Jockey John Velazquez reaches 800 wins at Saratoga

SARATOGA SPRINGS >> Saratoga’s all-time leading rider now has another plaque to put up on his wall.

John Velazquez, stuck on 799 career wins at Saratoga since Thursday, needed one win in nine scheduled mounts Saturday to reach the 800 win plateau.

He only needed one ride to do it.

Velazquez became the first jockey to reach the 800-win mark at the Spa when 5-year-old Run a Dubb Dubb rallied past three horses down the stretch to win Race 1 at Saratoga Race Course.

“I’ve been very lucky and blessed,” Velazquez said. “Just to be mentioned with some of the greatest riders here is incredible. I think I had a bit of an advantage because there has been more racing over the last 10 years. The meet has been longer so I’ve had a chance to ride more.”

The Saratoga meeting was extended to its current length, 40 days, in 2010. Before Velazquez started riding there were 24 racing days with fewer races per day.

Velazquez put his horse in a position to capture the historic and Run a Dubb Dubb obliged.

Run a Dubb Dubb sat behind as Bridgetta, Desert Valentine and Touching My toes made bids for the lead, then made a move at the 5/16ths marker. He was 2 1/2 lengths behind the leader at the top of the stretch but made up the ground in a hurry to win by 3/4 of a length.

After the race Run a Dubb Dubb was claimed by trainer Jason Servis for Ara Aprahamian, Hot Rendezvous was claimed by Bruce Levine for Gupster Stable and Michelle Nevin claimed runner up Touching My Toes for Vincent S. Scuderi.

Velazquez and Run a Dubb Dubb were given a standing ovation from the crowd as they entered the winner’s circle.

Velazquez broke the record for career wins at Saratoga with his 694th on July 27, 2013. Jerry Bailey is second on the list with 693 while Angel Cordero is third with 649.

At his current pace, the 43-year-old Velazquez would need to ride for about four more years to reach the 1,000-win mark. He has 5,381 in his career according to Equibase.

Even though he’s twice as old as some of the up-and-coming jockeys, like 20-year-old Manny Franco, Velazquez hasn’t lost his passion for the sport.

“You’re always trying to find that next good horse, and there’s a few races out there I haven’t won,” Velazquez said.

“You never know, if I can stay healthy, maybe we’ll go for 1,000.”

The native Puerto Rican has already compiled a resume worthy of his 2012 induction to the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame.

Velazquez has won the Belmont Stakes twice, once in 2007 with Rags to Riches and 2012 with Union Rags, and the Kentucky Derby in 2011 with Animal Kingdom. His best finishes in the Preakness Stakes were runner-up efforts with Animal Kingdom and Itsmyluckyday.

His first winning ride came in 1990 at El Comandante, Puerto Rico. His first win in America came aboard My Brother Jay on March 12, 1990 at Aqueduct.

Velazquez now has 31 wins and sits in third place behind Irad Ortiz Jr. and Javier Castellano in the 2015 Saratoga jockey standings.