Brittany Russell with husband Sheldon | Photo MJC
Surrounded by family, Brittany Russell celebrated Mother’s Day in style by winning Sunday’s only two starts at Laurel Park and claiming the first coaching title of her career. Russell, 32, ended the 22-day spring break with a flourish, winning five races from nine starts last weekend to overtake Jamie Ness, 14-13 and beat the record. of Claudio Gonzalez at nine consecutive titles in Maryland. Gonzalez ranked third with 10 wins.
“It is a huge achievement. My team, how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time, it’s going to take me a bit of time to get on with it,” said Russell. “I think that’s a really big problem for the warehouse. My crew is amazing. I’m lucky for the clients I have and the warehouse we’ve built. ”
The race for the top driver’s seat came on the final stage of the meeting when Jevian Toledo finished sixth on the Scintilli and lost to seven-pound apprentice Jeiron Barbosa, 20-19. It was the first equestrian title for 18-year-old Puerto Rican Barbosa, who had a five-game winning streak before missing the final three days of springtime with a suspension.
Barbosa became only the third apprentice in a decade to lead the horse racing rankings at Laurel, after Yomar Ortiz (winter 2013) and Julio Correa (summer 2019). Toledo, Maryland’s overall riding champion in 2015, 2017 and 2021, had three wins, three seconds and three thirds in 12 rides during Barbosa’s absence.
“I feel really happy and really grateful for all the opportunities,” Barbosa said through countryman and family friend Angel Cruz. “Being here for my first month and being the lead driver of the spring encounter is a huge achievement.”
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This story was posted in Top News and tagged Brittany Russell, Jeiron Barbosa, Laurel.
