Portland Meadows 2nd annual $20,000 Xpressbet Jockey Challenge: Monday November 29, 2010

Portland, OR—Portland Meadows is pleased to announce the 2nd Annual $20,000 XpressBet Jockey Challenge coming up on Monday November 29, 2010. This year some of the top riders from Southern California will be making the journey to Portland Meadows to compete against the top four riders in the Portland Meadows jockey standings in a four race competition. The XpressBet Jockey Challenge will feature a point system scoring with the top riders and teams taking home prizes that will total $20,000. On January 7, 2009, Team Portland Meadows bested Team Golden Gate Fields in the Inaugural XpressBet Jockey Challenge. Hall of Famer Russell Baze headlined that team and even scored a victory in the final race of the challenge. He was quoted after the win as “this being the first time in over 20 years I’ve been in this Winner’s Circle.”

Representing Team Southern California will be Joel Rosario, Joe Talamo, David Flores and Martin Pedroza. They will be matched up against the current top four riders in the Portland Meadows jockey standings; Joe Crispin, Javier Matias, Mark Anderson and Troy Stillwell. There will be four designated races contested, all of which will consist of a field of eight runners.

“This will be such a great event,” said Director of Racing Jerry Kohls. “To have riders of this caliber coming to ride and compete against our best jockeys, it will truly be a great competition. We look for this event to rank right up there with our new signature event, the $80,000 Portland Meadows Oaks on Saturday January 29, 2011, which is part of the new Black-Eyed Susan 2.2.”

HRTV will be on hand to cover the event and will be broadcasting it nationally. The jockeys will all take part in an autograph session and meet and greet just before the races. Portland Meadows will be hosting a fantastic $12 buffet in the Turf Club to celebrate the 2nd Annual Xpressbet Jockey Challenge. Parking and admission will be free for the event, as it is everyday at Portland Meadows. Portland Meadows will also be offering a $25,000 Guaranteed Pick 4 on the four races that make up the XpressBet Jockey Challenge, as well as the traditional late Pick 4 which covers the final four races on the card. Portland Meadows’ Pick 4 is offered with only a 14% takeout rate, the lowest in the country on that wager.

Joel Rosario has been the top rider in Southern California for the past two years, capturing riding titles at all of the major tracks on the circuit, Santa Anita, Hollywood Park and Del Mar. Rosario finished second at the recently concluded Oak Tree at Hollywood Park meeting, just one win behind Rafael Bejarano. Rosario has won two Breeders’ Cup races in his career, including a 37 to 1 upset in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile aboard Dakota Phone at Churchill Downs on November 6, 2010. Joe Talamo gained national notoriety when he burst onto the scene in 2006 when he won the riding title at the prestigious Fair Grounds meet at the tender age of 16. Already a veteran at the age of 20, Talamo has multiple Grade 1 wins in his career and scored aboard California Flag in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in 2009. David Flores has been a regular on the Southern California circuit for over 20 years and has a resume that includes over 3,000 wins and mounts earnings of over $110,000,000. Along with his many accomplishments he was also the first rider of the great mare Zenyatta, guiding her to victories in her first three starts. Martin Pedroza has been called the King of Fairplex, as he has taken home the riding title at that meeting 12 times. Pedroza has over 3,000 career wins and has been a force in Southern California for years.

The 2nd Annual $20,000 XpressBet Jockey Challenge will take place at Portland Meadows on November 29th, with a first post time of 12:40pm PST. The Jockey Challenge races are expected to be run between approximately 2:00pm PST and 4:00pm PST. For more information about the 2nd Annual $20,000 XpressBet Jockey Challenge visit www.portlandmeadows.com or email info@portlandmeadows.com .
 

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