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Centeno Quickly Out Of The Gates

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By BART O'CONNELL, Tribune correspondent

Published: December 29, 2007

OLDSMAR - Daniel Centeno is thankful to be back at Tampa Bay Downs, but even more thankful to still be saddling up horses and winning races.

The 36-year-old jockey is remembered by many TBD fans for his record-setting 125 wins during last season's meet in Oldsmar. What didn't garner any headlines is what nearly took his chance of defending that title away - a serious racing accident that kept him from the track for three months.

On Aug. 9 at Monmouth Park in New Jersey, Centeno was riding Call for Backup in a turf race and approaching the final stretch when both he and the horse fell.

Though he doesn't know how it happened, the horse rolled on top of him, broke his nose and damaged his liver and kidneys before running off uninjured.
Centeno had to be hospitalized, and the incident brought his budding career, which included a stint atop the national leading rider standings, to a sudden halt. But after a three-week stint at Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens to get back in shape, Centeno returned to TBD.

He's once again the track's leading rider, with 12 victories. On Friday, he was named TBD's jockey of the month for December.

"I feel good now and I'm happy to be able to come back. There are a lot of horses to ride," he said.

"Thank God, I'm 100 percent healthy and everything's good now."
Centeno picked up where he left off at TBD, working frequently with 2006-07 leading trainer Jamie Ness, who has 30 horses to work with after beginning last season with just eight, building his stock through claims that for the most part, proved profitable.

The two have developed an excellent business relationship and share the same tendencies when it comes to horse racing - working with aggressive, speed-oriented thoroughbreds. Ness had no reservations about using Centeno after the accident.

"We had such good success last year and me and him are kind of on the same page," Ness said. "I was kind of excited to get back down here and get him on most of my horses."

It will be a challenge for Centeno to repeat his 125-win effort from last meet, thanks to a new group of talented jockeys that includes past leading rider Willie Martinez, as well as Juan Lopez, Rosemary Homeister Jr. and Jose Velez Jr.

"There's some better riders this year - more competition," he said. "It makes the races better. I'll try to do it again."

COTILLION FESTIVAL DAY: Track officials are hoping today's card, which has 11 races for only 2-year-olds at various distances, will serve to produce contenders for its top 3-year-old prep races in 2008.

Today's featured races are a pair of $65,000 stakes - the Sandpiper for fillies (Race 6, 10 entries), and the Inaugural for colts and geldings (Race 8, 13 entries), both at six furlongs. In addition, fans attending races today and Sunday will receive a 2008 Tampa Bay Downs calendar, while supplies last.

Calder product Silk Ridge is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the Sandpiper, having won three stakes races there this summer. Unfolding Wish, from George Steinbrenner's Kinsman Stable trained by Dale Bennett, is the second choice at 4-1.

The 7-2 favorite in the Inaugural is Run Sally Run, a Kentucky-bred trained by Cam Gambolati. Centeno will have the riding assignment.

Only the Gerald Bennett trainee All I Can Get, which finished fourth in last year's Inaugural, went on to compete in February's Sam F. Davis Stakes and March's Tampa Bay Derby.

Correspondent Bart O'Connell can be reached at boconnell@

pop.tampatrib.com.

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