Journeyman Cintron Finishes Second in Return to Maryland

 

BALTIMORE – The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved Thursday at legendary Pimlico Race Course, growing the jackpot carryover to $240,824.31 for Friday’s nine-race program.

 

First race post time is 1:10 p.m.

 

A total of $76,841 was bet into the popular multi-race wager Thursday, adding to a carryover of $216,236.59 from the Preakness Stakes (G1) program May 19. Multiple tickets with all six winners each returned $1,247.68.

 

The carryover jackpot is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 60 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 40 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

 

Maryland’s state-record Pick 6 carryover is $345,898.33, reached heading into the April 15 program at Laurel Park. It was solved that day by a single bettor for a jackpot payout of $399,545.94.

 

There will also be a carryover of $841.28 in the $1 Super Hi-5 for Friday’s opener.

 

Journeyman Cintron Finishes Second in Return to Maryland

 

Six months after being seriously injured in a race-day spill at Laurel Park, 30-year-old journeyman Alex Cintron made his return to the Maryland jockey colony with three mounts on Thursday’s card.

 

Cintron had not ridden in Maryland since suffering injuries to his face and knee as well as a broken shoulder blade when Hamilton Smith-trained Leather Goods appeared to clip heels on the first turn of the third race last Nov. 19 and dumped Cintron. Because both horse and rider remained on the ground, the jockeys of the other horses were directed to ease their mounts in the stretch and the race was declared a no contest.

 

A lengthy recovery process was further complicated by the shifting of facial hardware already in place from a Nov. 14, 2014 spill where Cintron broke 12 bones, shattered his jaw and suffered a severe concussion.

 

“That was great,” Cintron said after finishing second aboard Consider This for trainer Michael Matz in the second race, a $40,000 maiden special weight for fillies and mares 3 and up going 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

 

“When I got hurt it was hard for me. I had a hard time with the doctor because of my previous accident and he was a little scared for me to have another injury like that one,” he added. “But after like five months, the doctor looked at it again and everything healed really good and he told me I’m 100 percent ready to go. I had a few different doctors kind of saying the same thing and they let me get back to the saddle.”

 

Cintron returned to riding May 19 at Monmouth Park, finishing fifth aboard John Servis-trained Miss Inclusive in the Politely Stakes. The Bayamon, Puerto Rico native began getting on horses last month at Delaware Park, near his Wilmington, Del. home.

 

Prior being injured, Cintron was on track to top career highs in both wins and purse earnings, finishing 2017 with 132 wins and a $4.137 million bankroll and ranking among Maryland’s leading riders. He won 141 races in 2013 and $4.29 million in 2014.

 

“I was riding for almost three weeks. I started getting on horses at Delaware, breezing horses, galloping,” Cintron said. “Now, it’s time to start rolling.”

 

Cintron is named in two of nine races Friday and four of 10 races both Saturday and Sunday. The 12-day Preakness Meet at Pimlico wraps up with a special Memorial Day holiday program Monday, May 28.

 

Notes: Jockey Feargal Lynch rode back-to-back winners Thursday with Slim Fit ($3.60) in the second race and Zap Cat ($2.80) in the third, and capped a three-win afternoon aboard Binary Bourbon ($4.40) in the ninth… Both Binary Bourbon and Stella Nova ($7.80) in the fifth are trained by Hugh McMahon … Jockeys Daniel Centeno and Jomar Torres escaped injury in a two-horse spill in the fourth race. Torres took off his remaining mounts but Centeno returned to ride, picking up Mischief Maas from Torres in Race 8.