Angel I. Diaz spent a lot of time in the winner’s circle in 2019. The up-and-coming talent led all North American-based apprentice jockeys in wins with 244, and the accomplishment has made him an Eclipse Award finalist. Diaz is a candidate for outstanding apprentice jockey of 2019. Diaz is based in Puerto Rico. He had 950 mounts last year, and those runners earned $1,599,790. His 244 wins outpaced not only his own apprentice peers, but also most journeymen. Diaz ranked ninth in wins among all jockeys in North America last year, according to records from Equibase. The list was topped by Puerto Rico native Irad Ortiz Jr., who won 324 races in 2019. Diaz, who connected at a 26 percent win clip, had a number of notable mounts. He celebrated Grade 1 success in Puerto Rico in December when he guided Tio Gangue to a 7 1/2-length victory in the Classico Agustin Mercardo Reveron Stakes at Camarero. It was Diaz’s third win of the year on the 2-year-old colt by Congrats. Diaz was a perfect 3 for 3 on El Salsero, with the pair reeling off three straight allowance wins to close out 2019. The victories came by a combined margin of 22 lengths. Another standout runner for Diaz was Sentencia. He was aboard for all six of her wins last year, as she rose from the claiming ranks to the allowance level. Sentencia’s victories all came at Camarero. Diaz also had 190 runner-up finishes last year and 139 third-place finishes. :: Full list of 2019 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories