Alex Cruz

Total wagering handle and purse money paid out showed increases as Emerald Downs wrapped up its 27th season of live racing Sunday. The total season handle of $67,686,501 is an increase of 4% from 2021, while the average daily handle of $1,301,663 is down 2% from the previous year but still up some 15% from pre-Covid in 2019. On-track wagering showed a major boost in 2022--32% increase--as Emerald Downs returned to its traditional racing schedule of Friday evenings and Saturday-Sunday afternoons. Purses increased substantially in 2022 with $7,133,089 paid to...

Assuming that you, too, have by this stage marvelled at the tenacity, balance and athleticism of Alex Cruz in winning a race despite losing both irons leaving the gate, at Emerald Downs last weekend, then perhaps you might also have been prompted to reassess our prejudices against the seat of the 18th Century guardsman. To the modern eye, the long-shanked equitation of those days appears ludicrous: awkward, stilted and, above all, inimical to the freedom of the horse's movement. We think of the elevation of the modern jockey, as popularized...