OH JERRY DOMINATES FEATURED 1,000 YARD RACE ON SATURDAY
William Hedrick’s Oh Jerry has once again planted his flag as the top distance horse at Los Alamitos after scoring his 12th win in 15 starts at the Orange County track following an impressive score in the main event on Saturday night -a $21,000 allowance at 1,000 yards.
With a field that included the multiple stakes winning Quarter Horse Yanque, the razor sharp Sigur Ros, and top distance runner-up Baby Gronk, who defeated Oh Jerry earlier this year, this race featured one of the strongest fields that Oh Jerry has ever faced. Yanque, a three-time stakes winner at 550 yards at Los Alamitos, was expected to provide a bulk of early speed, but Oh Jerry was able to stay close to Yanque during the opening ¼-mile of the race before moving ahead of his speedy rival as they entered the turn. That proved to be key to the race, as Oh Jerry took control from that point on and cruised to make it an even dozen at Los Alamitos.
Ridden by Francisco Orduña Rojas for trainer Adriana Vallejo, Oh Jerry went on to win by 2 ½ lengths while covering the distance in :51.892. Bred by his owner, the Oh Tanner gelding earned $11,250 for this win to take his career earnings to $196,720.
“I knew there was a lot of speed in the race after seeing the times that the other horses had posted in past races,” Orduña Rojas said. “I tried to leave with them and then relax my horse so that he would have power later in the race. Thankfully everything went as planned. Oh Jerry always surprises me. The more we do with him, the more he surprises me. I tried to relax him and that’s exactly what he did. He went on to post one of his fastest times as well.”
Second in his local debut back in October of 2020, Oh Jerry has since gone on to enjoy a decorated career at Los Alamitos. He won the rich $50,000 final at 1,000 yards last season and was named the 2021 PCQHRA champion at this distance. His 11 victories at 1,000 yards are a track record and based on his Saturday night performance, he will be the favorite to defend his title in the $50,000 Summer final on June 26.
Jesus Uranga’s Sigur Ros finished second in this race with Baby Gronk and Yanque completing the top four. Castle Gate and Whisky My God completed the field.
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