A thrilled Alex Solis
Hall of Fame jockey Alex Solis became the 29th North American jockey to win 5000 races when he reached that milestone on 1 January, when he rode longshot Lutine Belle to victory in the Blue Norther Stakes at Santa Anita Park.
Trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, Lutine Belle rated kindly behind fractions of 22.78, 45.67, 1:10.50 and 1:23.04, and was up to win the mile turf test by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:35.50.
Lutine Belle is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Bellamy Road, owned by KMN Racing, of which Alex Solis II, the jockey’s son, is a partner.
A three-time leading rider at Santa Anita, Solis returned to Southern California on a full-time basis this past summer. Solis has ridden more than 33,691 horses who have earned more than $236.1 millon.
“The last two hundred yards is when I realized I was about to win my 5,000th,” said Solis, 50, a native of Panama. “It’s very special. It is nice to get it out of the way. It just stayed (stuck on 4,999) for a long time. It just kept standing and standing. It’s done now and it was special to do it on one of my son’s horses. That made it more special.”
“I’m really pleased to be a part of this with Alex,” Hollendorfer said. “He’s been a great rider and it’s nice to do it in a race like this. We felt she would fit nicely with these fillies if she could handle the turf.”
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