Castellano wins riding title with two wins on final day
ELMONT, N.Y. – Javier Castellano didn’t have to share top riding honors this summer at Belmont Park.
Castellano won two races on Sunday’s closing-day program and finished the meet with 56 victories, two more than Irad Ortiz Jr., for his third straight Belmont spring-summer crown. Last year, Ortiz won the final race of the meet, which enabled him to tie Castellano for leading rider honors.
On Sunday, Castellano won the $125,000 Lynbrook Stakes on Wonderment ($5.30) and took the eighth race aboard Mark My Style ($5.50) to secure the title. Ortiz, who went winless with four mounts Sunday, had led the standings for most of the meet – leading by as many as 10 at one point – but opened the door for Castellano by missing three of the final six days of the meet serving out a suspension. Also, Ortiz ended the meet winning with just two of his last 24 mounts, including Sunday’s finale.
“I’m very blessed to ride the best horses in the country,” Castellano said. “A lot of help. A lot of trainers give me a lot of help the last couple of days. They support me to win the title. Take nothing away from Irad Ortiz. He had a great meet.”
Castellano also credited agent Matt Muzikar. Castellano said he declined a trip to the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on Wednesday to ride at Belmont Park, where he rode three winners on the card.
Castellano, 37, has won the last two Eclipse Awards as North America’s leading rider. Through Sunday, he leads the country in wins with 197 and purse earnings with more than $13 million.
Castellano will go for his third straight Saratoga riding title when that meet opens Friday.
Meanwhile, trainer Todd Pletcher won his eighth Belmont spring-summer trainers with 43 victories from 137 starters. He fell one win short of equaling the record for wins at a Belmont spring-summer set by David Jacobson in 2013. Pletcher’s last starter, One Sided, got beat a nose in Sunday’s ninth.
Jacobson, who only won 16 races as a trainer at this year’s Belmont meet, did finish as the leading owner with 13 wins, two more than Michael Dubb.