Martin A. Pedroza (born July 20, 1965 in

Panama City, Panama Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is loca ...

) is a jockey in American

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

. Pedroza trained at the Panama jockey school and in 1981 rode his first winner at Hipódromo Presidente Remón in Panama City. He emigrated to California for the 1983 racing season where he won more races than any other apprentice jockey during three meets at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

Oak Tree An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

and Los Alamitos. He is considered one of the best jockeys of all time.

Major racing accomplishments

Martin Pedroza won six consecutive races at Santa Anita Park on October 31, 1992, equaling that track's record held by Steve Valdez in 1973 and equalled by

Darrel McHargue Darrel G. McHargue (born September 26, 1954 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is a retired American Champion jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. One of five children from a family not connected to horse racing, he was first introduced to riding as a te ...

in 1979 and by

Laffit Pincay Jr Laffit Alejandro Pincay Jr. (born December 29, 1946, in Panama City, Panama) was once flat racing's winningest all-time jockey, still holding third place many years after his retirement. He competed primarily in the United States. Career Pincay ...

. in 1987 and Patrick Valenzuela in 1988. Of the four record holders, only Pedroza earned his wins in successive races. In 2008, he won his 3000th career race at Fairplex Park on a day when he won a record seven races then followed up with another seven-race win day just two days later. At the 2005 Hollywood Park 2005 fall meet, Martin Pedroza won more races than any other jockey and in 2010 he won his thirteenth riding title at Fairplex Park, twelve of which have been consecutive since 1999. Pedroza's longtime agent is Richie SilversteinFairplex Park Newsroom - September 27, 2010
As at August 28, 2011, Martin Pedroza has won 3,346 races.

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedroza, Martin A. 1965 births Living people Panamanian jockeys American jockeys Sportspeople from Panama City Panamanian emigrants to the United States