For a long time now, riders from various Latin American countries have been making inroads into United States horse racing with remarkable success, and the 2020 season is no exception, when we see that this year's statistics are in the majority.
More race winners
Among the ten most successful we find that eight of them are from the region and it is common to see them cross the finish line first in the various competitions, of the racetracks spread throughout the American Union.
Thus, among those eight of them they add 657 victories until last Sunday, April 26 of this year. Let's see who it is.
Luis Sáez, a native of Panama, commands the national statistics for wins in the best horse racing in the world, with 112 victories. Currently campaigning at Gulfstream Park Racecourse, Florida.
Puerto Rican Irad Ortiz Jr. is the winner of the Eclipse Award in 2019 as the best rider of that year. He is second in wins this season with 94 firsts. He was champion at the Gulfstream Park winter meeting, beating Luis Sáez by 2 wins. He debuted last Saturday at the spring meeting of the same racecourse and got four victories that day.
Juan José Hernández, Mexican, considered one of the best in California today, where he leads the meeting at the Golden Gate Fields racecourse with 101 first. He is third in 2020 with 91 victories.
Paco López is another good Mexican rider. He is sixth in the national statistics with 79 wins. He got 94 at the Gulfstream Park winter meeting.
David Cabrera, also from Mexico, is seventh for wins with 78. He is third in the statistics of the oval Will Rogers Downs, in Oklahoma. He was previously at Sam Houston Racecourse, where he led the stat with 62 first.
Samy Camacho, from Venezuela, has had two tremendous campaigns at the Tampa Bay Downs racetrack meetings in Florida. This year he is eighth for victories with 73 at the national level. He leads the Tampa meeting by production and is second for victories behind the Spanish Antonio Gallardo.
Ricardo Santana Jr., a native of Panama, is ninth with 65 firsts. Is líder in the statistics of the Oaklawn Park racetrack, in Arkansas, where the Arkansas Derby will be run next Saturday, as a central race.
Juan Carlos Díaz, legend of Puerto Rican horse racing, also has 65 wins, tying for ninth place. He has 5.073 lifetime wins.
And in production
Of those named above, four appear in the statistics for the production of money by owners. They are: Irad Ortiz Jr. (1st); Ricardo Santana Jr. (3rd); Luis Sáez (4th) and Paco López (9th).
We must indicate that in this important statistic there are two other Latino riders, to make the majority of the top 10 with six. They are the Dominican Joel Rosario (2nd), who has been serving the campaign in the Oaklawn Park oval, where he has eleven wins. Figure seventh by production. He regularly works in California.
Manuel Franco of Puerto Rico, is seventh among the riders with the highest production. He had been campaigning at the Aqueduct Racecourse in New York until March 15 of this year. Later he traveled to Gulfstream Park, where he has been acting. He has had two wins, both selective, the Florida Derby and the Sir Shackleton Stakes.
