7/7/2023
This is our 8th Power Rankings of the season and again it is a scramble as we have seen for several weeks in a row. Leading rider Luis Negron had a big week and put distance on the rest of the field in the jockey standings race now out by 10. Alex Cruz and Kevin Radke cannot afford to let Negron have big chunk weeks anymore and need to stay even or chip away to get back in this contest. Meantime, the phenomenal week from Neptali Ortiz earned our Red Hot Mover award and Isaias Enriquez remained red hot as well. Alex Anaya got his 1st wins of the year and 12 ndifferent riders got to the winners circle this week, I think is a season high for a week. Let’s get to the PR’s!
The Blazer of the Week!
#1 Luis Negron
Luis Negron has been leading the the jockey standings from the start and has had only 1 day that he has not had a winner so he is the favorite to win the title right now. The one criticism is his underneath finishes are ok but not great. For the week he was 5-1-3-2 for a 25% win rate which was just above his 23% overall win clip and 55% top 4 which is under was well below his 65% season average last week. But wins will make up a lot of ground and with 5 on the week Luis Negron is our new #1 and Blazer of the week.
#2 Isaias Enriquez
Isaias Enriquez barely gets nudged out of his top spot he held last week. The one win made the ever so slightest of difference as Enriquez took home 4 wins but was also terrific in his top 4 placings. Enriquez was 4-0-2-2 from 11 rides for a 36% win percent and top 4 finish of 73%. He is tied for 6th in the standings and is hitting at a 23% win rate for the year which is 3rd best behind Negron and Ortiz both at 24%. The strength of his 2 weeks drops Enriquez just 1 spot this week.
The Red Hot Mover of the Week!
#3 Nepatali Ortiz
Neptali Ortiz blew up this week with a 4-2-1-1 overall record including a triple on Saturday and did so with an average 10-1 odds for all his starts. The 4 wins tripled his season win total to 6. His win rate for the week was 36% and now for the year tied with leading rider Luis Negron at 24% with a 6-6-2-3 record from 25 starts and is hitting the top 4 at a 68% rate. And if you didn’t know his wins here at Emerald Downs are his 1st wins ever ikn the United States riding mostly in South America and Canada. Ortiz earned our Red Hot Mover of the week!
#4 Jose Zunino
Jose Zunino moves up a couple of spots to #4 for another solid week winning 2 races, showing 3 times and a 4th from just 87 mounts. Zunino’s win rate was tied for 2nd this week at 25% win percent and his superfecta finish rate was 75%. Zunino continues to be a reliable rider regardless of odds.
#5 Alexis Valdes
Alexis Valdes did what good riders do and that is bounce back after his worst week. He didn’t have a win the week before and dropped out of our top 10. Valdes simply went to work and scored 2 wins along with a place and 2 4ths from just 9 rides. His win rate was 22% and top 4 finish at 56% and he is squarely in the middle of our PR’s.
#6 Alex Cruz
Alex Cruz had more rides than anyone else last week but got bit by that 2nd”itis” bug as he ground out 1 win but finished with a 1-6-5-4 week for just a 5% win rate but 73% top 4. Thinking Cruz is sitting on a couple of big weeks here soon.
#7 Kevin Radke
Kevin Radke holds on to the 7 spot with just 1 win himself and talk about the 2nd”itis” bug he had 7 places but oddly I think for the 1st this year did not have a 3rd place finish while finishing 4th 5 times. He also won at a 5% rate but again big in the top 4 at 68%. Radke will be very tough on those 2nds next time around.
#8 Alex Anaya
Alex Anaya finally got it done not once but twice this week. He started the year 0-37 and on ride #38 scored his 1st win of the season. He then got win #2 in the big feature race on Sunday. The negative is he wasn’t as successful at hitting the board as often as he has been with a 2-0-0-1 record from 9 starts but he will take that 22% win clip anyday of the week.
#9 Silvio Amador
Silvio Amador drops to the 9 spot after going 1-2-5-3 from 16 starts this week for a win rate of 6% but superfecta finish percent of 69%. Amador is as consistent as you get and don’t be surprised when he string s 4-5-6 or more wins in a week.
#10 Carlos Montalvo
Carlos Montalvo hangs in the top 10 off a very tough overall week as he did get one big win and finished 1-3-3-2 from 12 rides for an 8% win rate and a 67% top 4 finish. Montalvo could have easily had at least another win or 2 but just fell short. Kudos to Carlos tho as he is one that has really improved his on the board finishes as he was well above his 53% top 4 finish rate this week.
**Special Note: This is the 1st week we left off riders who won a race. Jennifer Whitaker and Rigo Sarmiento each had wins this past week and under normal circumstances they would not have been left off the top 10.
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