12th Maryland-Based Rider to Earn Outstanding Apprentice Honors
Video Interview

LAUREL, MD – Newly crowned Eclipse Award champion Alexander Crispin celebrated his milestone achievement Friday the best way he knew how – with yet another multi-win day at Laurel Park.

Crispin guided Non Stop Stable, D Z Stable and Foard Wilgis’ 3-year-old gelding Pirate’s Palace ($7) to a maiden-breaking triumph in Race 2, his second mount since being named champion apprentice Thursday night. He also won Race 6 aboard Ed Merryman owned-and-trained Solea ($6).

The 22-year-old Crispin, who leads Laurel’s ongoing winter meet with 22 wins, is the 12th Maryland-based rider to be named champion apprentice and third in eight years following Victor Carrasco (2013) and Weston Hamilton (2018), both of whom remain part of the jockey colony.

Other winners have been Hall of Famers Chris McCarron (1974) and Kent Desormeaux (1987), along with Ronnie Franklin (1978), Alberto Delgado (1982), Allen Stacy (1986), Mike Luzzi (1989), Mark Johnston (1990), Jeremy Rose (2001) and Ryan Fogelsonger (2002).

“I would like to thank God for keeping me healthy and safe throughout the year. Thank you to all the voters who voted for me. This award will always be very special to me,” Crispin said during the 50th Eclipse Awards ceremony, held virtually for the first time amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Thank you to all the owners, trainers and staff for letting me ride their horses. Without you guys, this award wouldn’t be possible,” he added. “I would like to thank my agents, Kevin Witte and Mark Mace, for their hard work and dedication [and jockeys] Alex Cintron and Joseph Ramos, for being such a big part of my year. Thank you everyone for making all this possible.”

All three finalists taped an acceptance speech without the knowledge of who won. Crispin, who said he will retain his five-pound weight allowance through April 25, watched the online broadcast from his apartment.

“It was a big excitement I couldn’t contain. Before the moment they announced my name I got really nervous and really anxious. Once they said my name my excitement grew. I was really happy,” Crispin said.

“Once they announced my name, my phone started ringing. My family started calling me, being happy and celebrating with me,” he added. “It was something super big for me and super big for them. They’re really proud.”

Crispin registered five multi-win days through Laurel’s first six live programs in 2021 and has seven overall, including back-to-back four-win efforts Jan. 3 and 8 and a six-mount win streak Jan. 8-9. He has won at least one race on 10 of 13 racing days.

His victories have come for 13 different trainers, winning multiple times for Merryman, Mike Trombetta, Dale and Gary Capuano, Charlie Frock and four-time defending Maryland champion Claudio Gonzalez.

“He works real hard,” Gary Capuano said. “He’s out there every morning. He gets a lot of run out of horses. He’s very patient. Horses run for him and he does a good job keep[ing] them out of trouble.”

Crispin graduated from Puerto Rico’s famed Escuela Vocacional Hipica in December 2019 and made his pro debut last Jan. 1 at Hipodromo Camarero. After coming to the U.S. late last winter, Cripsin was fifth in his mainland debut March 7, 2020 aboard Time Marches On at Turfway Park.

He continued to ride in the Midwest, picking up his first win March 12, 2020 on Thorpe d’Oro at Turfway, until moving his tack to Delaware Park for the summer. Crispin finished the Delaware meet as its leading apprentice, ranking second overall with 58 wins and fourth with more than $1.3 million in purse earnings.

Crispin arrived in Maryland in late October, two weeks into Laurel Park’s fall meet, and wound up leading all apprentice riders and ranking third overall with 29 wins while banking $725,920 in purses earned.

According to Equibase statistics, Crispin ranked second among the three Eclipse finalists in wins (103) and purse earnings ($2.194 million). Yarmarie Correa, who rode in the Midwest, had 118 wins and a $1.755 million bankroll in 2020, while New York-based Luis Cardenas had 41 wins and $2.23 million in purses earned.

Crispin finished with 79 first-place votes, five more than Correa, to earn the Eclipse. Charlie Marquez, Maryland’s leading apprentice in 2020 and sixth overall rider with 58 wins, was fourth with 15 first-place votes.

“Right now it’s something really big, something super special in my career,” Crispin said. “The confidence will always be there, definitely now. It’s a big moment for me and I want take the most advantage that I can.”

Notes: Five-pound apprentice Charlie Marquez visited the winner’s circle twice Friday, with M.J.’s Lady ($6.40) in Race 2 and Count the Shells ($8.80) in Race 5. M.J.’s Lady was the second of two winners for trainer Kelly Rubley, following Order for Porky ($16.40) in Race 1 … Jockey Victor Carrasco escaped injury from a Race 4 spill but took off his two remaining mounts as a precaution…The Rainbow 6 carryover Saturday is $16,642.63