Vicente Gudiel has played an important role in trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.'s burgeoning success in recent years while serving as the stable's lead exercise rider.
Gudiel galloped horses as usual Sunday morning, but the day turned out to be anything but routine when the 36-year-old native of Guatemala rode the Joseph-owned and -trained Shake Your Bones, a 4-year-old Dialed In gelding, into the Gulfstream Park winner's circle following Race 2.
“He's so valuable to us. He makes us win so many races. I'm glad to be able to reward that,” Joseph said.
The last-to-first triumph in the 1 1/16-mile maiden claiming event on Tapeta was Gudiel's first winning ride since Nov. 17, 2019. It was only his second ride in two years, the other resulting in a fourth-place finish last Oct. 23 aboard none other than Shake Your Bones.
“He's a great asset to the team. When he rode the horse last year, he thanked me so much that from that day, I said, 'I have to put him on a winner,'” Joseph said. “I told him, 'I'm going to put you on a winner.' Thank God, it worked out today and he won.”
Gudiel has ridden in only 14 races since 2016, his last full season as a jockey that followed a productive 2015 season with 138 victories while riding as an apprentice at Monmouth, Hawthorne, and Arlington.
Gudiel's winning ride aboard the 2-1 second betting choice was celebrated in the winner's circle by his wife, daughter, mother, and father, as well as Joseph, his wife, son and daughter.
“It's something special. I haven't been riding for a few years. I'm so happy to win again,” Gudiel said. “It's my dream to win for Saffie. It's something special to win for him.”
Gudiel will be only too happy to continue galloping and breezing horses for Joseph with no plans to resume a full-time career as a jockey.
“I want to keep working for Saffie, but whatever he puts me on, I'll ride,” he said.
Gudiel was born in Guatemala and grew up in South Florida. He would go on to work for trainers Patricia Farro and Wesley Ward before embarking on a riding career at Gulfstream April 13, 2014. He rode his first winner on Dec. 26, 2014 at Hawthorne.
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