Veteran jockey Edgar Perez reached the 1,000-win career milestone Sunday at Gulfstream Park when he guided EAC Racing Stable LLC's Desert Ruler ($8.40) to a 2½-length victory in Race 7.
“I'm a very, very happy man,” Perez said. “Thank you, Lord. Thanks to my family, the owner, the trainer, and everybody. To win 1,000 races in the United States, unbelievable.”
Based on the Chicago circuit for several years, the 43-year-old journeyman has established a strong year-round presence at Gulfstream Park since moving to South Florida upon the closure of Arlington Park.
Perez had established prominence in his native Venezuela, where he was the regular rider of Gustavo Delgado-trained Bambera, a Venezuelan-bred standout whom he guided to her ninth top-level victory in the 2009 Clasico del Caribe at Camarero, a Grade 1 race in Puerto Rico.
Perez, who is represented by agent Rene Douglas, ventured to the U.S. in 2009 after winning 1,300 races in Venezuela. He scored his first U.S. victory on his very first stateside mount, Macho Prince, at Calder Race Course.
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