Contreras arrives from Canada to ride in California

Former Canadian champion jockey Luis Contreras is spending the winter in Southern California and will have his first mount at Los Alamitos on Friday.

Contreras rode in Southern California as recently as 2008 and had a mount at the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita last month, finishing fourth on Calgary Cat in the Turf Sprint. Contreras has won 1,638 races, including 24 victories in Southern California. He won the Sovereign Award as Canada’s outstanding rider in 2011 and 2012.

At the marathon Woodbine meeting that ended last Sunday, Contreras was second in the standings with 140 wins. Eurico Da Silva led all riders with 202 wins.

On Friday, Contreras, 30, rides Lilly’s Finale for trainer John Sadler in an optional claimer at six furlongs, his lone mount on the eight-race program. Lilly’s Finale was claimed for $50,000 when third in a six-furlong race at Santa Anita on Oct. 28 and is entered to be claimed for $40,000 on Friday.