Rosario to ride at Santa Anita Park this winter

Jockey Joel Rosario has a busy schedule and then some time off before he heads to Southern California to winter at Santa Anita.

Rosario was at Del Mar last weekend, where he won the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes aboard Viadera and the Hollywood Turf Cup (G2) with Arklow.

His agent, Ron Anderson, said Monday afternoon that Rosario has returned to New York, where he will ride Performer in the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on Saturday for trainer Shug McGaughey. 

Then, on Sunday, it is off to Florida, where he expects to ride Frostmourne in the Dec. 12 Fort Lauderdale (G2) at Gulfstream for Eddie Kenneally, along with other stakes that Anderson is still putting together.

The agent said Rosario then will take a couple weeks off and be at Santa Anita on opening day, Dec. 26.

“We’ve done this the last couple of years,” Anderson said. “We were kind of thinking to maybe go to Gulfstream or Oaklawn Park, but we’ve done real well in the winter in California. We came out of there with Nadal for Baffert last year — unfortunately, he got hurt. It’s a good spot to winter in, Joel’s had a lot of success out there, so that’s kind of where we landed.”

Opening Day at Santa Anita features five graded stakes: the Grade 1 Malibu, La Brea and American Oaks and the Grade 2 San Antonio and Mathis Brothers Mile.

“He’ll ride all the stakes,” Anderson said. “I’m just firming them up as we speak.”

Rosario has won the Jockey Title at Santa Anita's Winter Meet three times; 2011, 2012 and 2019.

In 996 starts this year, Rosario has a record of 185-194-147 and earnings of $17.5 million. He got his 3,000th career win in November at Aqueduct.

He had two wins in the Breeders' Cup this year, aboard Knicks Go in the Dirt Mile and Vequist in the Juvenile Fillies.