Cedillo Parlays Success Into Breeders' Cup Chances

After riding relatively unnoticed on the national stage for 10 years, jockey Abel Cedillo is now in the Breeders' Cup spotlight for the first time this week at Santa Anita Park. The 30-year-old Guatemala native—formerly a leading jockey in Northern California who burst on the Southern California scene this summer and fall—rides in four Breeders' Cup races, including one of the richest in North America, the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), aboard Mongolian Groom. 

Such opportunities would have seemed unimaginable as early as this spring when riding at Golden Gate Fields, where his usual mounts were aboard claiming and allowance horses. Before this year, he had ridden in only 17 graded races, winning only with Pepper Crown in the 2014 San Francisco Mile (G3T) at Golden Gate.

A change in circuits brought a change in opportunity beginning this summer. Working with veteran agent Tom Knust and with the initial backing of trainer Doug O'Neill, who has one of the largest stables in Southern California, the jockey's career took off, first at Del Mar—where he finished third in the standings—and now at Santa Anita.

This was displayed early in the Santa Anita meet in late September when over a two-day span he won the John Henry Turf Championship (G2T) with Cleopatra's Strike, the Zenyatta Stakes (G2) with Paradise Woods, and the Awesome Again Stakes (G1) with Mongolian Groom, the latter for trainer Enebish Ganbat. 

Mongolian Groom provided Cedillo with his first grade 1 victory and, now, his greatest opportunity. Cedillo has never competed in a race as lucrative as the Classic, though he is 6-for-21 in graded stakes in 2019—a 29% win rate.

Mongolian Stable Aims for More Breeders' Cup Success

Speaking at Santa Anita Oct. 27, a couple of hours after working Paradise Woods in advance of riding her in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), Cedillo said he is amazed at his success in Southern California and excited for the promise he sees in Mongolian Groom. He pointed to his mount defeating Classic morning-line favorite McKinzie in the Awesome Again.

"That horse, he's been doing really good. That last race, it woke him up," he said.

Mongolian Groom is far from Cedillo's only hope. Millionaire Paradise Woods is a threat in the Distaff, particularly if she is able to reproduce her effort in the Zenyatta, when she defeated Distaff entrants Secret Spice and Ollie's Candy. The 5-year-old daughter of Union Rags  was third in the 2017 Distaff at Del Mar when ridden by Flavien Prat.

Cedillo is battling Prat for the leading rider title at Santa Anita. Entering the Oct. 31 card, Cedillo held a 19-18 advantage in wins for an autumn meet that ends Nov. 3.

"He's obviously an excellent rider," said John Shirreffs, who took over the training of Paradise Woods from Richard Mandella last winter. "He sits a horse really well. He finishes very well on a horse."

Cedillo's success has not come overnight. The jockey, who moved to the United States from Guatemala in the early 2000s, began riding in 2009 after working as a groom in Florida. He went winless with 14 rides in his first year as an apprentice, and stints riding at Santa Anita as a younger rider were not met with as much success. He was 3-for-109 at Santa Anita before this fall's meet.

Other Breeders' Cup mounts for Cedillo include Comical in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and War Beast in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America (G1T), both Nov. 1. Another Breeders' Cup ride on Landeskog in the Nov. 2 Sprint (G1) was lost when that horse was announced as a scratch by O'Neill.

Regardless of what transpires in the Breeders' Cup, Cedillo is enjoying his most lucrative year as a jockey. His mounts have made over $5.1 million, ahead of his $3.3 million earnings from 2018, his previous best year. With 183 victories through Oct. 29, he is also on pace to surpass his win total for 2018, when he won 200 races.

Cedillo admits to being more excited than nervous about his Breeders' Cup chances, particularly in a race as rich as the Classic.

"Right now, I feel OK. That day, hopefully, I feel the same way," Cedillo said.