Erik Barbaran Wins 10 En Route To Jockey Of The Week Title

Jockey Erik Barbaran had an outstanding week with 10 wins from 18 mounts at his home track, Mahoning Valley. With a strike rate of 55 percent and impressive in-the-money rate of 83 percent, the panel of racing experts voted Barbaran Jockey of the Week for March 11 through March 17.

The weekly award recognizes jockeys for riding accomplishments and who are members of the Jockeys’ Guild, the organization which represents more than 1,050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

Barbaran started the winning spree on Monday posting three wins, all for trainer Jay Bernardini including race three, a claiming race, aboard That’s the Way, race four, a claiming race with Let’s Be Honest, and race seven, an allowance race, riding Sensei Lawrence.

Tuesday’s win was the eighth race, an allowance race, for trainer Robert Gorham aboard Nublada. On Wednesday he took the third race, a maiden claiming event for trainer Jay Bernardini aboard Peacefulpersuasion.

Barbaran scored a trifecta on Thursday starting in the fifth, a claiming race aboard Crypto Copy, the sixth race, an allowance race with Cavaletto and the seventh race, an allowance race aboard Neechi. All three wins were for trainer Robert Gorham.

Barbaran was not done for week as Friday’s wins included race three, a claiming race for trainer Joseph Mahan with Gilligan, and the sixth race, a claiming race for trainer Jay Bernardini aboard Cagua.

Barbaran, 32, is a native of Peru who came to the United States in 2011 riding at Suffolk Downs. He currently makes Ohio his home riding between Mahoning Valley and Thistledown, always finishing in the top ten of the jockey standings. He won the leading rider title at Suffolk Downs in 2018. He has recorded several multiple win days including winning six races from six mounts at Mountaineer on May 17, 2018.

A multiple stakes winning jockey, Barbaran’s top horse to-date is Ohio-bred gelding Altissimo who won the Best of Ohio Sprint and Cardinal Handicap at Mahoning Valley in 2021 in addition to numerous allowance wins with Barbaran in the irons. In fact, Barbaran scored his 1,000^th career win aboard Altissimo in an allowance race on September 2, 2021 at Thistledown.

Other contenders for Jockey of the Week included Armando Ayuso who won the Arizona Oaks and Turf Paradise Derby, Hector I. Berrios who won the G3 San Carlos, Flavien Prat with a win in the G3 Whitmore, and Kevin Roman with 10 wins between Will Rogers and Fonner Park and a stakes win at Fonner Park.