In 1985, jockey Chris DeCarlo won with his first mount when he rode Romeo’s
DeCarlo, who lives in Oceanport, New Jersey, formerly competed at Gulfstream
Through Monday, DeCarlo has won 1,077 races in North America during his
|
“I started here, so it’s always been my home,” DeCarlo said. “A lot of the
jockeys I started with aren’t here anymore, so it’s a whole new colony. Todd
(Pletcher) has given me a shot. David Jacobson and George Weaver have been
helpful to me, and when you ride for guys like that you can’t help but win
because they do such a fantastic job.”
DeCarlo’s decision to compete in New York stems from his desire to remain
with his family.
“Once my daughter (Nina) started school I didn’t want to be far away from
her, so the logical thing was to come back here (to Aqueduct),” DeCarlo said. “I
can go home every night. The drive is rough. The only thing that really stinks
are the tolls. I have to ride two races just to break even, but the money is
here. If you win one race here it’s like winning three races in New Jersey.”
Originally from Edison, New Jersey, DeCarlo has benefited throughout his long
career from the support of Hall of Famers Angel Cordero, Jr. and Jorge
Velasquez, literally since his infancy.
“My grandfather was a singer in Puerto Rico and was really famous,” DeCarlo
said. “He always wanted to be a jockey but got too big. He was friends with
Angel’s dad. (Cordero, Velasquez, and my grandfather) always used to be
together. When I was born (Cordero) told my grandfather, ‘If he stays small,
we’re going to make him a jockey.’ That’s all I wanted to do, and I’m living my
dream. Even to this day he still helps me. I had two of the best teachers ever.”
DeCarlo’s biggest win of his career came at age 17 when he guided Wise Times
to a triumph in the 1986 Haskell Invitational. Wise Times added a score in the
Travers in next start, but DeCarlo was injured and was unable to ride that day.
In the early 1990s, DeCarlo temporarily quit riding in order to become a
stock broker, but the allure of horse racing remained too strong and he soon
found himself back in the saddle.
“I got my stock broker’s license in 1990, and I did that for a year, a year
and a half,” DeCarlo said. “The only reason I got into it was because my dad had
been in the business. I didn’t get any real satisfaction out of making a sale.
Had I gone to school and had that programmed into me, it would have been a
bigger deal than it was, but after riding horses and winning races you always
want to compete. I got the opportunity to ride in France, and I jumped at it.
When I jumped at it, I realized this is what I really want to do with my life.”
DeCarlo’s primary base since 2001 has been Monmouth Park, where he is Todd
Pletcher’s first-call rider.
“It’s a relationship that has developed over the years,” Pletcher said. “He’s
one of Angel’s protégés, and Angel always promoted him. He started riding stakes
horses out of town, and we had a high strike rate. Once he moved his tack to
Monmouth, we continued to have success, which made it a logical relationship.”
Since 2012, DeCarlo has won 14 stakes, and seven of those victories have come
aboard horses trained by Pletcher, including the 2012 Queens County with San
Pablo and 2013 Busanda with Princess of Sylmar at Aqueduct.
“Chris is an intelligent rider who seldom makes mistakes and is deceptively
strong,” Pletcher said. “He’s not a flashy rider, which sort of hides his
ability, but he’s one of the most dependable riders you can find.”
Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com