Castellano Poised to Make History

After a quick trip home to New York to see his family, jockey Javier Castellano is back at Gulfstream and poised to make history.

 

The 36-year-old rider needs just $8,850 in purses to break the North American single-season earnings record set by Ramon Dominguez in 2012. Dominguez, 37, was forced to retire in June, five months after being seriously injured in a spill at Aqueduct.

 

Castellano is named in six of 10 races on Friday’s card at Gulfstream. He enters the day leading all jockeys with both 344 wins and $25,626,003 in purse earnings in 2013. Dominguez banked $25,634,852 last year.

 

“It means a lot to me because when you start riding horses, you don’t think you’re going to get to that level, and the level where I’m at is amazing. I’m blessed,” Castellano said.

 

“I don’t want to take anything away from Ramon Dominguez, because Ramon Dominguez is such a great guy, a very good friend of mine, very close to me. I feel so flattered to be at that level, to win so many races and get the chance to break the earnings record. I feel so great and so thankful at the same time. I appreciate everyone that's helped me get to that level.”

 

The two-time defending Gulfstream winter meet riding champion, with 112 wins in 2011-12 and 100 in 2012-13, Castellano is off to another good start. He won with seven of his first 18 mounts last weekend, including each of his first two in his Dec. 6 debut, and bagging three more on Sunday.

 

Castellano has 3,616 career victories and is the favorite to earn his first Eclipse Award as top jockey. The ceremony will be held at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 18, 2014.

 

“It was a great weekend. I’m looking forward to the meet,” he said. “Seven wins, it’s unbelievable. I’m very thankful and blessed at the same time to ride those kinds of horses. I’m very lucky, very fortunate, to be in this spot.”