at best, meat and potato jocks wish they could have ridden excellent horses like Big Jag, Val Royal, Aldebaran, Heat Haze, Singletary, Rail Trip to wins in major races?

He's 6th in the standings at Delaware where the meets leading rider is Anna Rosie Napravnick. I agree that it was without a doubt the right move to make and he's making more money now ... but he got over for a long, long time in So. Cal.

Think of a guy like Kerwin John ... he rode regularly at Mountaineer Park in 2003 and was a 3% jockey there. You could have taken a poll of trainers asking to rate the top 20 jockeys at MNR and no one would have named Kerwin. The very next year - he's 8th in the standings at Del Mar and has more wins and a higher win percentage than a very accomplished jockey like Mike Smith.

He goes from a 3% win percentage and having no luck finding a decent mount anywhere in West Virginia in 2003 - to having three mounts on the Breeders Cup card in 2004. One of them, Island Fashion, was like 5/1 or so in the $2 million BC Distaff off her win in the Lady's Secret last out.

Maybe you can be an agent for him.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

Maybe you can be an agent for him.

Kerwin was 0 for the entire meet at PID last year.

The story goes ... and I don't know how true this is ... but it's what I heard from a couple of Mountaineer Park trainers when I asked them how a guy can go from not being able to crack the top 35 in the standing at MNR one year - to being in the top 8 at Del Mar the next year and having live Breeders Cup mounts ...

They told me that when Kerwin went to So. Cal, he got hooked up with a big husky long time security guard that would work the stable gates .. and a lot of trainers got to know him and like him over the years.

He became a new jocks agent, and a lot of different trainers helped him out and looked to find a cheaper live one for Kerwin and him and they took off and had a big year together.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

How many guys riding at racino dumps with similar "ability" - if you can call it that - end up later regretting that they didn't try to make it at a major circuit like Valdivia did?

How many, at best, meat and potato jocks wish they could have ridden excellent horses like Big Jag, Val Royal, Aldebaran, Heat Haze, Singletary, Rail Trip to wins in major races?

He's 6th in the standings at Delaware where the meets leading rider is Anna Rosie Napravnick. I agree that it was without a doubt the right move to make and he's making more money now ... but he got over for a long, long time in So. Cal.

Think of a guy like Kerwin John ... he rode regularly at Mountaineer Park in 2003 and was a 3% jockey there. You could have taken a poll of trainers asking to rate the top 20 jockeys at MNR and no one would have named Kerwin. The very next year - he's 8th in the standings at Del Mar and has more wins and a higher win percentage than a very accomplished jockey like Mike Smith.

He goes from a 3% win percentage and having no luck finding a decent mount anywhere in West Virginia in 2003 - to having three mounts on the Breeders Cup card in 2004. One of them, Island Fashion, was like 5/1 or so in the $2 million BC Distaff off her win in the Lady's Secret last out.

I'm not saying that it wasn't worth a try for Valdivia to ride in Southern California. You give it a shot for a few years and if it doesn't work out then you go to a smaller circuit. Jose just wasted too many years out here. He had been struglling for a really long time. He had been riding out here for at least the last 10 years or so. I don't think he was ever in the top 15 out here for the last 5 years.

I don't know what your point was about Kerwin John. Kerwin John can't win a race out here. If a guy is struggling at Monmouth, he has no chance to make it in Southern California. He could get lucky for a short period of time but it's not going to last.

Southern California has always been the major league. If a guy can't make it in the minor league, he's not going to make it in the majors. When in a guy from the majors goes to the minors, he will usually do well. There are several examples of this. M. C. Baze is 2nd leading rider at Arlington right now. I think Corey Nakatani was leading rider at Oaklawn this year.

Valdivia can't be leading rider at Delaware because he doesn't ride there enough. He's splitting his time between Delaware and Monmouth. He has even ridden at Belmont and Philly Park. He's won about 45 races in the past 3 months compared to winning 4 races in 4 months on the west coast. This is a case of a guy going from the major leagues to the minor leagues so he will obviously do much better against the much easier competition back east.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

I don't think he was ever in the top 15 out here for the last 5 years.

He was 6th in the standings at Hollywood Parks summer meet in 2007.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

He was 6th in the standings at Hollywood Parks summer meet in 2007.

That is one meet. How did he do at the other 24 meets the last 5 years in Southern California?

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

That is one meet. How did he do at the other 24 meets the last 5 years out here?

I agree with you that he's a total bum ... I was just correcting your mistake.

He finished 10th at Hollywood's Fall Meet in 2008 even though he only had 86 mounts to Bejarno's 241. He was tied for 5th with Rosario in win percentage at that meet, only Bejarano, Gomez, Espinoza, and Baze were higher.

It's all about opportunity. When these guys without much ability finally fall out of favor - they tank. Just as a guy without an ounce of ability will put up big surprising numbers if they stumble into opportunity.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

I think Corey Nakatani was leading rider at Oaklawn this year.

Terry Thompson was leading rider at Oaklawn.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Terry Thompson was leading rider at Oaklawn.

That is the point. There are only a handful of great jockeys out there and most of them are in Southern California. If you're 10th in the standings out here, you can be leading rider or close to the leading rider at most other tracks.