Sunday was another special day in jockey Javier Castellano's riding career as the Eclipse Award winner achieved his 4,000th career victory.
"It's amazing. I'm so, so happy. I think it's one of the best moments of my life, right now. I've been very fortunate to ride a lot of good horses the last few years and two Eclipse Awards back to back. I've won a lot of good races, a lot of Grade 1s," Castellano said. "Everything has gone so far in my career. I'm very thankful and blessed."
Castellano reached the memorable win with his third winner of the day in the 10th race at Gulfstream Park aboard Captain Stan. Earlier, he won aboard his first mount with Stanford in the fourth race and registered win No. 3,999 aboard Tell Tale Friend in the seventh race.
"The way the race developed I felt like I had a chance to win today. My horse, turning for home when I asked him, responded so quick and I got so emotional. I said, 'Wow, I'm going to win my 4,000th race,'" Castellano said. "The last sixteenth I started worrying a little bit when my horse started getting tired. Finally, he gave me that little extra to get the 4,000th win. It's amazing. I feel so proud to be participating against the best jockeys, the best colony, in the country. It's special."
In 2013 Castellano set a new North American record for earnings in a calendar year with $26,218,107. In his career, Castellano has earned more than $217 million from 22,542 mounts.
[SportsNetwork.com]
