Maldonado making the most out of small stable

Trainer Jonathan Maldonado is off to his best start since moving to Maryland from Puerto Rico in 2010.

Through Friday, Maldonado was 8 for 22 on the year and had already equaled his win total from 2016, when he sent 68 horses to the gate. He has won four of his last five starts dating to Feb. 20.

Maldonado, who turns 33 Sunday, began training in Puerto Rico in 2004. He had a good-sized stable there but moved to Maryland, where his older brother Rafael lived, and started over with a two-horse stable.

“I had almost 100 horses in Puerto Rico, but my owner had money problems,” Maldonado said.

Since coming to the mainland, Maldonado has at times trained on his own and at others worked for fellow trainers. He has spent time as an assistant for Hugh McMahon, Dane Kobiskie, Mike Stidham, and Rudy Rodriguez.

“Dane Kobiskie and I won two titles together in 2011 and 2012,” Maldonado said. “Rudy wasn’t stabled here long, but he told me he needed me when he came here, so I went to work for him.”

Maldonado has nine horses stabled at Laurel Park. He owns five of them, has two horses for Michael Dubb, one for Michael Imperio, and one for Kentucky-based Lansdon Robbins III.

Maldonado runs his horses as Three M’s Racing, which he named for himself and his brothers Rafael and Joel, the latter of whom is his assistant trainer.

“I like having my own horses because owners can sometimes be difficult, and I like being able to make my own decisions and do what I want,” Maldonado said.

Rodriguez is Dubb’s principal trainer. When Rodriguez left Maryland, Dubb gave Maldonado the horse Supermensch.

“He was not running well short on dirt, and I raced him long on turf, and he won nicely,” Maldonado said. “Mr. Dubb later sent me another horse.”

Maldonado has won two races apiece this year with Greek God, I Just Wanna Win, and North Ocean. Maldonado claimed Greek God from Mike Trombetta for $7,500 last April and won four races with him. Trombetta claimed him back for $5,000 out of a winning effort Feb. 20.

I Just Wanna Win won two in a row for $5,000 tags after Maldonado claimed her from trainer Patrick Magill. She was claimed back by Magill on Feb. 4, but Maldonado took her again out of a $7,500 victory March 3.

North Ocean has won a pair of $5,000 starter races since Maldonado claimed him for $15,000.

“My horses are running very good,” Maldonado said. “We are working very hard.”