Alvarado rides 3,000th winner

Jockey Frank Alvarado rallied Curly Girly ($7.80) in the stretch to run down I Like a Kathy in Friday's eighth race at Golden Gate Fields to record the 3,000th victory of his career.

The 45-year-old native of Panama City, Panama, won his first race April 24, 1984, at Presidente Remon Ractrack in Panama City aboard Gold Son. He came to the United States in 1990 and scored his first U.S. victory aboard Solely True at Gulfstream Park on March 3, 1990.

Alvarado has been based in the Bay Area since 2000 and has been the second-leading rider six times at Golden Gate Fields and four times at Bay Meadows, where he won the final race ever run at the track.

He finished strong aboard the Larry Ross-trained Curly Girly to win the 5 1/2-furlong allowance race in 1:04.64.

"To be honest with you, I never thought I could win 3,000," said Alvarado, who has won 16 graded stakes and a million-dollar race aboard McCann's Mojave in the 2007 Sunshine Millions Classic. "It's amazing for me, really amazing. It's so exciting to get 3,000."