Cruz's hot streak topped by General George win aboard Point Dume
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Jockey Angel Cruz has caught fire in the Mid-Atlantic, boasting a 19 percent strike rate at Laurel Park and Charles Town to begin his 2026 campaign. The pot got even sweeter in Maryland last Saturday, when the journeyman rider took center stage in the $200,000 General George and guided rising star Point Dume to a commanding gate-to-wire victory.
“He’s one of the best sprinters I’ve ridden in my career,” Cruz said. “I think he can go longer, but you could see in the last two races, he’s just improved so much.”
Cruz, who turns 31 next month, earned the ride on Point Dume in October last year, three months after trainer Tim Kreiser claimed him for $40,000 at Penn National. The pair instantly connected at Parx, winning the $75,000 M.P. Ballezzi Appreciation Mile. Cruz credited jockey’s agent Tom Stift with helping him earn the mount, along with many others during this hot streak.
“We give each other opinions, but Tom is really sharp,” Cruz said. “He’s on top of it, on the phone all day. He’s always working on the tablet, calling trainers. He’s a really good agent and we have a good partnership.”
Point Dume is known as an especially headstrong runner who frequently wears down his exercise riders, but Cruz has proven to be his ideal partner in the saddle. After weathering a sharp early duel to win the $100,000 Fire Plug Handicap in January, the jockey got away with an uncontested lead in a tougher General George field and never looked back.
As of Feb. 18, Cruz is second in the jockey standings at the Laurel winter meet, winning 12 of 62 starts. He has little chance of catching Yedsit Hazlewood, who has 22 victories so far, but he holds a five-win lead for second over Martin Chuan, J.G. Torrealba, and Jose Vargas.
Cruz’s run has been highlighted by the ascension of Point Dume, but it began when the rider returned to Charles Town, his old home track, in early January. He won four races on three cards there between Jan. 8 and Jan. 14, kickstarting a 12-win month between West Virginia and Maryland.
After snow interfered with most race dates in late January, Cruz got right back to business on Feb. 4 aboard the Mike Maker-trained filly Victory Music, winning the $100,000 Xtra Heat at Laurel. He has since won seven more races. Stift convinced Maker to ride the hot hand with Cruz, who hopes to continue earning quality mounts as his success snowballs into the spring.
A two-time Eclipse Award finalist for outstanding apprentice jockey, Cruz has had his fair share of success since debuting in 2014. He has earned riding titles at Aqueduct, Laurel, and Timonium, amassing 1,196 victories and $41.4 million in purse money. Now a veteran rider, he is still hungry and looking to make more noise in the Mid-Atlantic.
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