Joining Marquez as finalists are John Hiraldo, who spent more than half his apprenticeship in Maryland, and California-based Jessica Pyfer. Hiraldo led all apprentice riders with 81 wins while Pyfer was tops with more than $2.7 million in purses earned.

“It's unbelievable,” Marquez said. “I was kind of surprised to be honest with you. I only had my bug last year for five months, so me being able to put up the numbers to even be nominated is kind of crazy and awesome to me.”

Marquez ended 2021 with 102 wins and $3,500,448 in purse earnings at Laurel Park and historic Pimlico Race Course, second only to Jevian Toledo, and led Pimlico's Preakness Meet with 49 victories. He also won his first two Maryland Million races, including Buff Hello in the Nursery.

A native of Columbia, Md., near Laurel, Marquez ranked fourth with 50 wins and $1,454,210 in purses earned as an apprentice in 2021, his last day coming May 29. During that time he won his first stakes, the March 15 Private Terms at Laurel with 21-1 long shot Shackled Love.

The son and grandson of successful jockeys in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, Marquez was not among the Eclipse Award finalists for champion apprentice of 2020, won by Maryland-based counterpart Alexander Crispin. He led all Maryland bug riders with 58 wins and ranked seventh in the state overall despite having his apprenticeship interrupted for 2 ½ months from mid-March to late May when Maryland racing was paused amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Marquez has 211 wins and more than $6.5 million in purse earnings from 1,433 career mounts. He won his first race at the age of 16 on Jan. 9, 2020 with Sierra Leona at Laurel.

“Whether I win or lose, it's a pretty big deal that I was even nominated especially after only having my bug for a few months,” Marquez said. “You have to go into it happy. You never know what could happen.”

Maryland-based riders have captured 12 of the 50 Eclipse Awards as champion apprentice. Winners before Crispin were Chris McCarron (1974), Ronnie Franklin (1978), Alberto Delgado (1982), Allen Stacy (1986), Kent Desormeaux (1987), Mike Luzzi (1989), Mark Johnston (1990), Jeremy Rose (2001), Ryan Fogelsonger (2002), Victor Carrasco (2013) and Weston Hamilton (2018).

“It's huge. It's the dream of all apprentice riders. I can't even wrap my head around it,” Marquez said. “It's just huge. I can't really explain it.”

A 20-year-old native of Puerto Rico, Hiraldo ranked second among all apprentice riders with $2,178,769 in purse earnings from 638 mounts. With 89 seconds and 94 thirds, the son of ex-jockey Joel Hiraldo whose cousin, Angel Cruz, rides on the Maryland circuit finished in the money at 41 percent clip.

Hiraldo worked as an exercise rider for trainer Brittany Russell before making his professional debut Dec. 10, 2020 at Laurel Park. He won his first career race with 33-1 long shot Flat Rate on Laurel's 2020 New Year's Eve program.

In 2021, Hiraldo ranked 14^th in Maryland with 35 wins from 365 mounts to go along with $1,171,150 in purse earnings. He has been riding at Oaklawn Park since the opening of its winter meet in early December.

Pyfer, 23, rode as an apprentice through Nov. 13 of last year, ranking second with 56 wins from 535 mounts. The stepdaughter of trainer Phil D'Amato graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a degree in political science and minor in constitutional law and put off law school to become a jockey, winning her first race Oct. 9, 2020 at Santa Anita.

All Eclipse Award winners will be announced Thursday, Feb. 10 at Santa Anita Park.

Notes: Live racing continues Monday with a special Martin Luther King Jr. holiday program. Post time for the first of 10 races in 12:10 p.m. The feature comes in Race 9, an optional claiming allowance for 3-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs. Among the field of eight are Sweet Gracie, third in the Maryland Juvenile Fillies Dec. 18; Click to Confirm, third in the Smart Halo Nov. 13; Moody Woman, third in the Gin Talking Dec. 26; and Mama G's Wish, second in the Blue Hen and third in the Small Wonder last summer at Delaware Park.

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“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.”

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Marquez, who turns 18 Jan. 25, had two mounts as live racing returned to Laurel on Friday. The Columbia, Md., native finished second with Milam Racing Stables' Hydra in Race 2, a starter optional claimer for older females, and was seventh after pressing the pace on Komlo LLC's Determined Honor in Race 3, a maiden special weight for 3-year-old fillies..

“[Hydra] ran very well. I knew Vic's Cool Cat was going to be tough and I thought [1-2 favorite Uno Tigress] was going to be tough in there, too, but I don't think she liked being down on the inside,” Marquez said. “I kind of just tried to keep Hydra engaged and keep the favorite down on the fence.

“When we kicked on down the lane, she kind of kicked on with them but Vic's Cool Cat just kind of ran away from us,” he added. “[Determined Honor], she ran great, I thought. I think she may be been in a little over her head but she can definitely win for claiming $10,000.”

Friday marked the first time riding back in Maryland for Marquez since closing day of Laurel's extended summer meet last Sept. 19, before moving his tack to Belmont Park and then Aqueduct with Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr. as his agent.

“It feels great. I love being home,” Marquez said. “There's nothing like home. New York was fun and it was a great learning experience, but I'd much rather be home with my family and all the horses I'm familiar with and my jocks' room family.”

Marquez made his professional debut at age 16 running fourth on Up Hill Battle Jan. 1 at Laurel, getting his first win eight days later on his eighth career mount, Sierra Leona. Marquez would go on to rank third at Laurel's winter meet, cut short when live racing was paused in Maryland for 2 ½ months from mid-March to late May amid the coronavirus pandemic, registering hat tricks March 8 and 15. He was also third at Laurel's summer stand, compiling seven multi-win days.

Overall, Marquez's 58 wins were the most of any apprentice in Maryland last year and put him in a tie with Xavier Perez for sixth overall behind Trevor McCarthy's (99). He continues to ride with a five-pound weight allowance.

“I thought I had a great 2020. The COVID really put a stop on things,” Marquez said. “Right before COVID happened, I was on fire. I was winning three a day and then COVID happened. When we came back I was still winning, but I can't really see what would have happened if covid didn't happen. Could I have been leading rider? You never know.”

Marquez spread nine wins over three different meets in New York, going 1-for-12 in 2021 at Aqueduct before making the move back to Maryland, where he will be represented by Marty Leonard. He last rode Jan. 3 at Aqueduct.

The son and grandson of successful jockeys both in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, Marquez went down in an Oct. 10 spill at Belmont with what was initially thought to be a fractured right wrist. It turned out to be a sprain, and he rode three races Oct. 18 before taking time off and returning Nov. 14 at Aqueduct.

Marquez ended his rookie season with 71 wins and $1,981,358 in purse earnings from 531 mounts, also winning multiple races at Delaware Park and Penn National. Finalists for Eclipse Award finalists as champion apprentice of 2020 will be announced Saturday and are expected to include current Maryland regular Alexander Crispin (539 mounts, 103 wins, $2.19 million).

“Of course, it'd be a pleasure to be nominated but I'm not really thinking about it right now,” Marquez said. “If I am, then that's great. It was a great year.”

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The 22-year-old native of Puerto Rico, who went four-for-eight during Laurel's last live program Jan. 3, won four of the last five races Friday. Crispin began his run with Michel Scheffres' Maryland-bred gelding Sue Loves Barbados ($8.80) in Race 8, a waiver maiden claimer for 3-year-olds sprinting 6 ½ furlongs.

Without a mount in Race 6, Crispin ended the day by sweeping the final three races aboard Solea ($10.60) for owner-trainer Ed Merryman; Marcial Cornejo's Wonderwall ($9), trained by Maryland's four-time defending champion Claudio Gonzalez; and Lacey Gaudet owned-and-trained Candygramformongo ($9).

“Today was really good. I started my [day] like always, getting here early so I know what exactly what I'm going to do,” Crispin said. “I had a good feeling today with all my horses. I'm always positive with all the horses ride. I had that feeling that today was going to be a good day.”

Crispin has put together three consecutive multi-win days in 2021, winning once on the New Year's Day program and registering a riding triple Jan. 2. He has 12 wins, two seconds and six thirds from 28 mounts this year with purse earnings of more than $250,000.

According to Equibase statistics, Crispin leads all North American jockeys in wins to start 2021, and ranks ninth in purses earned. He finished 2020 with 103 wins and $2,194,030 in purse earnings from 539 mounts.

“I'm going out on the track and have been working hard and dedicated, and to give it all on the track and see the results feels good,” Crispin said. “Everything's going good, thankfully.”

Finalists for the 50^th annual Eclipse Awards will be announced Saturday, Jan. 16. The winners in 17 human and equine categories will be announced in a virtual ceremony beginning at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28 and live streamed on several outlets.

Maryland-based riders have captured 11 of the 46 Eclipse Awards as champion apprentice, the most recent being Weston Hamilton in 2018. Other winners are Chris McCarron (1974), Ronnie Franklin (1978), Alberto Delgado (1982), Allen Stacy (1986), Kent Desormeaux (1987), Mike Luzzi (1989), Mark Johnston (1990), Jeremy Rose (2001), Ryan Fogelsonger (2002) and Victor Carrasco (2013). Hamilton and Carrasco continue to be based in Maryland.

Notes: There will be carryovers of $489.19 in the $1 Super Hi-5 (Race 1) and $411.56 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 4-9) for Saturday's nine-race program. Tickets with five of six winners in Friday's Rainbow 6 each returned $39.20 … First-race post time is 12:25 p.m.

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Crispin, 22, began his big day with back-to-back victories aboard Cinconola ($18.20) in Race 2 and favored Xmasinthecity ($3.40) in Race 3, and followed up with wins on McElmore Avenue ($3) in Race 6 and Zabracadabra ($7) in Race 8.

A native of Puerto Rico, Cripsin has eight wins over the first three days of Laurel's 2021 winter meet that began New Year's Day, including a riding triple Saturday.

“I feel pretty good on how things are going. All the hard work is paying off,” Crispin said. “I really appreciate all the trainers and owners giving me the opportunity. So far so good. Everything's been good. I appreciate everything that's going on today and the past few days.”

Expected to be up for voting as North America's leading apprentice jockey when the Eclipse Award finalists are announced Jan. 16, Crispin graduated from Puerto Rico's famed Escuela Vocacional Hipica jockey school in December 2019 and made his pro debut last Jan. 1 at Hipodromo Camarero.

After coming to the U.S. late last winter, Cripsin was fifth in his mainland debut aboard Time Marches On March 7, 2020, at Turfway Park. He continued to ride in the Midwest, picking up his first win March 12, 2020, on Thorpe d'Oro at Turfway, until moving his tack to Delaware Park for the summer.

Crispin finished the Delaware meet as its leading apprentice rider, ranking second overall with 58 wins and fourth with more than $1.3 million in purse earnings. He arrived in Maryland in late October, two weeks into Laurel Park's fall meet, and wound up ranking first among bug boys and third overall with 29 wins, banking $725,920 in purses earned.

“It started out a little bit tough but I maintained a positive mind and kept working hard,” Cripsin said. “I came every day to work and kept persevering and believing in myself.”

Crispin's wins have come for trainers Gary Capuano, Mary Eppler, Mike Trombetta, Anthony Pecoraro, Kieron Magee, Charlie Frock and Maryland's four-time defending champion Claudio Gonzalez. In addition to his wins, he has one second and six thirds in 22 mounts, finishing in the top three at 68 percent clip.

According to Equibase statistics, Crispin finished 2020 with 103 wins and $2,194,030 in purse earnings from 539 mounts. Maryland-based riders have won 11 of 46 Eclipse Awards as leading apprentice, most recently Weston Hamilton in 2018.

“Everyone helps me out. They come to me and tell me if I need something or maybe get better at doing a certain thing I was doing,” Crispin said. “Everybody likes seeing me doing good. They give me good advice. They are always supporting me so appreciate all they do for me. It's been big for my year. It means a lot to me.”

Notes: Jockey Sheldon Russell and trainer Dale Capuano teamed up to bookend Sunday's program by winning Race 1 with Thunderturtle ($8.20) and Race 9 with Hello Gracie ($6.80) … The 20-cent Rainbow 6 was solved Sunday for a jackpot payout of $4,139.20 … Live racing returns Friday, Jan. 8 with a nine-race card starting at 12:25 p.m.

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Flat Rate ($69.80), a 4-year-old Violence gelding, ran 5 ½ furlongs in 1:05.90 over a fast main track in the beaten claimer for 3-year-olds and up to earn his fourth career victory and first since joining trainer Michael Jones Jr.

“It's something very special, unbelievable really. I can't believe it,” Hiraldo said. “I'm very happy. I have to thank God for always watching over me and all the other riders. I'm just very happy. I've worked so hard for this moment and I've dreamed about it since I was a little kid. It's something very special for me.”

Hiraldo, 19, is a native of Puerto Rico who galloped horses for trainer Brittany Russell before making his professional debut running fourth on Maximo Strong Dec. 10 at Laurel. Hiraldo had gone winless in his first 18 mounts including a third on Frontier Woman in Thursday's third race.

“My cousin, Angel Cruz, he has been a big part of my short career. Xavier [Perez], Sheldon [Russell]. Sheldon is one of the best ones in there. He's a great guy on and off the racetrack and he's been a good mentor for me,” Hiraldo said.

Angel Cruz is member of the Maryland track's riding colony who won with Dance and Dance ($16.60) Thursday and finished sixth in the fall meet standings with 20 wins. Hiraldo's father, Joel, won 200 races between 2001 and 2011, the last coming at Charles Town.

“When I was growing up, my dad was a jockey so he was the person I would always look up to. I would go to school and always think about riding. I didn't care about the grades, I just wanted to go to be a jockey when I grew up,” Hiraldo said. “When I grew up I went to the farm and started learning as much as I could. I came back and was here for a couple months working for Brittany Russell. I have to thank her for all her help. I just felt like it was the right time to do it.”

Flat Rate and Hiraldo posing for pictures

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It was her first victory at the seaside track north of San Diego, Calif., and the fifth of her burgeoning career, which triggers the step from a 10- to seven-pound weight allowance, the initial sign of accomplishment for apprentice riders. And it came after getting a leg up from her stepfather, trainer Phil D'Amato. To that point, D'Amato starters had been 0-for-12 at the Bing Crosby meeting.

“It's very special to win here,” Pyfer said. “I've been coming here since I was a little girl, six or seven years old, and it's like my second home. Every summer I used to come here and idolize the jockeys in the room and now I'm one of them.

“To win for my dad is even more special. He's the man who helped me through the years and has helped me get my riding career started. To him I'm very thankful.”

Summer Love, a Kentucky-bred 3-year-old daughter of Summer Front, had one victory in five career starts and was 0-for-3 in Southern California since coming under the care of D'Amato in early summer following two races in Florida for trainer Michael Stidham.

Jessica Pyfer, soaking wet from an initiation by fellow riders, celebrates her first win at Santa Anita

A pair of optional claiming level tries here last summer with first Abel Cedillo and then Ricky Gonzalez in the saddle proved fruitless. Pyfer got the call for a $25,000 claiming event at Santa Anita on Oct. 3 at Santa Anita and the result was a fourth-place finish, the best of the filly's career other than her maiden win.

Summer Love was the 7-2 second choice on the morning line Friday behind 5-2 Invincibella, but they were virtual co-favorites $2.70-1 going into the gate.

Summer Love sped to a clear lead at the start, was in front by four lengths at the midpoint of the mile run on dirt, padded the lead to five turning for home and won by 4 3/4 lengths to the cheers of Pyfer's racetrack family and owners from the Agave Racing Stable and Little Red Feather partnership.

Pyfer, born in Denver, Colo., stands 5' 2” and weighs in at 110 pounds. She is a college (Azusa Pacific) graduate who has spent her whole life on or near horses.

Pyfer's mother, Sherri Alexander, has been a horsewoman and exercise rider since her youth. She was seven months pregnant with Jessica and galloping horses in California before going to Denver to give birth. She had her daughter on the backs of ponies and horses very soon afterward and Jessica competed in her first riding event as a 4-year-old.

Sherri returned to California when Jessica was five for an opportunity to gallop horses for trainer Mark Glatt in Southern California. That led to a further galloping opportunity with the late trainer Mike Mitchell where she and his then assistant, D'Amato, met and became friendly. In due course, D'Amato took over training many of Mitchell's horses after he passed, while his friendship with Sherri evolved to the point where it led to marriage.

Growing up, Jessica became a regular at the D'Amato barn and, when she wasn't in school, also was riding horses in events whenever and wherever she could. When she turned 16, she got a racetrack license and began galloping horses for D'Amato as well as other trainers, something she delighted in around her book work for the next six years. Her parents encouraged her to go on with her schooling and she even took the law school entrance test (LSAT) and did well enough on it that that door was open to her. But still her passion for the horses was strong and growing stronger and then — it led to a “moment” for her.

“I was at home with my family at dinner one night,” she recalled. “I'd finished college and I'd been galloping lots of horses. I even got asked by (Hall of Fame trainer) Richard Mandella to gallop some of his horses. That really got me to thinking about what I wanted to do. And then out of the blue my dad says: 'Go ahead and do it. If you're going to be a rider, this is the time for you to try. Go ahead.'”

Asked if there were personal or family rituals established for celebrating big victories, Pyfer replied in the negative. Then her eyes lit up above the mask covering the lower  half of her face.

“I'll start a tradition now,” she said. “We'll pick a restaurant and go out to dinner.”

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His agent, Hall of Fame rider Angel Cordero, Jr., said Marquez will return to ride at the fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack, which runs from November 6 through December 6.

The 17-year-old Marquez won three races during the Belmont fall meet, starting with Wushu Warrior on September 25 and following with Forgotten Hero on October 1 and Noble Thought on October 4. He moved his tack from Maryland to New York at the beginning of the fall meet.

Marquez, aboard Rock N Warrior for Race 11 over Belmont's inner turf on Saturday, was unseated early on the backstretch in Saturday's finale. Rock N Warrior was apprehended and walked off under her own power.

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“I had two more mounts and I knew I had to make it up somehow,” said Pyfer, who was soaking wet from multiple buckets of ice water administered in a time-honored fashion by her fellow jockeys prior to a winner's circle interview on TVG.  “Val told me at Del Mar that this horse was ready and I really can't thank him enough for this one.  I'm just feeling so blessed and so happy that I decided to go down this road.

“I knew at the top of the stretch when I was in front, that I had to stay in front.  That was my only motivation to get down to the wire.  It was just such an amazing feeling and all the guys in the jocks' room have been so awesome to me, celebrating me by drenching me with water, but they've all helped out so much, I just can't thank them enough.”

A native of Denver, Colo., Pyfer has been raised around racing as her father, Roger Pyfer is an ex-jockey and her mother Sherrie is now married to top trainer Phil D'Amato and assists in the management of his stable.

In what was her sixth career mount, Pyfer had Indy Jones away alertly from her number four post position, was head and head into and around the far turn with Baby Gronk to her inside, took charge a quarter mile from home and prevailed by 1 1/4 lengths while getting 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:18.50.

Winless in his last 10 starts and ridden for the first time today by Pyfer, Indy Jones, a 4-year-old gelding by Temple City who was entered for a $16,000 claiming tag, was off at 14-1 and paid $31.60, $14.60 and $7.00.

“Sixth mount.  But I've learned so much in the past six months that it's just crazy how things happen.”

Indeed it is as Jessica Pyfer is now on her way as a promising young apprentice with but one mount on Saturday, the George Papaprodromou-trained Lucky Ryan Seven in the ninth race.

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“There’s nothing like Laurel,” said Marquez. “I love all the people. The environment’s great, the horses are great. I just wanted to try something new in my career. I always wanted to go to New York. It’s just another chapter of my life, so I want to see where that goes.”

Marquez, who debuted professionally Jan. 1, got his first winner Jan. 9 at Laurel with his eighth mount. The Maryland native is the son of Carlos Marquez, Jr., a winner of more than 3,150 career races who is currently riding in Puerto Rico. His grandfather, Carlos Marquez Sr., was also a jockey who taught at Puerto Rico’s jockey school.

“I’m excited. I hope to do good,” said Marquez. “I have a very good agent up there. [Cordero is] a great mentor, a good agent and has a lot of connections, so hopefully we can be a good team and work together to get some wins.”

Cordero, who won 7,057 races during his Hall of Fame career, also previously represented Hall of Famer John Velazquez.

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