Year of the Jockey

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Santa Anita Stakes Wins
California Breeders’ Champion (Fillies)—Swiss Diva (2006)

Other Major Stakes Wins
California Derby (GG)—I’m a Jewel (1997)
Governor’s Cup (Fpx)—Jungle Prince (2006)
Hollywood Turf Express (GIII-Hol)—Jungle Prince (2006)
Phoenix Gold Cup H. (TuP)—Jungle Prince (2006)
Zia Park Express (Zia)—Jungle Prince (2006)

Highlights

• First win: Courageous Plot, 1985, at Caliente Racetrack in Mexico.
• First U.S. win: Ubetweare, 1989, at Santa Rosa.
• First graded stakes win: Jungle Princess, Nov. 25, 2006, in Grade III Hollywood Turf Express at Hollywood Park.
• Richest stakes victory was achieved in 1997 with I’m a Jewel in $200,000California Derby at Golden Gate Fields. “It was a 14 or 15 horse field and my horse was sitting last before he started picking up horses one by one to win by a couple of lengths,” he recalled. “That was my most memorable win.”
• Won four stakes races for trainer Juan Garcia aboard Jungle Prince in 2006 including the Grade III Hollywood Turf Express at Hollywood Park.
• First Santa Anita stakes victory came in 2006 in the fillies division of the $138,750 California Breeders’ Champion Stakes as Swiss Diva overwhelmed her opposition with an 8 1/2-length win.

Personal

• Learned to ride at the Hipodromo de las Americas jockey school in Mexico City. “The school was free and still is,” he said. “It was great.” Other products of the school are Antonio Castanon and Jose Alferez.
• Rode 10 races at Mexico City track in 1983 without a winner before coming to the U.S. in 1988. Galloped horses for 1 1/2 years in the Bay Area and on the Northern California fair circuit while riding occasionally in the afternoons.
• Returned to Mexico for two years in 1990 to work on family’s ranch.
• After returning to the U.S. and the Northern California circuit, enjoyed his best year in 1997 when finishing second to perennial leader Russell Baze in the jockeys’ standings at Golden Gate Fields.
• Continued on the Northern California circuit until 2002 when stopped for two years to deal with weight problems while continuing to gallop horses in the mornings.
• Began riding again at Los Alamitos late in 2004 and finished second, one win behind Guillermo Gutierrez in the Thoroughbred jockeys’ standings before topping the list in 2005.
• After riding at the major Southern California tracks on occasion, decided to make the switch in 2006 after finishing second in the standings at Fairplex Park. Rode four winners on closing day at Fairplex to finish seven wins behind that track’s perennial leader, Martin Pedroza, with 20 victories. “I’m pretty happy with the decision,” he says.