Those that followed Turfway Park early in the 2006 racing season had advance warning of an extremely talented apprentice that would become a household name by year’s end.

And while Julien Leparoux was a near unanimous decision for Champion Apprentice in 2006, avid followers of racing at the Fair Grounds have good reason to believe they may have witnessed a future Eclipse Award apprentice in action this past season.

Joe Talamo, a 17-year-old Louisiana native, dominated the recently concluded Fair Grounds meet with 119 wins, 25 more than runner-up Robby Albarado, and became the fist apprentice to earn a riding crown at the New Orleans track.

Talamo will be heading to California to ride for Bobby Frankel during the last weekend in March prior to shifting his tack to New York for the start of the Aqueduct main track meet on April 4.

Talamo, who recorded five wins on the January 26 card and currently ranks third nationally in wins, plans to stay in New York once racing moves to Belmont Park on May 2. His five-pound bug expires in July.

**UPDATE Apr 2** After winning three races on Saturday at Santa Anita, Talamo has decided to shift his tack to California for the spring. With Corey Nakatani and leading rider Garrett Gomez leaving town for Kentucky shortly, there certainly exists a void, and Talamo could garner himself a fair amount of success.