Veteran rider Stewart Elliott closed out the Remington Park Thoroughbred meet Friday night on a high note with three stakes wins and a second consecutive leading rider title. The panel of racing experts voted Elliott Jockey of the Week for December 9-December 15.
The weekly honor recognizes jockeys for significant riding accomplishments and who are members of the Jockeys’ Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.
Elliott’s stakes hat trick began in the eighth race for trainer Steve Martin aboard Red Mountain in the Jim Thorpe Stakes for three-year-old Oklahoma-breds. Breaking post position two in the field of seven, Red Mountain stalked the pace before taking the lead in the stretch to win by a length in 1:40.39 for one mile on the dirt.
As Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen’s first call rider, Elliott was in the irons aboard the overwhelming favorite, Glee in race nine, the Toby Keith Stakes for two-year-old fillies. Breaking from post position five in the field of six, Glee raced in third until taking command at the top of the stretch to post a dominating 10-3/4-length win in 1:40.26 for one mile on the dirt.
The Asmussen/Elliott duo struck again in Race 10, the She’s All In Stakes with Flashy Lass a one mile and seventy yards contest on the dirt for fillies and mares three-years-old and up at. Off as the favorite in the scratch-down field of four, the five-year-old Flashy Lass took the lead past the half-mile pole to win by 5-3/4-lengths in 1:43.78. The win was the fourth on the card for Elliott.
Elliott was named leading rider at the meet for the second consecutive year with 91 victories, 37 more than his nearest rival Floyd Wethey, Jr.
“I’m fortunate really to win this at this stage of my career,” said Elliott to Remington Park publicity. “Hey, when you ride for Steve Asmussen, you always have a chance to win. I’m grateful I get to ride for Steve Asmussen. It’s all good. I love it.”
Elliott, 59 and a native of Toronto, Canada, began his career in 1981 riding at mid-Atlantic tracks including Penn National, Philadelphia Park (now Parx), Suffolk Downs, Monmouth and Rockingham Park where he was always a fan favorite. He moved his tack to southern California in 2016 and since 2019, he has ridden on the Texas/Oklahoma circuit winning numerous leading rider titles.
Elliott may be best known as the rider of Smarty Jones who won the 2004 Kentucky Derby (GI) and Preakness Stakes (GI). His distinguished career includes being selected by his peers in 2017 for the George Woolf Memorial Award and induction into the Canadian Hall of Fame in 2015. Elliott won his 5,000th career race at Lone Star Park on August 9, 2020. His son, Christopher, is an apprentice jockey.
Other contenders for Jockey of the Week were five-time Eclipse Award winner Irad Otiz, Jr. with two stakes wins at Gulfstream Park and a five-win day on Saturday, Umberto Rispoli who won the Gr. II Los Alamitos Futurity with Journalism, Luis Saez with two stakes wins and Tim Thornton with two stakes wins at Fair Grounds.
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