Diego Herrera: ‘I’m Really Enjoying Myself’ at Gulfstream

Thursday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $75,000

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Jockey Diego Herrera notched his 12th and 13th victories of the Royal Palm Meet at Gulfstream Park Sunday to rank fourth in the jockey standings for the Thoroughbred stand that runs from April through August.

The 21-year-old jockey continued his quest to establish himself in South Florida following his move from Southern California by scoring aboard Steve Budhoo-trained Eton ($6.40) following a perfectly judged off-the-pace ride in Race 2, a 1 1/16-mile $17,500 claimer on turf. Herrera also won the ninth race aboard the 6-1 shot To the Eastside.

“All the people here are amazing, great trainers and a great group of riders in the jock’s room. I have nothing but good things to say about the place,” said Herrera, who rode a pair of winners for trainer Fernando Abreu on Friday’s program before finishing second in three stakes Saturday.

Herrera, who finished fifth aboard Richael Baltas-trained British Isles in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 27 in his first visit to Gulfstream, made the full-time move at the tail end of 2025-2026 Championship Meet, even though he had just captured his first Grade 1 victory aboard British Isles in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) March 7.

“I made my decision before I went into the race. I talked to my agent here, and I told him I was going to commit,” said Herrera, who has maintained a 20-percent strike rate at Gulfstream. “I think I needed to take that leap of faith to see what can come from a move like this. I can always go back to California, but I’m really enjoying myself here.”

Kevin Meyocks has Herrera’s book at Gulfstream.

Herrera, a native of Inglewood, Calif., began his riding career at the age of 16 aboard Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos before splitting his time between Quarter Horses and the Thoroughbreds at Santa Anita and Del Mar, and then dedicating himself solely to Thoroughbreds.

“I wanted to branch out. I’m still very young. I started riding when I was 16. I wanted to find more opportunities,” said Herrera, who will turn 22 in May. “It’s been a good, fun ride.”

__Thursday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $75,000 __

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved Sunday following a mandatory payout.

Live racing resumes Thursday when the Rainbow 6 sequence will have an estimated pool of $75,000 and will span Races 3-8, featuring a $70,000 mile optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up in Race 7. Caldera, formerly trained by late Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, will make his first start for Saffie Joseph Jr. following a year layoff since finishing second in the Bathhouse Row at Oaklawn. The 4-year-old son of Liam’s Map also finished a close-up second in last year’s Sunland Derby.

In the Rainbow 6, the jackpot pool is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool. On mandatory payout days, the entire pool is disbursed to the bettor or bettors holding tickets with the most winners in the six-race sequence.