If Miguel Hernandez finishes atop Emerald Downs’s owner standings, it will be thanks in no small part to a 10-year-old English-bred gelding by the name of Move Over, who goes for his fourth win in seven tries this year at the Auburn, Wash., track on Sunday in a $4,000 starter allowance at 1 1/16 miles.
Hernandez launched his training career in 2014, mainly saddling horses at Turf Paradise and Zia Park. In 2021, Hernandez began training his own purchases as the head of Miguel H. Racing LLC, and in 2023, he landed Move Over in a private sale and welcomed him into his Phoenix barn.
Move Over won two straight turf routes at Turf Paradise in spring 2024 before joining Hernandez for his inaugural journey north to Emerald. There, Move Over promptly prevailed in a pair of one-mile dirt races to run his winning streak to four. Three races – all losses – later, Hernandez lost him to a $10,000 claim.
Move Over’s losing streak had swollen to 13 when he dropped down to the $2,500 claiming level on June 6. He snapped the streak with a 3 1/4-length win, and Hernandez claimed him back. Move Over hasn’t finished out of the money in five races since, winning twice and cementing his status as one of the best claiming routers at the Emerald meet.
He won’t run for a tag in race 7 on Sunday, as Hernandez wants to keep him and has no plans to retire him. Horses at Emerald can run through age 12.
“I want him to keep going, running and running,” Hernandez said. “He’s a nice-looking son of a gun. He likes training. He’s an old guy, but he feels like a 3-year-old.”
Move Over’s main competition could come from his own stable, as Dennard will break from the rail for Hernandez, who put in a $3,500 claim for the 7-year-old gelding in his last race, which he won by 1 3/4 lengths. As with Move Over, this is the second time Dennard has been in Hernandez’s barn, having been claimed by trainer Robbie Baze for $5,000 out of a race he won in August 2024.
Both of Hernandez’s veterans have tactical speed and prefer to stay close to the lead before vying for it at the top of the stretch. Hernandez said he sees no reason to alter his usual strategy with either horse in a race where the Vince Gibson trainee Orth, breaking from the outside, should compete for the early lead with stablemate Candy’s Wildcat and Isidro Tamayo’s Happy Does.
“I don’t want to do anything different,” Hernandez said. “I want to sit right behind.”
With seven wins in a meet that concludes Sept. 7, Hernandez is tied atop the Emerald owner standings with owner-trainers Sergio Perez and Justin Evans, the latter of whom owns his horses in partnership with Jeff Rakoczy and Rakoczy Racing LLC. The Evans-Rakoczy partnership finished atop last year’s owner standings with 17 to Hernandez’s 12.
“Last year, it was close,” Hernandez said. “To be the leading owner, that would be cool. That would be super.”
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