Laurel’s Leiva Flores Prevails in FEGENTRI Race for Amateur Riders
Friday’s Card Includes Rainbow 6 & Super Hi-5 Carryovers, Stronach 5

LAUREL, MD – Jacks or Better Farm’s graded-stakes placed homebred Old Time Revival, winless in five tries since a victory in the Challedon last fall, rediscovered his stakes-winning form with a front-running 4 ¼-length triumph in Thursday’s featured eighth race at Laurel Park.

Ridden by five-pound apprentice Julio Correa for trainer Ken Decker, Old Time Revival ($9.80) ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.01 over a fast main track to earn his third career win, all at Laurel, in the $45,000 second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up.

“When he relaxes and does his thing the way he’s supposed to, he’s tough. He did it today. Julio did a fantastic job on him and let him relax,” Decker said. “This kid has nice hands and got him to relax. I have to give him credit. The [horse] ran big, but he did a good job.”

Correa had never before ridden Old Time Revival, a 4-year-old Brethren gelding making his 19th career start. He was second by a neck to Grade 2 winner Still Having Fun in the Miracle Wood and was runner-up to Enticed in the Gotham (G3) in back-to-back 2018 starts, but cut back to sprinting after a failed attempt to stretch out in the Wood Memorial (G2).

Old Time Revival beat his elders in the Challedon last Sept. 29, and most recently was sixth behind multiple stakes winner Cordmaker in the Polynesian June 26, both seven furlongs at Laurel.

“He gets too wound up, He wants to go. He wants to go all the time,” Decker said. “I think six, six and a half [furlongs] suits him. He didn’t run a bad race in the stake. There again, he was just too anxious.”

Old Time Revival set fractions of 22.56 and 45.33 seconds with a riderless Cerulean Springs on his outside. Correa let Cerulean Springs go by once straightened for home, angled to the middle of the stretch past the eighth pole and cruised past the wire. Threes Over Deuces was second, with Nottoway third. Juvenile stakes winner Scrap Copper, making his first start in more than seven months, finished sixth.

“I think they hooked that horse that was loose, but he stayed out of our way,” Decker said. “Julio said he relaxed nice and turning for home, he just re-broke.”

Jockey Rosario Montanez had his rein break as the field left the gate and was unseated. Both he and Cerulean Springs were unharmed.

Oak Ridge Farm’s Smart Step ($36.80) forged a short lead through a half-mile, opened up once straightened for home and held firm for a 1 ¾-length upset victory in Thursday’s Race 5, a $42,000 entry-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up, running seven furlongs in 1:23.20. It was the second straight win for the 4-year-old Gio Ponti gelding, making his first start since a maiden special weight triumph Dec. 30 at Laurel.

Mark Kornegay’s Hard Fought ($6.80), favored at 2-1 against nine rivals, took command at the top of the stretch and held off a furious late rally from 25-1 long shot Posterity through the lane to capture Race 6, a $42,000 entry-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up, in 1:34.96 for one mile over the Kelso turf course. Hard Fought has put together two consecutive wins, following an optional claiming victory June 29 at Laurel.

Laurel’s Leiva Flores Prevails in FEGENTRI Race for Amateur Riders

Amateur riders took center stage in Thursday’s opener at Laurel Park, the Longines FEGENTRI Championship for Gentleman Riders, where favored War Lance prevailed by a head over Blue Danube following a stirring stretch rally under Eduardo Leiva Flores.

It was the second amateur triumph for Leiva Flores, an exercise rider who works for winning trainer Marco Salazar as well as trainers Ricardo D’Angelo and Ferris Allen at Laurel. Leiva Flores has two wins, two seconds and two thirds from seven career amateur races dating back to his Sept. 10, 2016 debut, a victory aboard Mojo’s Golden Hawk, also at Laurel.

David Hakola and Lucid Dream Racing’s War Lance broke sharply but was unhurried early as the 3-year-old gelding settled along the rail near the back of a 10-horse field through a quarter-mile in 24.17 seconds. War Lance began to advance between horses after a half in 47.89, was swung to the far outside and into contention on the turn and came with a steady drive through the stretch to get up in time in the $22,000 maiden claiming event. The winning time was 1:38.04 for one mile over a firm Kelso turf course.

Leiva Flores is a native of Chile known on the backstretch as ‘Flaco,’ which translates to ‘skinny’ in English. He rode in three races in 2016, two in 2017 and one last year prior to Thursday.

“Everybody calls me Flaco,” he said. “I’m very happy. My family is here from Chile for vacation, so everybody is here and I’m so happy.”

FEGENTRI was founded in 1955 by amateur riders from France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland and today counts members from 25 countries. Its main purpose is to promote international races for amateur riders.

Notes: Summer meet-leading rider Trevor McCarthy enjoyed a three-win day Thursday aboard Elusive Hero ($4.20) in Race 2, Glam ($13) in Race 4 and Smart Step ($36.80) in Race 5. Jockey Katie Davis and trainer Claudio Gonzalez swept the late daily double with Creative Artist ($7) in Race 9 and Yesterdaysplan ($3.20) in Race 10, both owned by Joseph Besecker. Gonzalez had a third winner with Irish Fix ($16.80) in Race 7.

There will be a carryover jackpot of $4,369.29 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 after going unsolved Thursday, when tickets with five of six winners returned $745.60. Friday’s Rainbow 6 spans Races 5-10, including the first three legs of the national Stronach 5 wager (Races 8-10). Friday will also have a carryover of $1,696.52 in the $1 Super Hi-5.