Barn Notes: Sunday, May 8, 2016

• Jose Valdivia, Jr. Riding to the Top Again
• New Orleans Lady Impresses in Arlington Debut
• Defending Champion Jockey Valdivia Lands Four Wins Saturday

JOSE VALDIVIA, JR. RIDING TO THE TOP AGAIN

In 2015, Jose Valdivia, Jr. shifted his tack to Arlington International Racecourse in search of a fresh start. The journeyman rider who began his North American riding career at Belmont Park in 1994 credits trainer Wesley Ward for spurring him to make the move. He began riding for Ward as an apprentice in California, until the trainer moved his string east. Years later, when Valdivia was riding in Delaware, Ward shipped in his runners and gave Valdivia the mounts, and the pair began winning races together again.

“[Wesley Ward] was the one that brought it up to me,” Valdivia recalled. “He said, ‘if I can get you a top agent, would you be willing to go somewhere else?’”

The jockey jumped at the chance. “It’s all about having either the right agent, or the right outfit to ride for. In Florida, we weren’t doing very good – I was coming off an injury – and he was the only one helping me at the time.”

Wesley Ward recommended jockey agent Steve Leving, who had once held Ward’s own book when he was riding. At first, Valdivia says, he was unsure about using someone who hadn’t been an agent in over 20 years. But Ward didn’t have to work too hard to convince Valdivia.

“[Ward] said, ‘he’s very knowledgeable, and you need a top agent. You will be leading rider,’” said Valdivia. “Those were his words. So I jumped at the opportunity. He was true to his word.”

The rider went on to recount the trainer’s advice. “He said, ‘listen, you just have to start winning, because people want to see you win. Once you start winning, everything comes together. Nobody is going to question you if I put you on a horse in a stakes race. You have the experience. But if you’re not even winning, people will say, oh, he’s no good anymore. So you need to win, and sometimes you need to go wherever you can do it.’ I was lucky enough to win the title and go on and have a very good second half of the year after that.”

Valdivia earned 80 wins in 2015 to secure the title of Arlington’s leading rider. He then went on to have successful fall and winter seasons, riding winners at Keeneland and Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. While Valdivia has traveled across the world to ride for Ward, he says he is very happy to be back at Arlington for another season. He carries a quiet confidence that he will take the title for leading rider again, despite a summer schedule that may cause him to miss a few days at the Illinois track.

“Everybody says, ‘oh you’ve got to do even better,’” Valdivia said. “But I have a really good agent; we started off yesterday with a bunch of seconds, and luckily we broke off and had a win. I want to win every race that I’m out there. If it comes our way, it comes; if it doesn’t because I’m traveling and losing time, then so be it. More than anything I would love to win the most races here. I’m just going to be thankful to have the opportunity to do it again. Whatever comes my way I’ll be very thankful for it.”

Valdivia is grateful for where he is today, but he never stops dreaming of getting back to the very top of the sport. In 2011 he got a taste of Triple Crown glory when he guided Ruler On Ice to a win in the Grade I Belmont Stakes for trainer Kelly Breen. In 2001 he won the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Mile on Val Royal (FR) for Julio Canani, and finished second aboard Rail Trip in the 2012 Grade I Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile for Ron Ellis. Those memories keep him pushing to reach the highest level of racing once again.

“I was able to taste some of the heights, and I’ve been in some of the lows where you feel like nobody wants to touch you with a 10 foot pole. You always look forward to the big days. I wish I was one of those 20 riding in the [Kentucky] Derby. I was able to experience it, and once you get a little taste for the big one, you always want to go back to it. I’ve always felt like I belong – I’ve won a couple of those big races – so when I wake up in the morning I’m hopeful to get on the next American Pharoah, the next Secretariat, the horse that takes you up there. You deal with your daily business first, but we’re all chasing the good horse. Owners, trainers, jockeys – we’re all chasing the good horse because there’s nothing like it.”

Riding for trainers like Wesley Ward has been a much-needed breath of fresh air for a jockey who felt his career had gone stale.

“You can get to the bottom but as long as you’re in the starting gate, you have a chance,” Valdivia tells. “It came to be that I wasn’t feeling that opportunity anymore, and I began second guessing myself, and then Wesley came through. I started riding better quality horses, and now he’s sending me all over the place. He’s had enough confidence to ride me during Derby week where we won with a two-year-old, he sent me to Ascot, and it’s really made it more enjoyable where I don’t think of it as a job.”

Valdivia smiles as he adds, “It’s been fun. I told [Ward] last week, when we were working horses at Keeneland, I said, ‘you know, you made riding, for me, fun again. This is what I’ve always loved, and for a couple of years there it became a job.’”

The jockey seems to be thriving since the change in locale just over a year ago. He is excited for the future without feeling the pressures of where his mounts will take him or when.

“I love coming to the track every day, I love going out of town to ride, so he’s made riding fun for me again. I think when I’m riding that way I’m so relaxed, and things play into my hands a lot better. You ride with a clearer mind; there’s no pressure whatsoever. I love what I do. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do. There’s no pressure when you’re doing something you really enjoy.”

#nolaNEW ORLEANS LADY IMPRESSES IN ARLINGTON DEBUT

In Friday’s sixth race on the card at Arlington International Racecourse, trainer Michael Stidham sent out New Orleans Lady in the second start of her career. The three-year-old filly, who made her debut in March at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in a 5½-furlong maiden special weight on the dirt, went off favored in the betting and delivered an eye-catching win for her owners Twin Creeks Racing Stables. The partnership, made up of Randy Gullat and Steve Davison, purchased the daughter of Unbridled’s Song at the 2014 Keeneland September Yearling sale for $190,000. Gullatt, who picked her from the sale, was impressed with the build of the young horse who he described as “very athletic.” With her conformation and a pedigree that makes her closely related to Grade II winner Tiz Wonderful, the filly seemed a good fit for their stable.

“Tiz Wonderful had a lot of talent,” explains Gullatt. “We are big fans of Unbridled Song – we think he’s a leading broodmare sire – so our hope is to get black type with her and for her to join our broodmare band in a few years.”

Ridden by Jose Valdivia, Jr. in both her starts, the filly improved second time out, making the front early and opening up with quick fractions of 22.4 and 45.4 for the first half of the one-mile trip on the Polytrack. She extended her lead to four lengths entering the stretch and finished with a final time of 1:38.0 to win by 1½ lengths over Majestic Megan. It was another 9¼ lengths back to Sister Ceari in third.

“Mike has always thought that she likes a firmer footing, but she has trained very well on that surface prior to the race, so we were very comfortable with turf or the synthetic,” said Gullatt. “Hopefully we can move forward with another race and maybe see some stakes company later this summer.”

Gullatt says they are watching the condition book to see what becomes available, and are open to running her on either the Polytrack or the turf when the right race presents itself. For now, they will see how their filly continues to train, keeping in mind a few possible stakes races in July.

“[The Arlington Oaks] would be a terrific race for her. That would be a great race for her resume, so hopefully she says yes to something like that,” Gullatt added. “I’m sure we’re going to run her in an allowance race in her next start, so we’ll take one race at a time, and hopefully she will progress to that this summer.”

DEFENDING CHAMPION JOCKEY VALDIVIA LANDS FOUR WINS SATURDAY

Arlington International Racecourse’s defending riding champion Jose Valdivia, Jr. wasted little time finding his way to the top of the 2016 jockey standings after landing four wins on Saturday’s card.

Valdivia hit the board with his first two mounts of the day before sweeping the Twinspires.com Late Pick-4, providing his fans with a clean sweep of the $178 sequence.

Valdivia won the day’s fifth race aboard Cristel Racing Stable’s Mark Cristel-trained Rip Roarin Ritchie ($19.20), landed the sixth for owner-trainer Hugh Robertson with Cavu ($4.60), and then added the day’s final double with Family Tree Racing Stable’s Wayne Catalano-trained No Flowers ($8) and Carolyn Wilson’s Reap ($4.80) for 2015 leading trainer Larry Rivelli.