Apprentice jockey Jean Pierre Vallellanes guided Ricardo Romo’s El Cowboy to a one-length victory April 27 in the second race at Calder Casino & Race Course for his first career win.
Vallellanes, carrying 110 pounds, positioned El Cowboy in second to track the pacesetter before angling out approaching the quarter pole and grabbing the lead entering the stretch in the 5 1/2-furlong race for $6,250 claimers. El Cowboy held sway and finished in 1:01.03.
Competing exclusively at Calder, Vallellanes earned his breakthrough win with his fourth mount.
Javier Negrete trains El Cowboy, who won for the third time in 33 career starts while snapping a five-race winless stretch. Sent off at 7-1 in the six-horse field, the 4-year-old Successful Ways colt paid $16.60, $7.60, and $4.