2022 KENTUCKY DERBY WINNER SONNY LEON IS JOCKEY OF THE MONTH

By Mike Henry —-

2022 KENTUCKY DERBY WINNER SONNY LEON IS JOCKEY OF THE MONTH

OLDSMAR, FL. – Riding in the Kentucky Derby is every jockey’s dream. Many never dare to dream about winning it.

Three years ago, Tampa Bay Downs jockey Sonny Leon barely had time to envision either scenario. Although trainer Eric Reed had named him to ride Rich Strike in the 148th Run for the Roses, it wasn’t until a day before the race, after Ethereal Road had been scratched, that Rich Strike and Leon drew into the 20-horse field.

The rest is history, of a kind that could never be scripted. In the early evening of May 7, 2022, Leon piloted his 80-1 shot to an incredible come-from-behind victory from the outside No. 20 post position, reaffirming the fact anything is possible on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs.

“I was in the right spot, the right situation and the right moment to make history. Everything that happened that day – the Lord guided me in the right way,” said the 34-year-old Venezuelan.

Leon knew then and knows now there are no shortcuts to building a lasting career as a jockey. He might never get another shot at the Kentucky Derby, but competing in Oldsmar is keeping him close enough to keep dreaming the dream.

“I believe in God and hard work. If you don’t work hard every day out here, you cannot do well in this business,” said Leon, whose climb to fourth place in the Oldsmar standings, with 24 winners, coincides with his selection as the Mother’s Restaurant Jockey of the Month. “You have to keep yourself fit and stay disciplined to be able to trust yourself to compete.”

Leon, who finished seventh at last year’s spring-summer meet at Gulfstream Park with 35 winners and tied for 10th at the fall meet with 16 winners, moved his tack to Tampa Bay Downs in late November at the urging of trainer Rohan Crichton. The move has paid off handsomely, with Leon riding nine winners over the last four weeks of action to earn the award.

“I have to thank Rohan for pushing me to come here. (Juan Carlos) Avila is one of the best trainers from my country, and he’s given me a lot of support,” Leon said. “The riders here are all good guys who respect each other. When we get to the gate we try to do the best job possible for the owner, the trainer and the public, and I don’t have a problem with anybody. I feel welcome here.”

Leon, who won about 200 races in Venezuela before coming to the United States in 2015, enjoyed an exceptional year in 2021, riding 226 winners with mount earnings of more than $3.7-million. He eclipsed that figure in 2022 with $5.7-million-plus, helped immensely by the Derby’s first-place payout of $1.86-million.

Leon won four meet titles at Mahoning Valley in Ohio from 2020-22. He has ridden 968 winners in North America.

Earlier this week, Leon spent some time with his wife Cryss Carmona and their 4-year-old daughter Paula, who were visiting him from their home in Kentucky. Although she was at Churchill Downs that magical day, Paula has no memory of her father’s victory on Rich Strike.

So, maybe she’ll be there on another May afternoon, rooting for Dad. Leon knows that until you stop dreaming, anything remains possible.

“I know I won the Kentucky Derby, and I know my place in history. I have a beautiful family, and I’m blessed by God to have the opportunity He has given me,” Leon said. “The horses make all this possible, and if you stay focused on your business, you’re going to be successful.”

Around the oval. Samy Camacho and Samuel Marin each rode two winners today. Camacho’s both came on the turf, as he scored first in the fifth race on 18-1 shot Three Times, a 4-year-old filly owned by Legacy Racing and trained by Arnaud Delacour. Camacho added the seventh race aboard Growth Capital, a 6-year-old gelding owned and trained by Juan Arriagada.

Marin swept the late daily double. He won the eighth race aboard Miss Interpatation, a 3-year-old filly owned by Happy Tenth Stable and trained by Leslielyn Hardesty. Marin added the ninth and final race on the turf with Altamira Sur, a 3-year-old filly owned by RM18 Stable and trained by Jose Francisco D’Angelo.

Thoroughbred racing at the Oldsmar oval continues Saturday with a 10-race card beginning at 12:20 p.m. Tampa Bay Downs races each Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and is open every day for simulcast wagering, no-limits action and tournament play in The Silks Poker Room and golf fun and instruction at the Downs Golf Practice Facility.