Jockey Hernandez Hits 2,000-Win Milestone
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Photo: Michael Burns
Rafael Hernandez celebrates 2000th winner Oct. 8 with Woodbine's jockey colony
Jockey Rafael Hernandez guided in the 2,000th winner of his career Oct. 8, when Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry's homebred Guy Caballero won Woodbine's seventh race.
The 31-year-old native of Puerto Rico started his professional career in 2004 and counts Canadian classic scores in the $1 million Queen's Plate in 2015 with Shaman Ghost and this year's $500,000 Breeders' Stakes with Camp Creek among 45 black-type victories. His record also includes graded wins in the U.S. and Canada with such horses as Divisidero, International Star, Midnight Miley, and Bye Bye Bernie.
Hernandez also has 1,490 seconds and 1,262 thirds from 9,998 mounts that have earned more than $23 million.
Guy Caballero, an Ontario-bred son of Central Kentucky sire Quality Road , trailed briefly in the 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds, with only one horse behind him into the backstretch, but Hernandez brought him with a late surge along the rail to win by a head in 1:45.18 for the off-the-turf contest. The colt is trained by Catherine Day Phillips.
"I've been waiting for this for a long time," Hernandez said. "The last few races I've had a shot, and I've had two seconds and one third. I finally got it. Yesterday, I won No. 1,999 with Catherine and today we got 2,000. It feels great."
Hernandez shifted his tack to Woodbine in June and currently ranks sixth among the track's leading riders, with 62 winners and $2,531,803 in purses thorugh Oct. 8.