Gonzalez hoping to end career-best year on high note

This has been a career year for Claudio Gonzalez, who enters the final weekend of the Laurel Park fall meet not only on the verge of winning the training title, but, more importantly, topping the 2017 standings in Maryland.

Each year, the Maryland Jockey Club recognizes the jockey and trainer with the most combined wins at the season’s three Laurel meets and Pimlico’s spring session. Kieron Magee has won the overall title the past three years, but trails Gonzalez 81-73 coming into the Friday card.

Jevian Toledo will be the circuit’s leading rider for the second time in the past three years.

Gonzalez, whose stable is primarily a claiming operation, won the fourth Maryland meet title of his career at Laurel this summer. This year, he has 115 wins from 468 starts (24 percent). His barn has earned purses of $2.8 million. Each of those stats is a career high for the 41-year-old native of Chile.

“I have more winners because I have more horses and owners who understand what I want to do,” Gonzalez said. “I have usually had 25 horses; now I have 40. To win the year-end title is big to me because we have very good trainers here in Maryland – 20-, 30-year trainers – and I have only been training five years.”

The path to the top has not been easy for Gonzalez, a cancer survivor. When he emigrated to the U.S. in 1995, he went to work as an exercise rider for Juan Serey. In 2008, he was galloping horses for Bennie Perkins Jr. when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Unable to work for six months, and with a wife and two children, Gonzalez was in a tough spot. But Perkins kept him on the payroll and offered moral support until he had completed chemotherapy and could resume riding.

“If not for Bennie, I would not be here doing what I am doing,” Gonzalez said. “I must thank Bennie for what he did the rest of my life. Not many people help you when you are down. When I win, people are happy, but Bennie helped me when I had nothing.”

Gonzalez has been a consistent winner since taking out his trainer’s license in 2012. Just this past week, he moved his family to Maryland from New Jersey.

This is a big weekend at Laurel, which will host six stakes with total purses of $550,000. Gonzalez can end the year on a high note with Afleet Willy in the Dave’s Friend, My Magician in the Politely, and Line of Best Fit in the Thirty Eight Go Go.

Afleet Willy, a 10-time winner and an earner of $367,000 whom Gonzalez claimed for $25,000 out of a maiden win two years ago, and My Magician, a $25,000 claim in May who has since won two stakes, are top contenders in their races.

Because of his humble beginnings, Gonzalez does not take his success for granted.

“I would like to thank all my employees,” he said. “Without them, I could not win the title. I would not be where I am today without them.”