Birth Date: Monday, June 12, 1967
Birth Place: Lima, Peru

Career: Rode Smart Bid to victory in Louisiana last winter to victory in the Mervin Muniz (G2). Other graded winners included Redeemed, Hoofiz and Future Prospect. Rode Shared Account to victory in 2010 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and won Gulfstream’s Swale and Hutcheson (D’Funnybone) and Gulfstream Park Turf (Court Vision). Passed 6,000 wins at Gulfstream in 2009 and was inducted in the Hall of Fame last summer among his highlights in 2008 ... He won the Eclipse Award in 2006 largely because of his performances on star-crossed Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby champion Barbaro ... He was credited with helping that colt survive the ankle fracture he suffered early in the Preakness Stakes by quickly pulling him up ... . He teamed with Benny the Bull to win the Golden Shaheen in Dubai on the World Cup undercard. He also rode Diamond Stripes to win the Godolphin Mile on that same program, both for trainer Rick Dutrow ... His victory in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff aboard Round Pond (his third Breeders’ Cup victory), coincidentally for Barbaro’s trainer, Michael Matz, also led to his Eclipse Award ... He won his second consecutive (and third career) Florida Derby aboard Scat Daddy in 2007 ... Captured his 5,000th career win at Gulfstream in 2004 in the Swale Stakes aboard Wynn Dot Comma and 1,000 wins later, scored at Gulfstream on Sumphin last year ... He has won two Belmont Stakes, both in upsets, with Birdstone over Smarty Jones in 2004 and aboard Sarava in 2002, which paid a record $142.50 ... Led nation in wins three straight years (1997 - 1999) while riding primarily in Maryland, and became the only rider ever to win 400 races in three consecutive years. He also topped Saratoga standings in 2002 ... Captured Gulfstream’s two most prestigious races in 2002 when taking the Florida Derby with Harlan’s Holiday and the Donn Handicap with Mongoose. Other: Took out license in native Peru in 1983 and became leading apprentice there before coming to the U.S. in 1986 as contract rider for trainer Manuel Azpurua ...  He has three sisters and eight brothers, two of whom are jockeys ... His father is a trainer in Peru ... Captured first American victory on Single Love at Calder on June 1, 1986, then moved his tack to New England and then Maryland, where he remained for more than 10 years before relocating to New York for trainer John Kimmel when Richard Migliore was injured ... Won Young Jockeys World Championship at Japan’s Nakayama Race Course in March 1994.