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‘Everything Is About Being Consistent’: Panamanian Jockey Castillo Could Pick Up First Stakes Win This Weekend

Jockey Isaac Castillo looks at his list of accomplishments at Monmouth Park this summer and sees enough to know that this is far and away the best year of his young career.

He was able to ride in a graded stakes race for the first time. He had his first three-winner day (on Aug. 22). He has already exceeded his victory total at the meet from a year ago, doing so in 64 fewer mounts. And he has cracked the top 10 in a competitive jockey colony after finishing 14th a year ago.

But there's one thing missing: A stakes victory.

The 22-year-old Panamanian hopes to add that final piece to a breakout year this weekend, first aboard Absentee in Saturday's $100,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes, then again on Sunday when he re-unites with the Anthony Margotta, Jr.-trained Bronx Beauty in the $75,000 Regret Stakes.

“Everything is about being consistent,” Castillo said through an interpreter. “My first year riding in 2017 I didn't do much. The next year was only a little better. Finally, last year, people got to know me and I was getting more opportunities. I feel very good about the way things are going this year.

“It's all about hard work, being there every morning to show you want to work, a good attitude and staying positive.”

Castillo, a 2014 graduate of the Panama jockey school started by Laffit Pincay, Jr., heads into the weekend at Monmouth Park with 17 winners from 145 mounts (compared to 15 from 209 mounts a year ago). That's good for eighth place in the rider standings.

While a victory aboard Absentee on Saturday would represent a significant upset, Bronx Beauty looms as one of the horses to beat in Sunday's Regret Stakes, which has drawn a field of seven fillies and mares 3-and-up going six furlongs.

Castillo has ridden Bronx Beauty twice this meet, earning a win in a $50,000 optional claimer and then finishing second in the Incredible Revenge Stakes. A 5-year-old mare, Bronx Beauty has won nine of 21 career starts with lifetime earnings of $527,270.

“Every race I watch replays to see what I could have done better for the next time,” said Castillo. “I'm trying to improve with every ride. This has been a good year for me because my confidence is growing. I'm being more aggressive and I can see from the results that I can do it. I just have to keep working and keep getting better.”

Castillo said he was inspired to become a jockey by the success of Eddie Castro, the 2003 Eclipse Award-winning apprentice who grew up in the same town in Panama. He made the move to the United States to launch his riding career in December of 2016, getting two mounts that month.

It took until Sept. 5 for Castillo to land his first graded stakes mount, finishing fifth aboard Share the Ride in the Grade 3 Red Bank Stakes.

“That was a great experience,” he said. “It's part of the progress I am making and shows how things are coming along – not easily, but step by step.”

Castillo said he will head to Tampa for the first time following the nine-day Meadowlands-at-Monmouth meet in October in an effort to continue to build his business.

“The harder I work the better things will be. I can see that from the way things are going for me now,” he said.

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‘All Of Them Started Somewhere, Too’: Natalia Lynch Chasing First Training Victory In Mr. Prospector Stakes

The way Natalia Lynch had it planned out in her mind is that she would spend another year or so working as an assistant trainer before trying to go out on her own. Then owner Al Gold offered to let her train nine horses from Gold Square LLC.

So on Aug. 25, Lynch, known by her nickname “Tally,” officially became a licensed trainer. A day later, she saddled her first starter.

And now on Saturday, with just the fourth starter in her burgeoning career, the 26-year-old Lynch will send out Wendell Fong in the $100,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes that headlines Monmouth Park's 14-race card that day.

“It's very surreal,” she said. “I haven't had time to sit down and process how quickly everything has happened yet. I remember the day I got my trainer's license I was walking out of the office and a trainer said to me `who do you work for?' I looked down at the license and said `I guess myself now.'

“I keep telling myself that this is not any different than what I have been doing for a long time. This is something I have been working for. When Al Gold gave me this opportunity I couldn't turn it down. So my one-year process before going out on my own turned into a two-week plan.”

Lynch, who will be based at Belmont Park, currently has 10 horses overall, eight from Gold Square (one was claimed). The Bethesda, Md. native was enrolled in the nursing school at Towson University when she started galloping horses, originally with the intent of becoming a jockey.

“I ended up not going back to school,” she said. “I started riding and worked my way up. I rode in a few amateur races last year. But my ultimate goal was to be a trainer.”

After becoming an assistant to Brittany Russell, Lynch then worked for Jeremiah Englehart. Most recently she was assisting Ray Handal.

Now she's in a race saddling a horse under her name against the likes of Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, Kelly Breen, Monmouth Park's leading trainer, and Gregg Sacco, who has multiple Grade 1 winner Mind Control entered in the field of seven 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs.

“It's terrifying to think about at times,” said Lynch. “I just look at it as at some point I hope I'm where they are. And I keep reminding myself that all of them started somewhere, too.”

A 4-year-old son of Flat Out, Wendell Fong (the horse's name is an obscure reference from an episode in the old “Frasier” TV sitcom) will need to re-capture his 3-year-old form if the colt is to become Lynch's first career winner. Robertino Diodoro trained the horse in his last start, when he was fifth in an $80,000 optional claimer at Saratoga on July 23. Jorge Vargas, Jr., who rode the horse his first six career starts and accounted for all three of Wendell Fong's career victories, has the mount.

“He's a really cool horse,” said Lynch. “His last race he was a little bit out of form but I had a thought to give him one more shot in a stakes race. He was running really good in stakes company at Oaklawn and I felt the race at Monmouth Park fit him. We put Vargas back on him because they did so well together when Wendell Fong was a 3-year-old.”

Lynch says she hopes her emotions don't get the best of her when she winds up saddling her first winner – but suspect they will if it comes in Saturday's Mr. Prospector Stakes.

“I don't know if I'll be able to talk after the race if we win it,” she said.

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TOBA Names Officers, Five New Trustees To Board

The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association announced today the re-election of Brant Laue as chairman of its Board of Trustees. Also joining Laue on the Board of Trustees to serve three-year terms as new members are Shannon Bishop Arvin, Jeffrey Bloom, Marette Farrell, Dr. J. David Richardson and Stephen Screnci.

Re-elected to three-year terms were current trustees Robert Devlin, Terry Finley, Brant Laue, Bernard McCormack, Charlie O'Connor and Garrett O'Rourke.

“I am honored to serve another term as chair with this board of trustees,” Laue said. “Our great sport has overcome many obstacles and difficulties in the past, and with their help and support we will again.”

Following its annual members meeting, the TOBA Board of Trustees met to elect officers for the association. Officers named for 2020-2021 are: Brant Laue, chairman, David O'Farrell, vice-chairman, Dan Metzger, president; Doug Cauthen, secretary; and Greg Bensel, treasurer.

The TOBA Board also approved the reappointment of Craig Bernick to the American Graded Stakes Committee. The 2020-2021 committee is comprised of TOBA members Everett Dobson (chair), Barbara Banke, Reynolds Bell, Jr., Craig Bernick, Walker Hancock, and J. Michael O'Farrell and racing officials Kevin Greely (Indiana Grand), Steve Lym (Santa Anita Park), Ben Huffman (Churchill Downs and Keeneland), Martin Panza (NYRA) and Thomas Robbins (Del Mar).

TOBA, based in Lexington, Ky., was formed in 1961 and is a national trade organization of leading Thoroughbred breeders and owners. TOBA's mission is to improve the economics, integrity and pleasure of the sport on behalf of Thoroughbred owners and breeders. Projects managed by TOBA include the American Graded Stakes Committee, Claiming Crown, Ownership Seminars, Breeding, Conformation & Pedigree Clinics, TOBA Owners Concierge and the Sales Integrity Program. TOBA, in collaboration with The Jockey Club, has also created a free information resource called OwnerView to provide pertinent information to new, prospective and current Thoroughbred owners. TOBA provides international representation for U.S. owners and breeders on the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee, International Cataloguing Standards Committee and International Breeders Federation. Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) is the charitable arm of TOBA. TOBA Media Properties, a subsidiary of TOBA, owns The Horse magazine, Eclipse Press and is co-owner of The Blood-Horse LLC. TOBA is represented on the board of directors of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium as founding members.

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Trainer Jack Carava Announces Career Shift, To Serve As Agent To Jockey Tyler Baze

Popular trainer Jack Carava, who notched an upset win with his penultimate starter on Monday at Del Mar, has announced he'll hang up his morning stopwatch and embrace Santa Anita's Autumn Meet Condition Book One as he'll now serve as agent for jockey Tyler Baze, who is returning to ride full time at The Great Race Place after an eight month absence.

“The time is right,” said Carava, 54, who has operated both a public and private stable in Southern California for the past 33 years. “I've had a lot of success with Tyler over the years and he's probably the hardest working jock I've ever known. I love training, but my stable has contracted over the past couple years and when Tyler called me, I realized this is a great opportunity.

“He rode at Oaklawn this winter and he's been in Kentucky all summer. He's excited to be back home with his family and he's got a lot customers here that are anxious to get him back on their horses. It'll take a little time to let everyone know that we're working together, but with Tyler's work ethic, I know we're gonna be in good shape. The book is out, so I've already taken some calls and we'll just approach everything day by day.”

The son of a trainer, Carava worked under trainers Jerry Fanning and Joe Griffin prior to setting out on his own in 1987. With his win in Monday's fifth race at Del Mar with Harper's Gallop ($15.80), Carava, who was Hollywood Park's Spring Summer leader in 2001 and was leading trainer at Santa Anita's 2002 Oak Tree Meet, leaves his shed row with 1,107 career wins, which contributed to stable earnings of $32.4 million and also included five graded stakes victories.

Baze, 37, who was America's Eclipse Award winning apprentice jockey in 2000, won the $500,000 More Than Ready Stakes with longshot Barrister Tom ($90.00) for trainer Michael Ewing at Kentucky Downs on Labor Day, giving him 2,718 career wins. He and his wife Christina reside in nearby Monrovia with their two daughters, Emilia, six, and Isla, four, along with one son, Luca, three.

Santa Anita's 18-day Autumn Meeting will open on Saturday, Sept. 19 and run through Sunday, Oct. 25.

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