Jockey Luis Contreras guides Prince of Wales winner Pender Harbour through his final prep for Sunday's Breeder's Stakes, third leg of the Canadian Triple Crown at Woodbine Racetrack.Michael Burns Photo
At a visitor's request, Woodbine's clerk of the scales goes searching for a jockey he calls "the Sheriff."
And emerging from the nether parts of the jock's room is Luis Contreras on noiseless feet.
These days, Contreras, despite his humility, is chief of the place, judging by his exploits astride a horse. And on Sunday, he'll give spark to the $500,000 Breeders' Stakes, the third jewel of Canada's Triple Crown of racing, 1½ miles on the turf.
There's no chance of any horse becoming Canada's eighth Triple Crown winner since the series was instituted in 1959. The first jewel, the Queen's Plate, was won by a fleet filly, Inglorious, and the second, the Prince of Wales, by Pender Harbour, a horse whose upside is only beginning to reveal itself.
But the Mexican-born Contreras is aiming at winning his own personal Triple Crown. Astride Pender Harbour again, he could become the first jockey to win the Triple Crown on different horses.
Contreras is also the regular rider for Inglorious, who bypassed the rest of the Canadian Triple Crown to run in the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 20.
"To win the Triple Crown with both of those horses would be something I'd remember forever," Contreras said.
A year ago, Contreras wasn't sure that he'd be able to stay in Canada, because his work permit allowed him to ride only foreign-owned horses. With that loophole closed last fall, Contreras has been riding like the wind. And everybody wants him.
Currently he's far out in front in the jockey's race at Woodbine with 112 wins (as of Wednesday), 23 ahead of seven-time Sovereign Award winner Patrick Husbands. And at the halfway point of the season, he's on pace to eclipse a 20-year record of 221 victories set by Mickey Walls.
Contreras has ridden 511 horses this season, a whopping 72 more than the second most popular rider, Eurico Rosa da Silva, last year's top jockey. He's also won 14 stakes races.
Contreras's agent, Tony Esposito, says the demand for his charge's services is "insane." He says he gets at least 50 calls every morning from trainers who want Contreras to ride for them.
"Right now, I'm focused on winning races," Contreras said. "My main thing now is winning the jockey standings. If winning the jockey's standings comes with the record, that's even better."
Reade Baker, who is No. 2 in the Woodbine trainer standings, sometimes with the help of Contreras, said Contreras is a young version of Sandy Hawley, winner of 6,450 races, four-time winner of the Queen's Plate, four-time U.S. champion jockey, and nine-time champion Canadian. Hawley was known for his rapport with a horse and his ability to win races from off the pace. It takes patience and confidence.
"The key now is if he can keep his head straight and in the right place," Baker said. "That's where most of them have their troubles. If he can do that, the sky is the limit."
Contreras is "a good kid, a pretty exciting young rider," said Mike DePaulo, trainer of Pender Harbour. "It looks like he's a very patient rider and gets a lot of run out of horses … He's good at getting horses to relax."
Esposito said Contreras has already achieved many of the goals they'd set out early in the season – winning the Woodbine Oaks and the Queen's Plate – but there's more to do.
He also would like to see Contreras get a couple of Breeders' Cup mounts in Kentucky in November. It looks possible right now, he said.
"He's such a pleasure to work for," Esposito said. "There's never any stress."
The Sheriff, who would have made a couple of hundred dollars on a good day riding in Mexico City, currently leads the money standings at Woodbine, too, with horses he has ridden having earned more than $6-million. Husbands is $1.6-million behind him.
"The only thing I have to do is keep working hard," Contreras said. "If I want to make something better, I have to work hard and keep working. But it's not even work. I like this business."
Breeders' stakes
Listed by post position, horse, jockey, trainer and odds:
1. Delawana, David Moran, Mike Keogh, 12 to 1
2. Stunning Split, Jim McAleney, Malcolm Pierce, 15 to 1
3. Queen'splatekitten, Eurico Rosa Da Silva, Todd Pletcher, 3 to 1
4. Crown's Path , Jesse Campbell, Greg de Gannes, 20 to 1
5. Control , Omar Moreno, Mark Casse, 15 to 1
6. Seawatch, Slade Callaghan, Josie Carroll, 10 to 1
7. Molinaro Remarks, Steve Bahen, Vito Armata, 30 to 1
8. Blackstone Bay, Patrick Husbands, Mark Casse, 20 to 1
9. Pender Harbour, Luis Contreras, Mike DePaulo, 7 to 2
10. Diego Bay, Richard Dos Ramos, Roger Attfield, 20 to 1
11. Celtic Conviction, Emile Ramsammy, Mike Doyle, 6 to 1
12. Runaway Whiz , Corey Fraser, Mark Frostad, 30 to 1
13. Born to Boogie, Justin Stein, Catherine Day Phillips, 15 to 1
14. Hippolytus, Tyler Pizarro, Mark Casse, 8 to 1