TORONTO — After getting a leg up on the competition for the second consecutive year at Woodbine, jockey Luis Contreras will look to follow a familiar formula for future success in 2013.
The high-energy rider competed in Florida in 2011-2012 where he teamed up with trainer Mark Casse’s Prospective to win the Pasco Stakes and Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs en route to a date at the Kentucky Derby.
Considering his success at Woodbine in 2012, Contreras headed back to the Sunshine State, specifically, to Gulfstream Park, where he’ll ride throughout the winter.
“Brian Lynch is down here with a big string,” said Contreras, of the Woodbine-based conditioner, who has raced horses in south Florida for the past several seasons. “He’s a very good supporter of me. Also, I rode in the Kentucky Derby (Prospective) and Breeders’ Cup (Dynamic Sky in the Juvenile) in the same year. I hope one of the talented two-year-olds, Avie’s Quality (Ivan Dalos’ Display Stakes winner) and Dynamic Sky, I liked from last year, will get me there again.”
With different tracks come different challenges.
It’s why Contreras made sure to do his homework well before his first race of the 2012-2013 meet at the Hallandale oval, a fourth-place finish with The Best Monkey on December 20.
“Gulfstream is the toughest track in North America to ride at,” offered Contreras. “I’m more aware of speed here. At Woodbine, you can make a late, wide move. That doesn’t work here. Early position is everything.”
So, too is making your presence known. That side of the business is handled by agent Tony Esposito, who accompanied his rider to Florida.
Establishing new relationships, while maintaining old ones, is paramount in making the Gulfstream journey a positive experience.
“With Woodbine ending its meet on December 16 this year it definitely put us at a disadvantage because Gulfstream had already started,” said Esposito. “Showing up late to such a tough meet presents challenges.
“Brian Lynch and Mark Casse are here, along with Josie Carroll and Katerina Vassilieva. They are putting us on a lot of their horses. We are also working and riding horses for Tom Albertrani, Rusty Arnold, Michelle Nihei and Ian Wilkes. I think you will find that as the meet progresses we will get much busier.”
So far, the feedback is positive.
“Luis is great at working horses,” said Esposito. “Trainers are surprised at how they respond to Luis’s style. The biggest comment is how poised he is for such a young man.”
As of January 4, Contreras had 15 mounts at Gulfstream, yielding one win, that victory coming with 49-1 longshot Gloton, for owner-trainer Luis Duco.
With some of the continent’s most familiar names competing, a list that includes John Velazquez, Javier Castellano, Luis Saez and Joel Rosario, success is far from guaranteed.
“Joel Rosario is my longtime friend,” noted Contreras. “I get along with most riders here. There all very competitive but also very professional. I have a lot of respect for Johnny Velazquez. He works hard on behalf of the riders.”
While the odds of Contreras winning the riding title aren’t in his favour, the hard-working journeyman will look to make a big impression before the meet concludes on April 5.
When he does return home, Contreras will set his sights on a third-straight riding title and reaching 1,000 wins. He currently stands at 932.
In 2011, Contreras flirted with Mickey Walls’ 1991 record of 221 wins in one year, finishing with 212. This past campaign, he followed it up with 195 wins – 28 ahead of his nearest rival – a colony-best $9.2-million in purse earnings, accompanied by 17 local stakes scores.
Unlike in 2011 when Contreras ran away with the title, the Mexico native took a come-from-behind approach in earning his second straight championship.
“Halfway through the season, people were saying I wasn’t going to make the top of the standings,” reflected Contreras. “Tony said, ‘Don’t worry. Just keep working hard and we will get there.’ We never gave up and it felt great to win again.”
His measure of success?
“Wins are most important to me. Money is great, but only a few people get to share in that. But when you win, everyone from the hot walker to the people who bet on you are happy.”
The very thought of which brings a smile to the face of a man with a plan.
“I have made Canada my home,” he said. “I want to raise my kids in Caledon (northwest of Toronto) and continue to contribute to Ontario. I hope the government allows me to keep riding and representing Ontario in the feature races around the world. Woodbine is a great track and people respect our horses here in Florida. My New Year’s hope is for Woodbine and the horsemen to have a great 2013 meet and many more after.”