Jockey Julien Leparoux won six of the first eight races on a nine-race card at Churchill Downs June 27, including the first four races and a dead-heat.
“It’s pretty good – it’s one of the better days I’ve had,” said Leparoux, who became the fifth rider in Churchill Downs history to win aboard six mounts in a day, and the first since Pat Day in 1999. “I rode five winners in one day, but never six – this is the first time I’ve gotten six wins.”
In the process, Leparoux widened his lead as leading jockey over Rafael Bejarano, who had been shut out on the day until dead-heating with Leparoux in the eighth. Leparoux began the day one ahead, 52-51.
Leparoux registered his first win on the card aboard the Robert Pincins-trained Star Crest ($11.40), a 6-year-old daughter of Frisk Me Now, who wired the $17,000 claiming field by 2 1/4-lengths.
The jockey took the second race, a $22,000 claiming event, aboard Bill Mott trainee Counselled ($5), a 3-year-old son of A.P. Indy. His third win of the day came in a $23,000 claiming race with the Michael Maker-trained Payment in Kind ($9.60), a 5-year-old son of High Yield, while his fourth win was aboard Eddie Kenneally trainee Gem Sluth ($15.40), a 3-year-old filly by Officer, in a $50,000 allowance.
After finishing last in the fifth and sixth races, Leparoux won the seventh on claimer Patricia's Cat ($5.60), by Catienus, also trained by Maker. He then dead-heated in the eighth aboard the Rusty Arnold-trained High Blues ($3.20), a son of High Yield who finished on even terms with Save Big Money, ridden by Bejarano, in a $52,500 allowance race.
Leparoux bested Bejarano for Keeneland’s spring riding title this year by five wins. He also won the fall riding title at Churchill last year.