Daniel Centeno

Born: December 18, 1971 | Birthplace: Caracas, Venezuela | Residence: Tampa, FL

First Win: Big Jack, Venezuela, 1990 | Started Riding: 1990, Venezuela

Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Laurel Park, Pimlico, Monmouth Park, Delaware Park

Centeno, who tied for fourth in last year’s Oldsmar standings with 42 winners, begins the 2022-2023 meet as the Oldsmar oval’s all-time wins leader with 1,471 and is also first all-time with 54 stakes victories. Two of his 11 career graded-stakes scores came in the track’s signature race, the Grade III Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby: in 2014 on Ring Weekend (when it was a Grade II event) and in 2009 on Musket Man. His other graded-stakes victories at Tampa Bay Downs came in the Grade III Lambholm South Endeavour Stakes in 2020 on Jehozacat and the Grade III Michelob Ultra Challenger in 2021 on Last Judgment. Centeno added to his career graded-stakes total in 2022, winning the Grade III Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes at Delaware Park on 36-1 shot Key Biscayne. From a personal standpoint, Centeno cherishes few victories more than No. 3,000 at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 2, 2021 on Lucy’s Town, with his daughter Jazmyn and girlfriend and future wife Brooke Sillaman in attendance. Centeno achieved a goal of most jockeys by earning a mount in the second leg of the 2019 Triple Crown, the Preakness at Pimlico, on Alwaysmining, a horse who had won five consecutive stakes under his guidance. By earning his sixth Tampa Bay Downs title in 2016-2017 with 102 winners, Centeno tied Mike Manganello for the most riding titles in track history. From 2006-2010, Centeno strung together four consecutive Oldsmar riding crowns while averaging 1.48 winners per performance during that span. He booted home a record-setting 144 winners in 2007-2008 (bettered seven years later by Antonio Gallardo), including six stakes victories, and rode 742 winners from 2008-2010. Centeno finished seventh at Delaware in 2022 with 38 winners.