Del Mar jockeys caught up in COVID-19 pandemic

It’s a jockey’s Catch-22 in this COVID-19 era.

Victor Espinoza was resting comfortably at home Saturday a day after receiving a positive result to the COVID-19 test he took Friday.

If all goes well and no more symptoms appear, Espinoza could be cleared to ride next Saturday at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

But next Saturday’s entries are taken today.

“We’re trying to get some quick guidance from Del Mar about Victor’s possible eligibility next weekend,” Brian Beach, Espinoza’s agent, said Saturday. “If he is symptom free and cleared by the county guidelines, he could ride next Saturday.”

But ... would a trainer assign him to a mount today for next Saturday given the situation? And even if Espinoza received mounts for next Saturday, he’d have to be replaced again were he to show more symptoms.

Remember, however ... the talented Espinoza is a Triple Crown champion.

“There is no playbook for this,” Josh Rubinstein, the chief operating officer of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club said Friday of the COVID cloud hanging over all sports.

“We’re taking guidance from doctors, the county, the state.”

Consider the case of Flavien Prat. Del Mar’s leading rider two of the past three summer meetings, Prat flew to Kentucky Friday night to ride in several stakes races at Keeneland. He plans to resume his Del Mar schedule today.

Prat was tested for COVID-19 at Keeneland Saturday. He will be tested here this morning at Scripps. Rubinstein said the results are expected in one to two hours. Even if the results are negative, Prat will be quarantined in an auxiliary jockeys’ room between today’s races.

“We have a few extra layers of precaution,” said Rubinstein.

Beach said Espinoza experienced flu-like symptoms last Sunday, then felt better and worked several horses on the backstretch turf Tuesday morning. After hearing that jockeys Martin Garcia and Luis Saez each tested positive after the pair were in close proximity to Espinoza last Saturday at Los Alamitos, Espinoza decided to get tested.

“It was Victor’s decision to get tested,” said Beach. “He’s been very diligent. His sister is a nurse. He received and adhered to the message. He even wore gloves to the grocery store. Victor was feeling better when he learned about Garcia’s positive test and still decided to get tested.”

Meanwhile, trainer Bob Baffert said he is looking for another jockey to ride Maximum Security next Saturday in the Grade II, $150,000 San Diego Handicap. Saez has been on Maximum Security for his last seven starts.

Eclipse Award-winning Maximum Security worked 5 furlongs Saturday morning in 59.60 seconds. It was the second-fastest of 86 timed workouts at the distance at Del Mar over the past two weeks.

“He worked very nice,” Baffert told a track official of Maximum Security. “He looks great and I am happy with him. He’s such a class horse.”

Bob and Jackie wins feature

Under a strong stretch ride from Heriberto Figueroa, Bob and Jackie caught Kiwi’s Dream strides before the finish Saturday to win the featured $65,000 Wickerr Stakes.

Kiwi’s Dream appeared headed to a wire-to-wire victory when overtaken by Bob and Jackie, who won the 1-mile race on the turf for 3-year-olds and up who had never won a stakes race.

“He came back running, he ran really well,” Figueroa said of Bob and Jackie’s late charge. “He was running hard at the finish and I knew I was going to win. One time last year, when he was training, he hurt himself a little bit while he was changing leads. He’s still a little shy about it.”

“Bob and Jackie has had some issues and it’s been a long time between races,” said trainer Richard Baltas, who was on the road in Kentucky during the Wickerr. “But he’s sound now and it’s good to see him win.”

Notable

Jockey Drayden Van Dyke doubled Saturday to give powerful trainers Peter Miller and Baffert their first wins of the summer meeting. Van Dyke, the jockey champion of the 2018 meeting, won his first race of the meeting with Miller’s Commander in the second race. He won with Baffert’s Speedy Justice in the sixth.

Prat is scheduled to be aboard favorite Super Patriot in today’s feature — the $65,000 Osunitas Stakes at 1-mile on the turf. The Osunitas is a rematch of the $100,000 Fran’s Valentine Stakes on June 6 at Santa Anita — when the Baltas-trained Super Patriot rallied in the stretch to score a 13/4-length win over Sedamar, who is the second-choice in the field of seven.

Umberto Rispoli, who won three races Friday, including the feature during his first appearance at Del Mar, won two more races Saturday to take the early lead in the jockey standings.

Center is a freelance writer.