4th of July with Jockey Eurico Rosa De Silva and John Hernandez
July 1, 2021
Hosted by John Engelhardt
[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]
Guest Information
Episode Description
Eurico Rosa de Silva is a Brazilian native who is best known for his outstanding career as a jockey in Canada where he won two Queen’s Plates and was the leading rider at Woodbine for seven seasons, including five consecutive years until his retirement in 2019. He is now a life coach for several professional athletes. There were many diverse roads and obstacles this talented reinsman took to the eventual successes of his career and they are revealed in his recently published book – “RIDING FOR FREEDOM.” Born on a dairy farm in rural Brazil, Da Silva determined at an early age that he would become a champion jockey. This is the story of Da Silva’s battle with his demons. While it describes his ascent to the highest ranks of his athletic profession, it also lays bare his struggle to heal the emotional scars inflicted by an absent and negligent father and his victory over the forces that threatened at time to end his life. Fourth of July weekend will be sparkling with competitive action from sea to shining sea and plenty of reasons to pull down the E-Z Win Forms at Winningponies. The picnic starts on Friday in Altoona, Iowa at Prairie Meadows where they will fire off three rich stakes races – the G3 $225,000 Iowa Oaks; $250,000 Iowa Derby and the continuance of the G3, $300,000 Cornhusker Handicap, a race that has attracted Knicks Go. Participating in the evening fireworks will be the likes of jockeys Florent Geroux, Jose Ortiz, Joel Rosario, Ricardo Santana, Junior Alvarado and trainers Brad Cox, Steve Asmussen, Bill Mott and Mike Maker to name a few. John Hernandez will join our “Regular Guy” to give us the best bets from central Iowa. John Hernandez has been in and around horse racing for almost 40 years now. The late, great West Coast publicist Nat Wess hired him for his first job in the business for the inaugural Fall-Winter meeting at Hollywood Park in 1981. He was the “press box steward” and for $50 bucks a day, he was rubbing elbows with the likes of Gordon Jones, Ernie Mason, Harry Henson, Joe Hirsch, and many others while watching some great races there. He also worked for Trackmaster in the early days of their business in the 1990s, traveling the Eastern seaboard doing on-track seminars for their hand-held telephone modem device that was sort of like “the next gen Mattel Horse Racing Analyzer.” John has been with Prairie Meadows for over a decade, where he serves as the track handicapper and television commentator.
Winning Ponies
Thursday at 5 PM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel
On the show we will talk about the Sport of Kings. We will delve into the different features of the WinningPonies.com website. John Engelhardt will talk about the issues of the day that affect horse racing, such as synthetic surfaces, medication rule changes, the fate of the industry as a whole, VLTs and Casinos, and human interest stories of triumph and defeat. You will also hear our spot play of the week, where John will handicap the feature races for the upcoming weekend, and will give out his best plays. We will keep you abreast racing’s big events. Featured on the show will be guests (trainers, jockeys, owners, celebrity handicappers and industry insiders). Promotional giveaways will be featured, such as brand merchandise and free WinningCredits.
"Winning Ponies" is broadcast live every Thursday at 8 PM Eastern/5 PM Pacific on the VoiceAmerica Variety Channel.
John Engelhardt
You may recognize him as "Racing's Regular Guy." For ten years, John Engelhardt hosted the informative and sometimes irreverent handicapping show from his base at River Downs in Cincinnati, Ohio. He developed a passion for thoroughbred racing as a youngster at Saratoga, and has been able to make his love of the sport his life's calling.
Engelhardt, a native of Syracuse, New York is a graduate of the University of Dayton. His professional career in racing began as the track photographer at Beulah Park in 1983 and he has worked in racing ever since. John produced "The Stretch Run" for eight years, which aired on the CBS affiliate WCPO-TV in Cincinnati. For four years Engelhardt co-hosted "The Regular Guy Handicapping Show on HOMER 1530-AM in Cincinnati with former "Winning Ponies" host Ed Meyer.
John served as the President of the Turf Publicists of America in 2009 and 2010, after serving several years as the Midwest Vice-President of that organization. He is currently a consultant for Pinnacle Entertainment handling publicity, public relations, marketing, advertising and special events for River Downs. Under the "nom-de-course" of Heart of an Angel Stable, he has bred and owned thoroughbreds for 18 years.
"Racing's Regular Guy" has been exposed to racing on many levels and greets the sport with enthusiasm and well-rounded knowledge. Tune in Thursdays at 5PM PT, as he welcomes nationally recognized guests, who will help you find those "Winning Ponies.”
