Seven-time Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr. recorded his 1,500th career North American victory in Friday's fourth race at Oaklawn, according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization.
Santana, 28, reached the milestone at the Hot Springs, Ark., track on Casual ($6.60) for his main client, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. It was Santana's eighth victory of the meet – all for Asmussen – and the 554th in his Oaklawn career.
“I'm very thankful to have won 1,500 races in the United States,” Santana said in a Twitter message Friday. “Thank you to all of the owners, trainers, and stable employees for making this possible, and thank you to my agent, Ruben Munoz, for his hard work and dedication.”
Santana was Oaklawn's leading rider from 2013-'18 and again in 2020. Santana is Oaklawn's all-time leader in career purse earnings ($27,142,696 through Friday). He set a single-season Oaklawn record for purse earnings ($4,317,757) in 2019.
Santana ranked eighth nationally last year in purse earnings ($12,751,803) and 15th in victories (175), according to Equibase. Santana, a native of Panama, began riding in the United States in 2009 and has been an Oaklawn regular since 2011.
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