Umberto Rispoli © Benoit Photo
UMBERTO RISPOLI ON THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME
Jockey Umberto Rispoli is no stranger to success. He won 15 graded stakes in 2024, has collected numerous riding championships and records back in his home country of Italy and is one of the most respected grass riders in this country.
But nothing has compared to the ride he’s been on the past couple of months. Rispoli is the regular jockey for Journalism, runner-up to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes and winner of the Preakness and G1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.
“Winning a classic race is the goal of every jockey every year,” Rispoli contends, “and trying to find a horse like Journalism is the key. Every year you wish to get a horse like him.”
He calls the victory in the Preakness the biggest achievement of his career, which has taken him all around the world. From Italy he moved to France. He’s also ridden in England, Australia, Japan and Hong Kong before coming to the United States in 2020.
Through it all, he’s ridden some quality racehorses, but now there’s a new name at the top of the Rispoli Top Ten list.
“I have to put him on the top,” he says of Journalism. “It was a big achievement for me to be a favorite in the Kentucky Derby and then the favorite in the Belmont against Sovereignty. The whole journey of the Triple Crown campaign was amazing. Plus you put the Haskell in there. So far it’s been a wonderful season.”
What makes the Rispoli / Journalism union different from his other successful partnerships is that most of that success has come on the turf.
“It’s the first time I have found a real good dirt horse,” Rispoli claims. “I worked him at Del Mar last summer and then after his first start we saw something different in him. We knew he was a two-turn horse, no doubt about it.”
Rispoli has three winners so far at Del Mar, a noticeable drop-off from past year’s production but with good reason. He missed the first Saturday of the meet when he traveled back east to ride Journalism at Monmouth Park and he’s gone again this weekend.
“So far it’s been a slow Del Mar for me, which I would say is unusual,” Rispoli admits. “When you’re not here, it costs you some rides. But if that affords you the chance to ride horses like Journalism or Johannes, you do it.”
Rispoli is in New York today to ride Johannes in the G1 Fourstardave at Saratoga. With all the traveling he’s been doing lately, he’s definitely piling-up the frequent flyer miles.
“I like that,” Rispoli insists. “When I was in Europe I used to travel in a car for five hours just to ride one horse and then come back. When you have a day to fly around and ride good horses it gives you motivation.”
Even with all this recent success, Umberto says he’s not one to rest on his laurels.
“Once you win a big race you just forget about it and move on,” Rispoli states. “Enjoy the day, enjoy the moment but there are other big races out there to win. If I had a bad day yesterday, I’m more hungry than ever.”
Coming as close as he did to winning the Kentucky Derby like he did this year only intensifies that hunger in his bid to win the biggest prize in horse racing.
“You need a good horse and a barn that supports you,” Rispoli believes. “Irad (Ortiz, Jr.) and Flavien (Prat) on the east coast ride for specific trainers. Here, Juan (Hernandez) is riding a lot for Bob (Baffert). You need those stables that support you from the beginning when the 2-year-olds comes around.”
Rispoli has gained the confidence of trainer Michael McCarthy and owner Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and he has every intention of rewarding that confidence all the way to the Breeders’ Cup this fall at Del Mar.
LA JOLLA HANDICAP SERVES UP PROMISING 3-YEAR-OLDS SUNDAY
The La Jolla Handicap is one Del Mar’s oldest races. Not the oldest. That honor goes to the Del Mar Handicap which turns 86 this year. But darn close. The 85th running of the La Jolla takes place Sunday.
Over the years it’s been a race for older horses. It has been a race for 3-year-old fillies. It has been run at a mile and, for a couple of decades, was run on the dirt. But it has always been a jump off point for good 3-year-olds. Smooth Like Strait, River Boyne, Sidney’s Candy, Singletary and Relaunch to name a few. All won the La Jolla before going on to bigger conquests.
This year a six-pack of 3-year-olds will head to the gate in the mile and a sixteenth turf test, considered to be the local prep for the G2 Del Mar Derby run at the end of month.
The morning line favorite, Freedom’s Not Free, is back from Kentucky where he ran third in the $250,000 American Derby at Churchill Downs. He led the entire race before getting run down late.
“He’s a horse that wants a target,” trainer Mark Glatt notes. “There were some scratches early on in the day and he couldn’t help but be on the lead. That’s a disadvantage for him even with the pedestrian fractions. That particular week at Churchill, no matter how slow they were going early on, the course was playing to closers. Even though he got an easy lead I don’t think the race particularly set up great for him.”
Glatt is also concerned about the set-up in the La Jolla.
“It’s a similar situation being a short field,” he points out. “Maybe one horse in there has a bit of early speed. But he runs good every time and may very well be the best horse on paper in the race so we’re just going to go and try and win it.”
The son of Omaha Beach had won back-to-back stakes, the $100,000 Pasadena and the $100,000 Cinema, before heading out of town for the first time in his career at the end of June.
Three of the entries in Sunday’s La Jolla are exiting the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes including the winner Game Warrior.
The son of Game Winner pulled-off a bit of a shocker, winning the Oceanside at 19-1.
“He got a great ride,” trainer Peter Miller says, “and he showed a lot of heart.”
Jockey Hector I. Berrios was on him in the Oceanside and will reunite with the colt Sunday.
Artislas is another one who ran in the Oceanside, finishing a close fourth. He won four of his five races as a 2-year-old, including the Del Mar Juvenile Turf on closing day of last year’s summer meet. He’s gone oh-for-three in 2025, but has been close in all three races.
Day and Age is the other entry coming out of the Oceanside. The son of Omaha Beach ran sixth that day.
“I don’t think he got the trip that he needed to have to have a better outcome,” trainer Sean Williams notes. “I don’t know if he has to be on the lead but I think he wants to be more forwardly placed.”
Day and Age was running fourth in the early and middle stages of the Oceanside whereas in his two victories prior to his race at Del Mar he was out in front, setting the pace.
The other two entries in the La Jolla are The Padre, who won his debut in Ireland and then finished a fast-closing second to Day and Age in an entry level allowance in his U.S. debut at Santa Anita in June.
Maaz is a French-bred who won his debut in England, but finished fifth in the same entry-level allowance race with Day and Age and The Padre in his U.S. debut.
The 85th running of the La Jolla Handicap goes as Race 7 on Sunday’s card. Probable post is 5 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Game Warrior (7/2); Maaz (Kazushi Kimura, 15-1); Freedom’s Not Free (Antonio Fresu, 9/5); Artislas (Juan Hernandez, 4-1); Day and Age (Mike Smith, 6-1), and The Padre (Umberto Rispoli, 3-1)
C.T.B.A KICKS OFF 2-YEAR-OLD STAKES SEASON AT DEL MAR SUNDAY
It’s time to begin the 2-year-old stakes parade at Del Mar. For the next five weeks trainers will put their best juveniles on display in 10 stakes races restricted to 2-year olds, starting with Sunday’s California Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Stakes, a 5-furlong test for 2-year-old Cal-bred fillies.
It’s a battle-tested group in the C.T.B.A., at least by 2-year-old standards. Of the eight entries, seven are coming into the race off of a maiden victory.
What’s a Good Name actually lost her debut at Churchill Downs in June, but shipped out to Del Mar and won wire-to-wire.
“She’s a very nice filly,” trainer Peter Miller says. “Very quick. I don’t think she needs the lead. She just out-quicked them the other day.”
It was the daughter of Grazen’s first race for Miller.
“She came in in very good shape from Steve Asmussen,” Miller points out. “We just put blinkers on her.”
Tapatia Mia is one of two entries for trainer Steve Knapp. She won back at the beginning of May.
“She won first time out and then we just didn’t have anywhere to run until now,” Knapp says explaining the three-month gap between races. “But she’s training well coming into the race.”
His other entry is Mustang Knicky, a daughter of Knicks Go.
Lino’s Angel won her second time out, scoring in a maiden race on opening day at Del Mar.
“When I ran her at Los Alamitos she wasn’t ready,” trainer Edwin Alvarez recalls. “She needed the race. I thought she’d run better at Del Mar and she did. She likes this track and she’s working well here.”
Alvarez bred the daughter of Uncle Lino, who is a son of Uncle Mo.
My Love Caroline also won her second time out, at Santa Anita in June.
“The first time she ran, she broke bad,” trainer Jorge Periban contends. “She stayed in the gate. The second time she broke a lot better and won the race easy. She’s got a lot of talent.”
Liberation is the morning line favorite off her debut win at Santa Anita over the Memorial Day weekend and Jasmina won her second time out by five lengths at Los Alamitos in June.
The C.T.B.A. is Race 10 of 11 races on Sunday. Probable post is 6:30 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Lady Victoria (Edwin Maldonado, 20-1); What’s a Good Name (Juan Hernandez, 5-1); Tapatia Mia (Ruben Silvera, 4-1); Lino’s Angel (Tyler Baze, 12-1); My Love Caroline (Armando Ayuso, 10-1); Libertion (Hector I. Berrios, 8/5); Jasmina (Kyle Frey, 7/2), and Mustang Knicky (Antonio Fresu, 12-1).
COOLING OUT: Trainer Philip D’Amato reports all is well with Speedy Wilson after his impressive win in the $150,000 Real Good Deal Stakes Friday. He hopes to get his talented 3-year-old in one more race before the end of the meet. The $125,000 Shared Belief on August 31 could be a possibility…Jockey Kent Desormeaux notched his second win of the meet when he guided Vodka Vodka to victory in Race 7 Friday. He’s ridden in two races this summer at Del Mar and won them both. This is the Hall of Fame rider’s 40th year in the saddle…Tenma, last year’s Del Mar Debutante winner and this year’s Santa Anita Oaks champion, fired a bullet work at Del Mar this morning. She went five furlongs and stopped the clock at :59.00 (1/86). Trainer Bob Baffert has yet to indicate where and when he plans to next run his talented filly…Hope Road was nominated for today’s Clement Hirsch but Baffert decided to skip the race and instead worked the filly 6-furlongs in 1:11.20 (1/2).Last year’s G3 Torrey Pines and G3 Bayakoa winner, (both at Del Mar), last raced in the Winning Colors (3rd) at Churchill Downs on May 26…Other notable works on Saturday: Goal Oriented (4f, :47.80); Privman (4f, :47.80); Alpha Bella (5f, 1:00.20), and Sugar Fish (5f, 1:02.00). 221 horses put in official works Saturday morning at the seaside oval.