Cornelio Velasquez wins No. 3000
Jockey Cornelio Velasquez, who rode at Hawthorne in the 1990s, won his 3000th race on Nov. 27, when he guided Up in Smoke to victory in the fifth race at Aqueduct.
The 43-year old native of Panama becomes one of just 158 jockeys to win 3000 races. Velasquez told the Daily Racing Form, "I’m very happy to have had a big career and that the trainers have given me a lot of chances. Velasquez began riding in the United States in 1996.