Soapy Greeting for Tunon's First U.S. Win

(from Gulfstream Park notes)
Jockey Jordano Tunon was greeted with a couple buckets of soapy water Jan. 17 after riding his first American winner at Gulfstream Park.

The 17-year-old Panamanian, riding as a journeyman, scored his first American victory in the third race of the afternoon. Victory came aboard Hamdelue Stable’s Calason, a 7-1 shot trained by Herbert Miller.

“It was the greatest thrill for me. Winning my first American race at a racetrack like Gulfstream --  competing against riders like my hero, Cornelio Velasquez (who finished third) -- is a dream come true,” Tunon said through an interpreter. “My family watched the race at the racetrack back home. My father is a church-going man, but my uncle bet the horse.”