Borel heading back to Oaklawn Park

By: SPORTS NETWORK

 

Hot Springs, AR (Sports Network) - After beginning the year less than glowingly at Gulfstream Park, jockey Calvin Borel is heading back to more familiar ground at Oaklawn Park. The three-time Kentucky Derby winning rider is set to take mounts starting on Saturday.

"Oaklawn is where we have had some of our greatest successes," noted Borel's agent Jerry Hissam. "It's there we secured the relationship with Rachel Alexandra and earned the mount on Super Saver, our third Kentucky Derby winner."

Borel has just one win this year in 43 mounts with $69,265 in winnings. However, jockey and agent don't regret trying Gulfstream Park.

"Calvin and I have been together 21 years and felt we owed it to each other to try Florida," said Hissam last week. "He called me the other night and asked if I wanted to go back to Arkansas and of course I said yes. We're both ready to get back home and he's ready to do some fishing.

"We've been blessed to ride some good horses here, but there will probably be more opportunities to ride at home. We hope to come back to Florida for stakes races and are particularly excited about the three-year-old Take Charge Indy. We'd like to see him come for either the Rebel or Arkansas Derby."

The Louisiana-native won the 2010 Kentucky Derby aboard Super Saver one year after he guided 50-1 longshot Mine That Bird to victory. Borel claimed his first Run for the Roses on Street Sense in 2007.

The 45-year-old jockey has career earnings of $117 million with 4,927 victories in 33,149 starts. He rode Rachel Alexandra to victory during her 2009 Horse of the Year season which included wins in the Kentucky Oaks, Preakness, Haskell and Woodward.