Francisco Orduña Rojas has been making all the ride moves around the Los Alamitos oval over the past seven racing nights. Since July 28, the distance rider has won with six of his 12 mounts, tying him with Vinnie Bednar for most total wins during that span.

       Half of Orduña Rojas’ wins came on one night – Sunday, August 4, when the 28-year-old rider enjoyed the first riding triple of his career. The wins also came is successive order, as he guided Hollywood Sky to win the first, Zapattack in the second, and Millie Joel in the third. A week later, the ride was at it again on Sunday night, this time with a riding double thanks to the Thoroughbreds American Heart and Swiss Cheese.

       “It was my first time with three wins in a single racing program and it felt great,” the rider said about his accomplishment on August 4. “The horses responded like I was hoping they would. It was a great night.”

        Orduña Rojas began his riding career in 2016, dipping his feet in the water with just 27 mounts for the year. While riding mostly at Emerald Downs and Portland Meadows, the jockey began to make nice strides, while winning 33 Thoroughbred races in the Northwest region.

         “I had a good meet riding in the states of Washington and Oregon,” he said. “After their meets ended (in the summer of 2018), I had to go find a new place to go. I decided to come to Los Alamitos and I’ve enjoyed my time here. Jesus Nunez gave me my first opportunity to rider at Los Alamitos. With time, I’ve been able to ride with more and more trainers. Sergio Morfin has given me opportunities as have many other conditioners.”

         Since arriving a Los Alamitos 11 months ago, Orduña Rojas has won a total of 42 races. In fact, since September 1, 2018, he’s the eighth overall leading rider at Los Alamitos.

         “I just want to get better each and every day," he added.

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