Ramon Vazquez Reaches 500th Oaklawn Win, Posts Five-Win Monday

Ramon Vazquez reached an Oaklawn milestone when he captured the sixth race on what TDN described as "last Friday's card," becoming the 11th rider in the track's history to record 500 local wins. TDN quoted Vazquez reflecting on his Oaklawn résumé: "Second, third, second," and added his aim plainly: "That's my dream, honestly. Just one year be the leading rider here."

The hot streak that produced Vazquez's 500th came amid a surge of winners across mid‑February cards. Oaklawn reported that "Vazquez has surged to the top with 11 victories this week, including five Monday to equal his Oaklawn high." Oaklawn also detailed two Saturday victories that helped cement his hold on the standings: the first race aboard Special Ops for trainer Rob Atras paid $10.40, and the fifth race aboard What's the Tea for trainer Rodolphe Brisset paid $8.80.

Standing tall in the meeting race, Oaklawn's Barn Notes stated, "Vazquez has 30 victories, one more than two‑time Oaklawn riding champion Cristian Torres, after 24 days of racing. Vazquez has never won an Oaklawn riding title." That Oaklawn snapshot follows an earlier TDN standings point that showed Vazquez with 28 wins behind Cristian Torres' 29, illustrating how rapidly the leaderboard shifted across consecutive cards.

Vazquez's surge has stakes implications. Oaklawn reported trainer John Ortiz said Vazquez "will ride multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Quietside in the $400,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) for older fillies and mares March 7." Quietside logged a half‑mile work in :47.40 Saturday morning under Vazquez, and Oaklawn listed other early Azeri probables as champion Nitrogen, multiple Grade 1 winner La Cara for Mark Casse, and Standoutsensation for Tom Amoss. Oaklawn notes the Azeri is the final major prep for the $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap on April 11, both at 1 1/16 miles.

The meeting notes also captured broader Oaklawn storylines during Vazquez's run. "Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen saddled two winners Saturday, pushing his career Oaklawn total to a record‑extending 1,018," Oaklawn reported, crediting Erik Asmussen aboard Tis Charming ($8.60) in the second race and Keith Asmussen aboard Miss Arlington ($8.60) in the ninth. Oaklawn further logged a workout for Awesome Aaron, three furlongs in :38.40, listing the 7‑year‑old Practical Joke gelding's lifetime record at 6‑4‑6 from 37 starts and earnings of $665,763.

Vazquez's meeting surge, a confirmed 500 local wins and a booked mount on Quietside for the Azeri, positions him both as a title contender and a key player shaping Oaklawn's spring stakes picture. With the meeting stretching toward its May 2 conclusion and TDN noting Don Howard's Oaklawn total at 509 as a near‑term benchmark, Vazquez's next appearances, on stakes day March 7 and in the weeks leading to the Apple Blossom, carry tangible consequences for his first Oaklawn riding crown.