Diego enjoying banner year

Jockey Iram Diego has never had a better year at the track in 14 years in the saddle, and it’s only July. Not only has he surpassed his personal-best totals for wins and mount earnings, he also celebrated a five-win day for the first time in his career last Sunday at Lone Star Park.

There could be more where that came from Friday night. Diego is well mounted for one of the track’s final programs of the meet, with stakes winner Meme Jo leading a turf-sprint allowance and Bim Bam making his first start since setting a course record in June.

Diego is a 35-year-old native of Mexico whose star started to rise last winter at Sam Houston, where he won the first riding title of his career. The momentum has carried over to Lone Star. Diego ranks as the second-leading rider with 77 wins through Tuesday, and his banner Sunday card included four winners for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

“Steve, he’s given me a shot, not just at this meet, but also in Houston,” Diego said. “Before him, I was doing just okay. He’s got so many good horses, and he’s giving me the opportunity, and that’s why I’m winning more races. I’m doing my job, obviously, but I’m doing a lot better because of his horses. Thank God first, then Steve.”

Diego also credited trainers J.R. Caldwell, for whom he guided Texas Chrome to a runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Iowa Derby, and George Bryant, who trains Meme Jo, for giving him good opportunities, as has Leroy Pollok, for whom he rides the multiple stakes winner Expect Royalty. Bradley White, the rider’s agent the past two years, has been another key part of the puzzle, said Diego.

Diego won his first race in 2002 at Fairmount Park. He set career highs with 88 wins and $1.6 million in mount earnings in 2015 but has blown by those numbers midway through 2016. Diego had won 134 races this year through Tuesday for mount earnings of $1.8 million.

Diego followed in the footsteps of a brother, Loren Diego, and a cousin, Inosencio Diego, in becoming a jockey. Iram Diego spent time competing at Canterbury, Fairmount, Hawthorne, and the tracks in Louisiana before settling down in Texas. He and his wife have three children and make their home in Fort Worth, Texas.

“We were moving all around,” Diego said. “Horsemen, you know, move all around. We used to put a little trailer on the back of the truck and go, and we kind of got tired of that, started looking for a house in this area, and we just bought a house.”

Following the meet, Diego plans to ride at Remington Park.