Jockey Sebastian Saez celebrates first win at Gulfstream

Sebastian Saez, the younger brother of Luis Saez, piloted his first career Gulfstream Park winner with just his second mount at the Championship Meet in Friday’s first race. 

Saez, 18, won the opener on the 6-5 favorite Dreamofjean E ($4.60), his only ride on the card, for trainer Larry Rivelli. His older brother finished third aboard Defying Gravity in the same race. It was nearly a Saez brothers’ early daily double as Luis was narrowly defeated in Race 2 to finish second on My Johnny Be Good. 

Friday’s first race marked the second time that the Saez brothers rode against each other after facing off in a Belmont Park race earlier this year. There will be many more occasions for that to occur as Sebastian intends to make Gulfstream Park his winter base for the first time since starting his riding career in April of 2015. Last winter he rode the Oaklawn Park meet. 

“I really like Gulfstream Park and I wanted to compete here with my brother,” Saez, who has ridden 79 career winners, said through a translator in the winner’s circle.  

Luis Saez, 24, has ranked second in wins and purses behind Javier Castellano at the last two Championship Meets.  

“It’s very nice to have him here; I’m feeling very happy about that,” Saez, who won two races on Friday’s card, said of his younger brother’s presence here this winter. “He’s a good kid. He rides very good and I think he will be able to compete here. 

“I think it will be good for him to be here, because he can learn more,” he added. “Not just from me . . . there are a lot of good riders here he can learn a lot from.” 

The Saez brothers are from Panama and are both graduates of the prestigious Laffit Pincay Jr. Jockey School there. A third brother, Juan, lost his life in a 2014 racing accident at Indiana Grand when he was 17 years old.