PVal Back In Cali

[Gate Dancer]

The Steve Howe of jockeys................

[Danzig]

i'm sure this time 'round, he'll do everything juuuust right. goodness knows those permanent ban threats are scary.

[cakes44]

This matters little. He is a shadow of his former self, and his style of riding isn't as successful on synthetics as dirt as well.

[Patrick333]

I wish him the best. I hope he makes it this time.

He's riding a Warren cripple on Wednesday.

[2Hot4TV]

Pat's back,,,,,,,seemed like he's be gone for a life time!

[CSC]

Originally Posted by cakes44

This matters little. He is a shadow of his former self, and his style of riding isn't as successful on synthetics as dirt as well.

Tyler's misfortune looks to be P Val's good fortune, I wouldn't be surprised if he flashes some of his former form this meet IF he gets the mounts, and why shouldn't he be able to ride well on synth? Assuming that riding on synth is an extension of riding on turf.

[Travis Stone]

He's been riding at Louisiana Downs the past few seasons... he still rides well, looks like a top-class rider and rarely (if ever) put a bad ride on a horse.

[CSC]

Originally Posted by Travis Stone

He's been riding at Louisiana Downs the past few seasons... he still rides well, looks like a top-class rider and rarely (if ever) put a bad ride on a horse.

Travis, you see him more than anyone here, in your opinion does he still possess the drive and aggression that once made him one of the best riders in the game? By that I mean, some riders lose it after riding so many years in the game. Ie. Solis. P Val to me has always looked like a guy that loved what he was doing and to me he would ride until he was 70 if the body was able.

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by CSC

Travis, you see him more than anyone here, in your opinion does he still possess the drive and aggression that once made him one of the best riders in the game? By that I mean, some riders lose it after riding so many years in the game. Ie. Solis. P Val to me has always looked like a guy that loved what he was doing and to me he would ride until he was 70 if the body was able.

La. Downs does not have top class racing by any stretch. He was out there with the rest of them - riding $5k claimers and trying hard. Does that make him a top class rider? No, but he has to make a living like everyone else.

It's interesting when you call races... you notice two types of riders... the really good ones, and the horrendous ones. I remember a few distinct things about P-Val... if he makes the lead, he knows how to back the horse down. Rarely did he set insanely fast paces while on the lead. He looks very "streamlined" in the saddle relative to his peers here.

The second, and this is inconsequential, but he had a hard time rating really head-strong horses. I think that's just because he had a few instances where the horse went nuts on him, not anything related to his ability, but none the less I noticed.

For what it's worth... what I've noticed at LAD over the past few years... I was lucky to call Joe Talamo's first win (he almost blew it) and he was one who stood out right from the start. Francisco Torres never seemed to be in a bad spot. Anna Roberts knows how to relax a horse on the lead, she just has to finish better, and she's getting better in that regard. Richard Eramia always seems to put horses in the right spots. Finally, Iram Diego is underrated.