Amy back in winner's circle

Jockey Jose Amy won his first race in the United States in nearly 25 years on Monday, rallying the maiden Mon Over Miami ($13.20) up the rail to victory in the sixth race at Aqueduct.

It was Amy's first U.S. win since March 1980, also here at Aqueduct. Shortly thereafter, the New York State Racing and Wagering Board suspended Amy's license after he admitted taking bribes to fix seven races in New York in 1974 and 1975. Amy testified to those facts during the race-fixing case against fellow jockey Con Errico, who was given a 10-year prison sentence and fined $25,000.

Amy returned to his native Puerto Rico in 1984 and rode there for more than a decade before returning to the mainland U.S. Amy had applied for a jockey's license in New York on four occasions before the board granted him one last September.

Amy, 51, returned to the saddle on Oct. 17. Mon Over Miami was Amy's 10th ride since then. Amy had twice ridden Mon Over Miami to third-place finishes.

"I finally got it," Amy said, after accepting hugs from Dominic Galluscio, the trainer of Mon Over Miami. "I've been trying to get some live mounts. I've got to thank Galluscio, he's been giving me all the confidence since I've come back. We knew this horse was eventually going to break his maiden."