Javier Castellano Birthdate: October 23, 1977 Birthplace: Maracaibo, Venezuela Residence: Garden City, NJ Family: wife, Abby; daughter Kayla Marie

2009 Gulfstream Record

Career:

• Continues to solidify his status as one of the top jocks in the country three years removed from his career-topping year in 2006 as the jockey of Preakness and Travers Stakes winner Bernardini, Castellano won six stakes at Gulfstream in 2008 – the second straight year he notched as many – getting three of those wins aboard top female sprinter Sugar Swirl in her sweep of the First Lady, Hurricane Bertie and Shirley Jones Handicaps.
• He was the regular jockey on Grade 1 winner and top 3-year-old filly Music Note and rode Red Rocks to victory over Curlin in the Man o' War Stakes at Belmont.
• He was aboard Jambalaya in the Gulfstream Park Turf (G1) and rode Corinthian to victory in the Gulfstream Park Handicap, both in 2007.
• The native of Venezuela has seen his name linked with the game’s biggest recent stars including 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper and 2005 Kentucky Derby favorite Bellamy Road.
• He began his American career at Calder where he topped the rider standings at the Tropical meet in 1999-’00 and again in 2000-’01.
• He moved his tack to New York and was the leading jockey at Aqueduct’s 2002-’03 inter-track meet.
• Other: Followed his late father, Abel, and an uncle into racing in Venezuela in 1996 and was racing in the U.S. by June of 1997, starting off in South Florida. His brother Abel Jr. rides in Delaware and Maryland. His father-in-law Terry Meyocks is the national director of the Jockeys’ Guild and a former executive with NYRA and the NTRA.