4,000 North American wins: Luis Saez becomes 71st jockey to reach milestone
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Jockey Luis Saez won his 4,000th career race in North America on Saturday when he guided Rothschild to a front-running victory in Saturday’s second race at Saratoga.
Saez, 34, became the 71st jockey to reach the 4,000-win plateau.
“I’m pretty grateful, it means a lot to me,” Saez, a native of Panama, said in the winner’s circle afterward. “Hard work. I’m always up and down, on the road, I want to give thanks to my wife [Andrea], too, she’s always there for me, my whole family. To win 4,000 race is something I never expected.”
Saez, who was the leading rider at Saratoga in 2021, had been struggling this meet in a deep jockey’s colony. The win on Rothschild was just Saez’s 10th win of the meet.
“I just try to be confident, I knew we were going to keep winning races,” Saez said. “I try to do the right thing on every horse I ride and try to win every race we can.”
Saez, a graduate of the Laffit Pincay Jr. Jockey Training Academy in Panama, won his first North American race on Aug. 20, 2009 on Fearless Humor at Calder Race Course in Florida.
He is a two-time winner of the Belmont Stakes, having won it in 2021 on Essential Quality and in 2024 on Dornoch, the latter edition being run at Saratoga. Saez is a two-time winner of the Travers - 2013 on Will Take Charge and in 2021 on Essential Quality. He will ride Silent Tactic in next Saturday’s Travers.
“So many good memories over here,” Saez said. “Saratoga is the place everybody wants to be. This is a tough meet and I’m pretty grateful to be here and for it to happen here.”
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