Jockey Samy Camacho was in the midst of yet another successful winter season at Tampa Bay Downs when opportunity called.
The 37-year-old journeyman, who has traditionally ridden at Monmouth Park during the spring and summer months, answered that call placed by jockey agent Tito Fuentes, who was in need of a jockey to represent at Gulfstream Park. Edgard Zayas, a year-round force in South Florida with many meet titles, was planning on moving his tack to New York upon the completion of the 2025-2026 Championship Meet.
"Two or three months before Tampa ended, he called me," Camacho said. "He told me that Edgard was going to New York and he needed a rider for Gulfstream. I told him. 'Give me one day,' because I was working with Mike Moran at Tampa for seven years and I don't like switching agents. That's not my style.
"When I saw the opportunity with Zayas going to New York and [Fuentes] wanting me for his rider [at Gulfstream] and him working for Zayas up north, I said, 'You know what? I have to take this chance," added Camacho, whose decision was made easier by his former agent deciding to skip Monmouth this year, opening the door for Camacho to make the switch.
Fuentes' offer was one Camacho could not refuse, and he has made the very most of the opportunity during the current Royal Palm Meet that got underway April 2.
After ridding three winners on back-to-back cards last weekend, he finds himself atop the jockey's standings with 41 winners, 11 more than his nearest rival, while finding the winner's circle at a 23-percent rate.
"I enjoy every day. I'm a human. I make mistakes sometimes, but that's part of the business," said Camacho, who has had a presence at Gulfstream Park during the fall months in recent years. "I try to enjoy every day and learn working with Tito."
The colorful Camacho, known for regularly dying his hair bright colors, hasn't made many mistakes during the Royal Palm Meet, during which his mounts have already earned a meet-high $1.45 million/.
Camacho ventured from Caracas, Venezuela in 2012 to begin riding at Parx, where he rode 32 winners the first year. After riding sparingly the next three years, he returned to ride fulltime in 2016 at Tampa, where he went on to win five riding titles over the years. Camacho has compiled strong career totals of 1667 wins and $41 million in purses-won.
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