Goncalves, Amoss are Indiana Downs Meet Winners
The Indiana Downs recent meet concluded on July 13 with the track having its fair share of exciting racing featuring a colony of capable jockeys and outstanding trainers.
Leandro Goncalves was the meet winner among riders with 99 wins in 440 (23%) starts and purse winnings of $2.3 million. The native of Brazil finished in the money in 53% of his starts.
Gonçalves began riding horses when he was 6-years-old after his family moved from São Paulo to a country farm. Before his tenth birthday, he won his first race riding a quarter horse. He has certainly made his mark in Indiana winning both the Indiana Downs and Hoosier Park meets in the last two years.
Fernando De La Cruz with 53 wins and Orlando Mojica with 52 first place finishes followed Goncalves’ lead.
The training title was captured by Tom Amoss, whose whopping win percentage of 48 percent (32 wins in 78 tries) and 76 percent in-the-money overshadowed an exceptional performance by Richard Kohnhorst, who finished second. Kohnorst was 23 for 78 (29%) and 64 percent in the money. Amoss edged Kohnhorst in earnings with $628,499 TO Kohnhorst’s $614,077.
Tracy Wisner was third with 17 wins in 81 trips to the post (17 percent). Randy Klopp was third in earnings with $433,219.
The Hoosier Park Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet begins on Aug. 2 while Indiana Downs’ Thoroughbred and QH meet is expected to resume in April 2011.