Abel Cedillo Rides 1,000th Winner
Description:
Jockey Abel Cedillo rode the 1,000th winner of his career Dec. 30 at Golden Gate Fields, where he guided Madera Thoroughbreds' homebred Be Thoughtful to victory in the first race.
Off at 6-5 in the seven-horse field for the one-mile maiden claiming race on the synthetic main track, Cedillo and the California-bred Elusive Warning gelding went to the lead early, got headed in the stretch by second choice Call Ended, then fought back to win by 1 1/4 lengths.
Although the 29-year-old jockey, who began riding in 2009, has seven mounts on the Dec. 31 card at Golden Gate, the milestone victory was a fitting near-ending to the best season of his career. In 2018, he's had career highs in wins (198), earnings (more than $3.3 million), and in-the-money placings.
Cedillo has earned more than $17 million in purses from 6,898 starts and sits in second in the Golden Gate jockey standings behind Juan Hernandez.