Joe Bravo gets win No. 5,000

Joe Bravo became the 31st rider in history to win 5,000 races in North America when he won the sixth race at Monmouth Park on Saturday aboard Boss Man for trainer Jason Servis.

Bravo, who has led the Monmouth rider standings 13 times, is the third rider to reach 5,000 North American wins this year. Alex Solis won his 5,000th race in January and Gary Stevens turned the trick in February. Both are Hall of Famers.

After his milestone win, Bravo made a point to thank everyone who helped him, especialy when things were not going well for him.

"When you’re doing good, everyone wants you, but when you’re not you really find out who believes in you," he said.

[[Bravo shares his thought on 5,ooo wins]]

Bravo, who began riding in 1988, has almost 2,000 wins at Monmouth. A native of Long Branch, N.J., he has another 1,200 wins in his home state at the Meadowlands, Atlantic City, and Garden State.

Bravo has won the biggest races at Monmouth, the Haskell Invitational on Lion Heart (2004) and the United Nations with Big Blue Kitten (2013) and Turbo Compressor (2012).

He has at least one Grade 1 win a year since 2011. Last year, he won the Arkansas Derby on Danza for Todd Pletcher and the Spinaway on Condo Commando for Rudy Rodriguez.

Bravo, 43, said he has no intentions of retiring and is already looking forward to his next winner.