Jockey Ramon Vazquez and agent Bill Castle want it made known Vazquez is staying at Santa Anita this winter and not returning to Oaklawn Park where he had previously ridden.
“I'm not going anywhere,” Vazquez said Friday morning.
Castle said in recent days “four or five different trainers have told me they heard he was going back to Oaklawn.
“We are not leaving the state of California,” Castle said. “There have been a lot of false rumors going around. We're so grateful for the opportunities and support Ramon has been given. This is home.”
Vazquez, 39, arrived in Southern California from Oaklawn in April 2022. He led all riders a year ago, finishing first in Santa Anita's Autumn Meet jockey's standings with 25 wins. Vazquez finished fourth at the 2022-23 Santa Anita Classic Meet behind the powerhouse trio of Juan Hernandez, Flavien Prat and Frankie Dettori. At the Hollywood Meet this past summer, Vazquez was second behind Hernandez.
In addition to his success at Santa Anita, which included his first Grade 1 at the Arcadia track in the Santa Anita Derby earlier this year aboard Practical Move, Vazquez has won or shared five-straight riding titles at Los Alamitos since his arrival.
A native of Puerto Rico, Vazquez enters this week with 3,613 career wins dating back to 2002.
The post ‘False Rumors’: Ramon Vazquez, Agent Say Rider Not Leaving California appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
