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Journeyman Chris Landeros Spending Summer in South Florida
4/4/2024
Fernando Jara Riding Opening Month of Gulfstream’s Royal Palm Meet
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Led by successful journeymen Chris Landeros and Fernando Jara, a change of racing seasons brought some new names to Gulfstream Park for the Royal Palm Meet, which opened Thursday.
A Northern California native who turns 36 July 12, Landeros had one mount on the eight-race opening day program, William Tharrenos-owned and trained This Dude a Breeze, finishing second in Race 3, a one-mile 70-yard claiming event on the all-weather Tapeta.
Landeros will be represented by agent Rene Douglas, a former rider of 3,587 winners from 1983-2009 including 2006 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Dreaming of Anna and 1996 Belmont Stakes (G1) victor Editor’s Note.
“Rene reached out and asked me what my thoughts were on it. I thought it would be a good opportunity if he had some people that’ll back us up and fill in some gaps to ride some horses,” Landeros said of the decision to spend the summer at Gulfstream. “I love Florida. Can’t beat the weather, can’t beat the lifestyle. It just seemed to check all the boxes.”
A career winner of 1,663 races and nearly $51 million in purse earnings, Landeros spent this winter at Oaklawn Park where he ranked 11th in purses ($1.15 million) and 13th in wins (10) from 128 starts. The previous winter, Landeros was third in purses ($1.66 million) and ninth in wins (25) from 147 mounts at Turfway Park.
No stranger to Gulfstream Park, Landeros rode full-time during the Championship Meet in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, primarily for his father-in-law, trainer Ian Wilkes, for whom he won the 2019 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) on Champagne Anyone. After struggling for wins and mounts in his first winter, he ranked ninth with 31 wins and $1.56 million in purse earnings his second time around.
Landeros rode two races at the recently concluded 2023-2024 Championship Meet, both on the Wilkes-trained mare Miss Yearwood, finishing fourth in the Dec. 23 Via Borghese and sixth in the March 2 The Very One (G3). He is named in five races Saturday at Gulfstream and two Sunday.
“Having ridden here in the winter a few years, it’s kind of like my second home. It’s nice to be back, that’s for sure,” Landeros said. “Championship Meets aren’t easy. I’m just looking forward to the experience. I’m just hoping it can build up, snowball, and we can have a good summer.”
Best known for his international success with 2006 Horse of the Year Invasor, Jara was winless with three mounts Thursday at Gulfstream. He said the plan is to stay in South Florida up to the start of Monmouth Park’s meet May 11.
“We’re going to be here this month and then go up to Monmouth,” Jara said. “I would love to stay here. I rode here for so long, it is like a second home for me. But we’re going to try our luck there.”
The 36-year-old Panama native exits the winter meet at Sam Houston in Texas, which ends Sunday, where he ranked second in wins (31) and purse earnings ($812,566) behind Stewart Elliott from 125 mounts including five stakes wins and thirds in the John B. Connally Turf Cup (G3) and Houston Ladies Classic (G3).
In addition to Sam Houston, Jara also rode at Tampa Bay Downs, Fair Grounds and Delta Downs over the winter. Represented by Jose Santos Jr., he is named in two races Friday at Gulfstream and one race Saturday.
“I rode at Tampa and then we went to Texas and had a good meet there,” Jara said. “Jose had some good business there and luckily things went well.”
Jara began riding in Panama at age 14 before venturing to North America, where he has ridden 724 winners from 6,447 mounts. He became a riding sensation in his late teens while guiding Kiaran McLaughlin-trained Invasor to six consecutive Grade 1 victories including the 2007 Dubai World Cup to cap the Shadwell Stable star’s career. Jara rode Invasor to victory in the 2007 Donn Handicap (G1) at Gulfstream prior to his triumph in Dubai.
At just 18 years old, Jara achieved Triple Crown success aboard McLaughlin-trained Jazil in the 2006 Belmont Stakes (G1). He spent several years in Dubai before returning to ride his first race in the U.S. since 2015 Nov. 18 at Gulfstream, finishing seventh on Jerry O’Dwyer-trained Unabated. Jara’s last graded-stakes win in the U.S. came on Fort Loudon in the 2012 Carry Back (G3) at Gulfstream.
“I rode for eight years in Dubai and it was good for me, but the last three or four years I’ve been thinking I want to give it another try in the U.S.,” Jara said. “Finally, things worked out and we decided to come here.”
Kentucky Derby (G1)-winning jockey Sonny Leon also returns to Gulfstream, where he rode four races over closing weekend of the Championship Meet. He ranked 11th with 12 wins and 12th with $455,501 in purse earnings from 139 mounts at Turfway Park this winter. Leon won 15 races and $572,110 in purses during the 2022-2023 Championship Meet.
Erica Murray, represented by former jockey Chantal Sutherland, is named on Jorge Delgado-trained Explosive Exchange in Race 2 Friday. Raised in Louisiana, Murray spent the winter at Fair Grounds and has won 141 career races since 2015, enjoying her best year in 2020 with 34 wins and $704,057 in purse earnings.
Leading the apprentice class at Gulfstream is Jon Rivera, who won six races and $326,720 in purses during the 2023-2024 Championship Meet. Also riding with a seven-pound weight allowance Thursday was Gabriel Maldonado, based at Tampa Bay Downs where he ranks third in wins (36) and fifth in purses earned ($735,677).
Rey Martinez is entered to make his U.S. debut Friday at Gulfstream on David Hussey-trained It’s Nora Now in Race 2. Martinez, a 10-pound bug, is seeking his first win after 11 starts, all of them at Camarero Racetrack in Puerto Rico, the most recent coming Feb. 11.