Alexis Centeno, a 22-year-old apprentice rider from Puerto Rico, won his first stakes race Saturday piloting Brickyard Ride to a front-running victory in the $150,000 Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.
“First, I want to thank God and (trainer) Craig Lewis who has helped me a lot, and my agent,” Centeno said immediately after the victory. “I'm happy. … Brickyard Ride is so special for me. I won two races in a row with him. I love this horse.”
Centeno is represented by 22-year-old agent Erick “Goldy” Arroyo. They have been together since last June.
“He works hard and he's a humble kid,” Arroyo said of Centeno, who attended Puerto Rico's celebrated jockey school, Escuela Vocacional Hipica, which has produced riding greats Angel Cordero Jr., Eddie Belmonte, John Velazquez and the Ortiz brothers, Irad Jr. and Jose, among others.
Arroyo was studying business at Pasadena City College before taking a respite to work as an agent. His long-range goal is to become a teacher.
As to how he got the nickname of Goldy, Arroyo explains, “When I was born my father thought my forehead shined like gold, and said, “That's it. From now on, you're Goldy.”
The post A Pair of 22-Year-Olds, Apprentice Centeno And Agent Arroyo Celebrate Rider’s Initial Stakes Success appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
