Prado having solid meet, trails Cordero by six on wins list
The reality of the aging process among athletes is that Edgar Prado won’t ever return to the stature that carried him to a Hall of Fame induction. But the 52-year-old jockey can still continue to enjoy what he’s doing – and win some races while he’s at it.
Prado has been having something of a career revival at the Gulfstream championship meet, cracking the top 10 for the first time in years while drawing ever closer to passing the great Angel Cordero Jr. on the all-time wins list.
Into Friday action at Gulfstream, Prado’s win total stood at 7,051, just six shy of what Cordero amassed during his legendary career. His 18 wins at a meet that began Nov. 29 had him tied for 10th with a fellow Hall of Famer, John Velazquez.
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“I’m feeling great and staying in the best shape possible,” Prado, a 2008 Hall inductee, said this week. “Hopefully, I can stay healthy and keep getting these opportunities to ride good horses. I’m going to keep riding as long as I want.”
Prado pretty much spun his wheels at recent championship meets, going 1 for 86 in 2015-16 and 2 for 61 in 2017-18. He credited his agent, Cliff Hopmans, with helping his numbers this year.
“Cliff is being very aggressive, and we’ve both been working very hard in the mornings,” Prado said.
Prado is ninth on the all-time wins list led by Russell Baze (12,842) and second among active riders behind Perry Ouzts (7,065). His mounts have earned nearly $270 million since he rode his first winner in the United States in 1986.
Ouzts, 65, has not ridden since suffering a shoulder injury in a post-parade accident in late July at Belterra Park but is close to returning to action at Turfway Park after recovering from surgery.
