Santana thriving in New York

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. will carry some momentum into the traditional 40-day Saratoga meet that begins on Thursday.

When Santana got Awesome Czech to the wire a head in front of Vino Rouge to win Friday’s opener, it was his 22nd win since moving his tack to New York at the beginning of May. He has ridden winners for 16 different trainers.

“I have a new agent, P.J. Campo, who gave me the opportunity to come to New York,” Santana said. “This has always been my dream to be in New York. Things have gone really well.”

Santana has ridden regularly at Saratoga since 2016, notching a personal-best 35 winners here in 2021. Last year, he won 19 races. The fact that he’s ridden for so many different trainers during the spring has Santana optimistic for a productive summer meet.

“That was the key to come over here – meet new people, new clients,” Santana said. “P.J.’s doing a really good job, I’ve ridden for a lot of different people I haven’t ridden for before. I’m really happy and blessed.”

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.