Trainer Doug O’Neill nearly matched a Santa Anita record and veteran jockey Emisael Jaramillo, a new addition to the Santa Anita riding colony, stole the show on a 10-race program Friday at Santa Anita.
O’Neill saddled four winners on the card, which was one victory shy of the most by a trainer in a single day at Santa Anita. Jaramillo, who relocated from Gulfstream Park to ride at the Santa Anita Classic Meet, announced his presence by providing the winning ride on three of O’Neill’s winners.
“Those are days you dream about,” O’Neill said Saturday morning. “The races unfolded perfectly, which so seldomly happens. Just a great day and a credit to our new jockey in town. What a great addition to the colony. He really gave some great rides for us.”
O’Neill won the first three races Friday and then the nightcap. After jockey Edwin Maldonado won the opener for O’Neill with Gemadini ($3.60), Jaramillo scored in the second race with a cagey last-to-first ride aboard Crazy Cavalier ($13.20). Jaramillo then nursed longshot Robusta ($51.60) to a gate-to-wire victory in the third race. In the 10th and final, Jaramillo worked out a trip with Lovin’ On The Run ($6.60) and won comfortably by 1 ¼ lengths.
Jaramillo is a 48-year-old native of Venezuela, where he first rose to the rank of riding legend before coming to the U.S. full-time in the summer of 2015. In Venezuela, Jaramillo was a 13-time champion and is the all-time leading rider with more than 4,000 wins. He also won Venezuela’s Triple Crown on three separate occasions.
Since arriving in the U.S. to stay more than a decade ago, Jaramillo had ridden almost exclusively in south Florida where he consistently ranked among the leading jockeys. Then this winter, Jaramillo made a connection with Santa Anita-based agent Tom Knust at O’Neill’s recommendation and decided to come west.
“I always try to stay one step ahead of the game, make my moves at the right time and not the wrong time,” Jaramillo said. “I thought this was the right time to come to California. The O’Neill racing stable opened the door for me, and I have a great agent. I put those two things together and decided it was the right time.”
Through the first five days of the Classic Meet, Jaramillo has four wins from 16 mounts (25 percent). His first Santa Anita win came on Jan. 2 for O’Neill in a $10,000 claimer aboard Dirt Words.
“I take my job serious everywhere I go and try to stay positive,” said Jaramillo, who has won 1,886 races since arriving in the U.S. “That’s always been the key to success for me.”
Jaramillo has a relatively light Saturday lined up with two mounts scheduled on a 10-race card. He rides Ah Jeez (10-1) for O’Neill in the eighth race and Cullen J (10-1) in the 10th race for trainer Richard Baltas. On Sunday, Jaramillo rides seven of 10 races. His mounts include No Bad Beats (12-1) in the GIII Las Flores Stakes and Miss Lizzy (10-1) in the GIII Las Cienegas, both for O’Neill.
“I’m happy here,” Jaramillo said. “It feels like I’m fitting in right away.”
Unedited press release from Santa Anita Press Team
About The Author
