Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma (TRAO)

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JOCKEY STEWART ELLIOTT REACHES 6,000-WIN MILESTONE ABOARD LAMORNA INN AT REMINGTON PARK

For Immediate Release
Thursday, September 17, 2026
By Richard Linihan


OKLAHOMA CITY – A set of unexpected circumstances led to veteran jockey Stewart Elliott finally reaching the 6,000 North American victories milestone on Thursday night at Remington Park. The event finally happened after running into a bit of a drought along the way.

Elliott had not won a race since taking Colonel Yorke to the winner’s circle on Sept. 5.
After being stuck on 5,999 all last week without a win, he hit the magical mark on a horse he never would have thought would be the one to get the job done, mainly because he wasn’t named to ride Lamorna Inn when the night started.

Fellow jockey Floyd Wethey, Jr., won both halves of the daily double, winning the first race aboard Red Hot Shot and the second in the irons of Blame Da Stoops, before the call came from the jockeys’ quarters. Wethey had fallen ill to some sort of stomach bug and was taking off the rest of his mounts for the night. When rider changes were announced, Elliott was announced as the new jockey on Lamorna Inn in the ninth race.

Boom! Just like that, the horse carried Elliott to the 6,000-win mountain. Elliott became the 23rd rider to accumulate that many wins and he sits five behind Javier Castellano, who hit 6,000 in late August at Saratoga in upstate New York. Castellano has 6,005 wins according to Equibase statistics.

“Who knows? Right?” Elliott said of picking up the mount for the 6,000th trip to the winner’s circle. “Geez, it took a little time, but that’s this game. It has its ups and downs. I’m so grateful to get it done and fortunate.”

Elliott rode the winner for trainer Dick Cappellucci and owner Judge Lanier Racing (Tom McKenna) of Fort Sumner, N.M. Lamorna Inn won by two lengths in a six-furlong sprint over the main fast track. He was sent off at 7-2 odds in the five-horse allowance field.

Elliott said it takes dealing with adversity and injuries to achieve this kind of success and longevity.

“I’ve had hard times,” he said. “That’s part of it. I’ve broken some ribs, my collarbone a couple of times, my hand, my foot, my tailbone. But all in all, over the years, I’ve been pretty fortunate. I think the worst was when I broke some ribs and punctured a lung and didn’t even know it.”

Right now, he is just happy the chase is in his rearview mirror. He can count wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness of 2004 with Smarty Jones as a part of his stack of career scores. The 61-year-old Canadian-born rider just laughed when asked if he had 6,000 more in him to catch all-time winningest jockey Russell Baze (12,842 victories).
“I mean, when you think about it,” Elliott said, “he had to win a couple of races every day. That’s crazy.”

He also thought it was funny to think about riding into his 70s as a septuagenarian as Perry Ouzts has done and still is doing. Ouzts sits at No. 5 on the all-time list at 7,539 wins in his 70s.

“No, I don’t think so; not for me,” said Elliott. “But, you know, my weight is good, and my business is good, and I feel good.”

Lamorna Inn paid $9.60 to win, $4.40 to place and $2.80 to show. Private Debbie, the 6-5 favorite, checked in second, a length ahead of third-place runner Intangible (3-1). Lamorna Inn is a 3-year-old Kentucky-bred filly by Munnings, out of the Jimmy Creed mare Wall of Compassion. Running time for the six furlongs was 1:10.31.

Heroic Move With Decisive Run Around The Turn For Feature Win, Aiding Vazquez to Four-Win Night
Heroic Move, a multiple graded-stakes winner, took on allowance horses Thursday night and won, generating his class down the stretch to pull away by 5-1/4 lengths for the victory. The race was run under conditions of beaten allowance horses, 3-year-olds-and-older that had not won two races since Jan. 1, 2026, or not won four races lifetime.

Heroic Move, a 6-year-old Kentucky-bred horse by Quality Road, out of the Smart Strike mare Family Tree, had races in his past that would dominate this field and it showed in the one mile race over the main fast track.

Heroic Move won the Grade 3, $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile at Lone Star Park at one mile on that main track by 1-1/2 lengths on May 25. That’s a far cry from allowance company. It was no surprise when Heroic Move won this race, giving jockey Ramon Vazquez his third of four wins on the night. Heroic Move is trained by Robertino Diodoro, who had a training triple. Running time for the mile was 1:36.64.

The winner earned $25,068 from the $42,000 allowance purse and improved lifetime to 33 starts, 10 wins, five seconds and four thirds for a total bankroll of $1,309,099. Heroic Move is owned by Arnold Bennewith, Rick Wiest, Clayton Wiest, Lana Wiest, Randy Howg, R 6 Stable, Norman Tremblay, Sheila Regan of Enchant, Alberta, Canada). ... See MoreSee Less