免费

Horse racing: On Del Mar grass course, jockey Hector Berrios is a cut above

This could be a good weekend at Del Mar for jockey Hector Berrios. The game is being played on his turf.Berrios rides local favorite Iscreamuscream in the $300,000, Grade I Del Mar Oaks on Saturday and contender Moment’s Pleasure in the $150,000 Solana Beach Stakes on Sunday after warming up with the interesting long shot Abhita in the $100,000 CTT and TOC Stakes on Friday.All three stakes are on the turf course. And, as fans have learned, Berrios gives horses their best chances to win on grass.“In my opinion, Berrios is the best grass rider in Southern California,” said Bob Ike, the former Southern California News Group handicapper who makes selections at BobIkePicks.com and co-hosts the Thoroughbred Los Angeles radio show. “First, he makes a concerted effort to find the rail and save ground, which is crucial in turf racing.“He goes out there with a game plan, understands pace, saves as much ground as possible, and rarely gets stopped, which is the big worry when riding the rail. He h…