Journeyman jockey Francisco Arrieta had one of those very good days on Friday at his home track of Oaklawn Park with a stakes double including the Fantasy Stakes (G2), on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, and the Matron Stakes for older fillies and mares. He posted a total of four wins on the day and seven for the week.
The panel of racing experts voted Arrieta Jockey of the Week for March 23-March 29.
Arrieta began Friday with a win in the third race for trainer David Fawkes and the eighth race for trainer Fernando Bahena.
Leading south Florida trainer, Saffie Joseph, Jr. gave a leg up to Arrieta aboard Haulin Ice in the Matron Stakes for fillies and mares four-years-old and up part of Oaklawn's annual Racing Festival of the South.
Off as the 3-5 favorite in the field of six and breaking from post position four, the 5-year-old Haulin Ice raced in second behind Asternia with Cristian Torres before taking command past the quarter pole posting a 1-3/4 length win over Foie Gras and jockey Flavien Prat in 1:09.94 for six furlongs.
"I was very close to the lead outside," said Arrieta to Oaklawn publicity. "I didn't take anything away from her, I just put my hands down and let her run a bit."
Oaklawn's feature race of the day was the Fantasy (G2), with Arrieta aboard race favorite, Counting Stars trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse. Breaking from post position three in the field of five, Counting Stars stalked the leader Empath with Ramon Vazquez through the first half mile. Counting Stars then took command and rolled home by 5-1/2 lengths in 1:44.47 for the mile and one-sixteenth while earning 75 points toward a spot in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) starting gate.
The win was the first seven-figure victory in Arrieta's career and has been the pilot on Counting Stars in five of her seven starts.
"Last week when I worked her, she really impressed me and today she was looking amazing in the paddock and the post parade," Arrieta said. She was feeling good it's very exciting (to have a Kentucky Oaks candidate)."
Arrieta, 37, is the defending Oaklawn leading rider and is currently sitting third in the standings just behind Ramon Vazquez and Cristian Torres.
Other nominees for Jockey of the Week were Javier Castellano who won the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), Jose Ortiz who won the Dubai World Cup (G1), Irad Ortiz, Jr. who won three stakes including the Arkansas Derby (G1), Flavien Prat with three stakes wins including the Florida Derby (G1) and Hall of Famer John Velazquez with four stakes wins between Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs.
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