Jockey De La Cruz leaving Tampa for Oaklawn

Fernando De La Cruz, who is riding at Tampa Bay Downs, plans to winter at the Oaklawn Park meet that opens Jan. 12 in Hot Springs, Ark. Tony King, who will be his agent, said the rider was due to arrive in Arkansas sometime Tuesday.

“He’s going to ride through Sunday at Tampa, and then he’s going to come straight in,” King said. “He’ll be available for training on Wednesday.”

King said De La Cruz’s scheduled arrival is weather permitting. Oaklawn, because of extreme winter weather, canceled training Friday.

De La Cruz, who won the 2016 riding title at Indiana Grand and has been a regular at Tampa, will be a new face at Oaklawn.

“It’s a big move,” King said. “Brad Cox has been awfully good to him in Indiana, and I think he has hopes of riding some horses for the Cox barn, and for a few other barns.”

De La Cruz won his first race in 2007 in Indiana and had 1,703 career wins through Thursday.