Johnston to Use Delaware Park as Springboard

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Mark Johnston, a leading rider in Maryland for more than a decade, will begin riding at Delaware Park when that track opens April 7. For the first time since late 1989, Johnston will be based somewhere other than
Maryland.

Johnston said he would relocate because of the lure of higher purses and the prospect of using Delaware Park as a springboard into the big time in New York. He plans on riding in Maryland only on Delaware Park's dark days.

"I think I'm at the point in my career where it's time to try it," Johnston said.

Johnston, 30, has won several riding titles at Maryland tracks. In 1990, he won an Eclipse award as North America's top apprentice jockey. Last
year, he won 336 races. Only four jockeys in this country won more.

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