Jockey Saez to move base from Oaklawn to Gulfstream

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Jockey Luis Saez, who has been wintering at Oaklawn Park, will be based at Gulfstream Park beginning on Thursday, according to his agent, Kiaran McLaughlin.

Saez was based at Oaklawn for the first time this meet and ranked fourth in the current standings through Sunday. He has won 31 races from 167 starts, for mount earnings of $2.3 million.

Saez won local stakes races with Oscar’s Hope and Standoutsensation, and last week won two Ratings Handicaps aboard Grade 1 winner Saudi Crown and multiple stakes winner Asternia.

“Luis is going to relocate to Gulfstream Park starting March 12,” McLaughlin said Saturday. “We took entries already. It’s just he misses his family back in [Florida] – three daughters and his wife.

“We had a good meet. Everything’s gone well. It was just a big question mark about family. Last year, when I talked to him about [Oaklawn], he didn’t want to go because of family. We tried this year and it’s been successful, but it’s just been hard on him with the family and travel.”

McLaughlin said there is a possibility Saez could return to Oaklawn for stakes mounts on Arkansas Derby Day, which is March 28. He already has stakes mounts in the region on March 21, for Louisiana Derby Day at Fair Grounds.

“For everyday racing, he’s going to be in Florida,” McLaughlin said. “So, he’s going to relocate to Gulfstream Park until Keeneland.”

Saez is a winner of more than 3,900 races, including 228 graded stakes. His mounts have earned more than $259 million.

Hall of Fame rider Joel Rosario, who also spent some of his winter at Oaklawn, is now riding regularly at Gulfstream, his agent, Ron Anderson, said Saturday.

“He has a place in Florida,” Anderson said. “He’s just going to stay here on his way to Keeneland at the end of the month.”

Anderson said traveling back to Oaklawn for stakes mounts is always a possibility for Rosario.

“That’s all open,” he said. “If something comes up, he could bounce in there. But right now, we’re focusing on here and getting to Keeneland.”

Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., who has won eight riding titles at Oaklawn, spent time this winter at both Oaklawn and Aqueduct and is now based full time at Aqueduct, agent P.J. Campo said Saturday.

“We just decided to come back to New York,” Campo said. “We’ve got a lot of business in New York. It was hard to kind of give up - a lot of loyal people and customers we’ve been building since he started here last May.”

Campo said Santana is scheduled to return to Oaklawn for stakes mounts on March 21 and March 27-28.

“We’ll be back a couple of days,” he said.

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