Herrera, 17, finishes out riding apprenticeship with win at Santa Anita
ARCADIA, Calif. -- Diego Herrera rode his final day as an apprentice at Santa Anita on Sunday.
Herrera’s apprentice term ends on April 24, six days before the next program of live racing at Santa Anita. Herrera, 17, plans to ride at Los Alamitos next weekend, but otherwise plans to work horses in the mornings at Santa Anita and take a slower pace before racing resumes.
“I might get some time with my family,” he said.
He is ready for a slower pace after a hectic 14 months in which he has ridden an astonishing 1,030 races.
Through Sunday, Herrera had won 131 races on Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, and mixed breed races. Of those, 74 were on Thoroughbreds, including 29 at the current Santa Anita meeting. Herrera ranks fifth in the standings at the Santa Anita meeting.
“It’s been a long journey. I’m trying to appreciate it,” Herrera said. “I didn’t think I’d do as good. In a short time, I’ve had a lot of success.”
Herrera has ridden two programs on many weekend days since last fall, afternoons at Santa Anita or Los Alamitos and the evening programs at Los Alamitos, where he began his career in February 2021.
The transition to a journeyman is not always easy for a jockey. The five-pound allowance will be gone.
“I’ll start from scratch,” he said between races on Sunday. “I’m excited for the journey.”