Jockey Edwin Gonzalez headed from Florida to Northern California

Jockey Edwin Gonzalez, who was among the top 10 riders at the Gulfstream Park spring-summer and summer-fall meetings last year, is moving to Golden Gate Fields.

Gonzalez, 31, is booked to ride three of the nine races on Saturday’s program, all for trainer Jonathan Wong.

Gonzalez said in an interview on Thursday that slow business during the current Gulfstream Park winter meeting led to his decision.

“I’m not riding much,” he said. “I don’t like to be on the bench. I like to be playing the game. The best riders are here.”

The jockey roster at the ongoing Gulfstream Park meeting is a top-class group that includes brothers Irad and Jose Ortiz, Joel Rosario, and Luis Saez. Irad Ortiz Jr. and Rosario are two of the three finalists for the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding jockey of 2022. Rosario won the award for the 2021 season.

Through Wednesday, Gonzalez had won four races from 47 mounts at the current Gulfstream Park winter meeting.

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In his career, Gonzalez has won 1,646 races through Wednesday – 1,204 in the United States and 442 in his native Puerto Rico. Last year, Gonzalez won 95 races, including the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park in August. His mounts earned a career-best $4,291,171. Gonzalez won a personal-best 236 races in 2019.

Gonzalez rode briefly at Golden Gate Fields in the fall of 2018, winning with 3 of 9 mounts. He said he returned to Florida to be closer to family.

Gonzalez said he has been in touch with Wong recently about a return to Golden Gate Fields.

“Jonathan called me,” Gonzalez said. “He gave me the opportunity again.”

The current Golden Gate Fields meeting runs through June 11. Gonzalez said there is a possibility he could relocate to Southern California in the summer to ride at Del Mar while the Northern California circuit is racing at the fairs.

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