Profiles & Standings

Jockey Profiles

Tamay Alpander
Alpander has a bachelor's degree in Philosophy from the University of Maine, but she ventured to the racetrack after graduation for a career in the saddle. She guided Courtly Kathy to victories in the 1998 Hoist The Flag and Lady Slipper Stakes at Canterbury Park in Minnesota. She raced at Delaware Park, Philadelphia Park and in New Jersey before returning to New England. She had seven wins in 2010, including an upset win aboard Shapleigh Benz, a horse she had bred.

David Amiss
Amiss is entering his seventh consecutive season at Suffolk Downs after a strong 2010 meet. The New Hampshire native won 74 races last season, good for fifth in the jockey standings. In 2008, he won two stakes races at Suffolk Downs in 2008, the Norman Hall Stakes aboard Same Day Pleasure and the Mom's Command with Anofficerandalady.The New England Turf Writers Association honored Amiss for his 2007 accomplishments with a Special Achievement Award. He cites a low-fat diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables as a key to his performance. Amiss got his start in racing as a teenager with trainer John Rigattieri, working his way up on the farm from rubbing horses to eventually riding. Amiss is spending his fifth straight winter at Tampa Bay Downs.

Orlando Bocachica
Bocachica returned to the saddle on a full-time basis after two years out of racing in 2007 and quickly resumed his position as one of the most consistent riders in New England. In 2010, after earning his first meet title in 2009, he finished fourth in the standings with 76 victories. 2008, his major stakes wins came aboard Judiths Wild Rush in the Waquoit Stakes and with Silks Crown in the Louise Kimball.Bocachica attended the Eddie Belmonte jockey school in his native Puerto Rico before coming stateside in the late 1990s Bocachica was aboard mid-Atlantic based Night Caller in 2002-03 for seven victories, including black-type wins in the 2002 Donald Levine Memorial Stakes at Philadelphia Park and Bob Harding Stakes at Monmouth Park and the 2003 Mr. Nickerson Handicap at Philadelphia Park Bocachica has six total stakes wins, including a score in the 2004 Rise Jim Stakes aboard leading Massachusetts-bred Stylish Sultan. He is currently riding in Florida and enjoying great success.

Jacqueline Davis
A graduate of Dorchester-native Chris McCarron’s North American Riding Academy and a daughter of respected New York jockey Robbie Davis, Jacqueline Davis came into her first season at Suffolk Downs with all of the tools to succeed in 2010. In her first season in Boston, Davis finished sixth in the standings with 72 victories, including a win in the Norman Hall Stakes aboard juvenile filly champion Sociano’s Legacy. The 23-year-old New York native spent the winter competing successfully at Aqueduct.

Clifford Dooley
Dooley made a triumphant return to East Boston in 2007 after spending 2006 away from race riding. In 2009, Dooley finished ninth in the jockey standings with 28 wins. Dooley won the first stakes race of his career on July 4, 2007 aboard Kimridge in the African Prince Stakes. He also won the Waquoit Stakes aboard Reprized Strike on the MassCap undercard Received a Special Achievement Award from the New England Turf Writers Association for his 2007 accomplishments Dooley attended the famed RACE jockey school in his homeland before coming stateside to begin his riding career. Dooley became interested in American racing after watching the Breeders' Cup races on TV as a child. He got the money to come to America after betting 100 pounds on an 11-1 shot that won in his homeland. He then showed up at Aqueduct and began working for trainer Leo O'Brien before taking out his license and coming to Suffolk as an apprentice. He rode successful in New England before going to the NYRA circuit, where he won three races at Aqueduct on one day as a bug rider... Has ridden around the globe, winning races in France, Spain and Saudi Arabia.

Gilbert Estrella
At nearly 5'10", Gilbert Estrella towers over his rival jockeys but from two seasons at Suffolk Downs, this 21-year-old native of the Dominican Republican has proven himself to be a talented, hard-working young rider. Estrella began his career in 2005 and has spent the past two seasons at Suffolk Downs, finishing the 2010 meet with 27 victories. He spends the winter riding in Kentucky.

Luis A. Garcia
Most jockeys come from a rural background or grew up on a farm with horses, but not Garcia. A native of Guatemala, he was raised in Brooklyn, NY and was introduced to thoroughbred racing by an NYRA advertisement on the subway. His career in racing started in New York at Aqueduct, working as an exercise rider for trainer Bobby Lake before taking out his jockey license and riding with the "bug" on the NYRA circuit. Garcia has ridden primarily in New England, but he has had successful stints at both Hoosier Park and Delaware Park. In 2010, Garcia had 21 victories despite missing time towards the end of the season due to injury.

Taylor Hole
An 18-year veteran that is always near the top of the local rider standings, Hole follows in the riding footsteps of his late father Michael, a British jockey who enjoyed success stateside before an untimely death in 1976. He first worked odd jobs as a stable hand at Rockingham Park in the mid-1980s before heading to Maryland to learn professional riding at a steeplechase farm with a friend of the family. After beginning his racing career in New England in 1992, Hole took his tack out of the region during the winter of 1996, but returned to New England from the New Jersey/Pennsylvania circuit in the spring of 1997...In addition to his ability in the saddle, Hole is an expert dirt bike motorcycle rider and has competed professionally in that sport as well... Hole won five races at Suffolk Downs on August 23, 2005, including four for trainer Ron Dandy...Won 27 races in 2007...Rode at Aqueduct this winter.

Ender Jimenez
A native of Venezuela, Jimenez has been a consistent performer on the New England circuit. A hard working rider, he enjoyed tremendous success at Calder in the mid 1990s, including a victory in the 1996 $600,000 Florida Stallion Stakes aboard His Honor, who went on to compete in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He returned to Suffolk Downs in 2010 for his second consecutive season and recorded five winners.

Dyn Panell
A 14-year veteran, Panell came to Suffolk as an apprentice in 1998 after Hurricane Georges shut down Hipodromo el Comandante in his homeland of Puerto Rico. Before coming stateside, he attended the famed jockey school of Eddie Belmonte that has produced many top Puerto Rican riders, including John Velazquez. As an apprentice, Panell rode successfully in New England and picked up his biggest client, starting a longstanding business relationship with John Rigattieri, the leading trainer at Suffolk the last four seasons. Panell demonstrated a prowess for riding in his first day at Suffolk, finishing second aboard 107-1 longshot Kiss You...Had the highest winning percentage among Suffolk jockeys in each of the last six seasons, winning 23% of his local races in 2010. He finished ninth in the standings in 2010 with 39 wins from only 168 starters.

Tammi Piermarini
Just one month after giving birth to her third child, Tammi Piermarini established herself as the one to beat in the race for her second leading rider title. She completed the 2010 season with a staggering 119 victories and took home her second title, first earning the honors in 2007. She was also named recipient of her first Eli Chiat Award from the New England Turf Writers Association for the second year. A native of Massachusetts, Piermarini developed a love of horses as a child when she spent time around show horses on a farm in Salisbury. After giving up show horses, she started in the saddle at Suffolk Downs as an exercise rider for trainers Bill Perry, Ned Allard, Karl Grusmark, Frank Shannon and Jeff Hooper. Began riding in 1985 as Tammi Campbell before taking her husband's name in 1999. Piermarini was aboard graded-stakes winner Tour d'Or when he equaled the track record at Belmont Park for 1 1/16 miles in 1987.

Hector Ramos
In his first season at Suffolk Downs, Hector Ramos quickly asserted himself as a force to be reckoned with in the local jockey colony. He gained a reputation as one of the top grass riders on the grounds, winning at 25% over a turf course that is known to be a bit tricky. A 29-year-old native of Puerto Rico, Ramos graduated from the Eddie Belmonte jockey school and rode primarily at Philadelphia Park before coming to Boston. The first-call rider for the powerhouse Assimakopoulos stable, he will be spending the winter at Tampa. He concluded his first season at Suffolk Downs with 81 wins from 411 starts and the highest in-the-money percentage of the top riders, 57%. He also won the 2010 Last Dance Stakes and Rise Jim Stakes with veteran Mr. Meso.

Winston Thompson
Known for being one of the hardest working jockeys in New England, the 27-year veteran earned his fifth riding title in 2008. Won the 2007 Mystery Jet Stakes aboard Lily s Goldmine The Jamaican native swept leading rider honors at Suffolk Downs from 2004 through 2006 Had one of the best days of his career on June 18, 2005, winning six races on the Suffolk Downs program, including a victory in the $50,000 Old Ironsides Stakes on Miesque's Approval for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Miesque's Approval went on to win the Breeders' Cup Mile and the Eclipse Award for top turf male in 2006 Thompson learned his race riding in a formal jockey training school, attending educational programs that are required for aspiring riders in his native country. He won his first race in 1983 at Caymans Park in Jamaica and was the leading apprentice in Jamaica in 1984 before coming to the U. S. two years later. Thompson had riding stints in New Jersey, Florida and West Virginia before coming to New England in 1988. He has been a fixture in Boston since...Was the leading rider at the 1995 Suffolk Downs Autumn meet...In 2000, had one of the most memorable days of his career, winning the $250,000 James B. Moseley Breeders' Cup Handicap aboard King Roller. In 2010, he finished third in the jockey standings with 78 wins and is currently riding in New York.

Angel Vasquez Jr.
A native of Chile, Vasquez grew up around horses, as his father was an established trainer in his homeland. When Vasquez was a seven-year-old, his father accepted an opportunity to train in Venezuela, where Angel lived through his teenage years. At 17, Vasquez rode his first race in Venezuela. Two years later, he was riding at Calder Race Course after his father moved to the U. S. as a trainer of polo ponies. Vasquez then moved his tack to Belmont Park, where he suffered a series of injuries before taking a break from race riding. During his time away from racing, Vasquez established himself on the prestigious New York/Florida polo circuit as a player and trainer, spending his summers in the Hamptons and winters in Palm Beach. In 2002, Vasquez had a truly life-altering experience. After battles with drugs and alcohol, he became a born-again Christian."Everything changed in my life. I no longer had the bad habits that had plagued me." Newly invigorated, Vasquez set his sights on returning to the racetrack, although he was well above the weight required of a jockey. He began galloping for Gary Contessa and other trainers at Saratoga and eventually shed the excess pounds. Vasquez became an established member of the New England jockey colony in 2006, finishing ninth in the standings with 40 wins. He followed that up with a 20-win performance in 2007. Vasquez returned to Suffolk Downs in 2010 for a successful season, winning 11 races from 117 starts.