Jockey Luis Quinonez

Resides: Jones, Oklahoma  Born: 01/06/67, Sinaloa, Mexico  Family: Gedda, wife; Lexie, Alayna Marie, daughters; Nathan and Ryan, sons

Luis won the 2007 jockey title at Oaklawn riding 52 winners from 292 mounts as his horses earned $1,238,200.

John Jacinto finished second with 41 winners.

A year earlier at the Spa, Luis lost the crown to Jacinto, getting nipped the final day of the meeting, 45-44.

“Starting the 2007 meeting at Oaklawn, I knew things were going well,” said Quinonez. “I had had a good year throughout 2006.”

His 2006 stats were 140 winners from 1007 mounts as his horses earned $4,001,682.

Much of his riding was at Oaklawn, Prairie Meadows and Remington.

At Oaklawn in 2007 he won the Pippin on Plaid and the Fifth Season astride Silent Pleasure.A year earlier at the Spa, his “big horse” was More Moonlight, on whom he won the American Beauty and Spring Fever. He captured the Martha Washington on Brownie Points.

In 2008, Luis will be riding here for the eleventh straight season. Quinonez has plied his craft around the country from Northern California to Aqueduct, Meadowlands, Canterbury, Oaklawn, Prairie Meadows and Remington.

Canterbury Downs opened in 1995 and Luis won five straight riding titles there, 1995-1999. He was soon being hailed as the “riding king of Minnesota.”

The jockey insists that much of his saddle success need be credited to his long time agent Gerry DiLaura.“He gets me on horses and I ride them,” smiled the rider.