McDAID BACK AT LOS ALAMITOS THIS WEEKEND

     Kellie McDaid, the leading Thoroughbred jockey at Los Alamitos in 2018, is back on the saddle for the first time since September 8, 2019 when she pilots four horses during this weekend. McDaid’s scheduled first mount was on Saturday aboard the Robert Lucas-trained Shake N Fries in the sixth race of the night.                      

     She’ll have three mounts here on Sunday night when she rides Faded Love in the second race, Arrivederci Amore in the third, and Charming Alexis in the fourth. McDaid’s last mount prior to this weekend was aboard Ashley Garcia’s Capes Hot Rocket in a race during the Los Angeles County Fair Meet here 16 months ago. Her last victory was aboard Capes Hot Rocket at Ferndale on August 23, 2019. McDaid had a total of eight starts in 2019.                                     

     Prior to that small number of mounts, she had a memorable riding campaign at the Orange County oval in 2018. As an apprentice jockey in her first year of riding, McDaid finished the night meet with 73 wins from 275 Thoroughbred mounts, winning at a 26.5% rate. A native of Ireland, she won eight other Thoroughbred races, several of those on longshots during the daytime Southern California Thoroughbred circuit meets at Los Alamitos. She also won a pair of 870-yard stakes races with Rule He Will, the Truly A Pleasure Handicap and the Snowbound Superstar Handicap in 2018.                                                            

       Moving to the fifth race on Sunday, Oscar Heredia’s Dark And Dandy will go after his fifth win in six starts when he takes on Mitch And John E in this 1,000-yard race. Owned by Luis Ruiz, Mitch And John E has his own streak, having won his last three outings.  

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