Every few months, Samy Camacho asks his wife Kismar Torcat and their children to decide what color to dye his hair. The 37-year-old jockey is graying around the edges, and he prefers to look as young as he feels.
Camacho currently sports purple hair beneath his riding helmet. Kismar, a fashion designer and part-time hair stylist, does the honors, bleaching his hair before applying dye to achieve the desired shade (Camacho has also shocked some observers by appearing with green, yellow, white and blue locks).
It’s fun for the family and a healthy release from the stresses of race-riding, but Camacho is the first to admit an avant-garde hairstyle isn’t going to help him reach the finish line any faster. Attitude is, and Camacho appears rejuvenated since returning to action at Tampa Bay Downs on Dec. 10 after serving an eight-day suspension that carried over from last season.
Riding with youthful verve and a level of maturity he has sometimes been accused of lacking, Camacho has climbed the Oldsmar standings in a hurry, posting 25 victories from 88 mounts since his return to earn the Martin’s Italian Jockey of the Month Award. He trails only defending track champion Samuel Marin, who like Camacho is represented by agent Mike Moran, a former jockey.
Camacho won back-to-back races today, taking the second on the Todd Pletcher-trained 3-year-old Epic Desire and the third aboard Cademan, a 3-year-old Florida-bred colt owned by Mr Pug, LLC and J.P.G. 2, LLC and trained by Gerald Bennett. Camacho added a third victory in the eighth race on 4-year-old Florida-bred colt for owners Midnight Racing and MSJE Racing Stable and trainer Antonio Sano.
With about 75 percent of the meet still to go, Camacho believes he can chip away at Marin’s 13-victory advantage while acknowledging his respect for his 24-year-old rival’s skills and consistency.
“I feel better than I did before. I have more experience, I’m more mature and my family makes me feel strong,” Camacho said. “And I have God with me. Before I wasn’t always doing the right things for my career, And sometimes I didn’t want to show my face too much in the mornings. Now I wake up early to see the trainers and all the people who want to help me, and it’s made me do better.
“I’m trying to be more professional and more respectful and do things the right way. Everybody makes mistakes, but I’m trying to make everybody at the racetrack happy.”
Camacho has won five meet titles at Tampa Bay Downs, including four in a row before last season’s runner-up performance. He is tied for third with Antonio Gallardo for the most jockey titles in track history. Only Daniel Centeno and Mike Manganello, with six apiece, have won more. Camacho has ridden 1,574 career winners in the United States, including 2020 Grade II Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby winner King Guillermo and three Grade III stakes winners.
The Caracas, Venezuela product has a close relationship with Moran, following his advice whenever possible and in the process strengthening his own self-belief. “Mike’s a passionate guy who knows a lot of stuff and he’s a hard worker, and I appreciate everything he does for me,” Camacho said. “Every day, he tells me something new to try to make me better.”
Moran, who does his level best day-in, day-out to avoid putting the interests of either of his riders ahead of the other’s, is effusive in his praise of Camacho’s effort since returning to action here (he had been riding at Gulfstream Park in the interim).
“I think he is riding awesome. Samy is happy about life and it shows,” Moran said. “He is riding every race with confidence and he is in sync with his life. Both of those guys (Camacho and Marin) are focused on wanting to beat each other and beat everybody else, but they are having fun. I can’t wipe the smile off (Camacho’s) face. He’s in the right place now and working hard to be No. 1.
“You can see it every race – they make the right moves, they’re not afraid to stay in a pocket or come through on the rail and it seems like they always have their horse on the best part of the track. They’re riding real smart races and I enjoy watching them both,” Moran said.
His colorful hair aside, Camacho knows he is at a pivotal point of his career if he wants to get the chance to ride in more major races outside of Tampa Bay Downs and realizes what that will take – keeping his nose to the grindstone and accepting the ups and downs of the profession with as much equanimity as he can summon.
“My goal here is to be the champion. I know I started behind (Marin) and I have a lot of ground to make up to catch him, but we have a long way to go,” Camacho said. “And I want to be the best I can be. I’m waiting for the opportunity for a (top) trainer to say ‘Come here, I’m going to give you the first call’ (to ride their horses).
“I know it would be slow at the beginning, but I have patience. Everything is going to come to you if you’re doing things right and doing your homework and you believe it’s going to happen.”
Wayward Lass, Gasparilla Stakes highlight Skyway Festival Day card. Six older fillies and mares, including last year’s Longines Kentucky Oaks runner-up Drexel Hill, make up the field for Saturday’s $125,000, mile-and-a-sixteenth Wayward Lass Stakes, the seventh race on a 10-race Skyway Festival day card.
The other stakes race Saturday is the sixth, the $125,000, 7-furlong Gasparilla Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. Six are entered in the Gasparilla, an annual prep race for the Suncoast Stakes, a $125,000, mile-and-40-yard contest scheduled for Feb. 7. The Suncoast Stakes is a qualifying race for the Kentucky Oaks.
Post time for the first race Saturday is 12:30 p.m.
Drexel Hill, a 4-year-old filly who also finished second in November in the Grade II Mother Goose Stakes at Aqueduct, has been established as the 4-5 morning-line favorite for the Wayward Lass. She won the Busher Stakes last March at Aqueduct for her lone stakes victory. Ben Curtis has been named to ride Drexel Hill for owner Legion Racing and trainer Whit Beckman.
The second morning-line choice at 7-2 is 5-year-old mare Runaway Diva, who has won or finished second in five of her last six starts and was the runner-up in the Grade III Delaware Handicap on Sept. 28. Samuel Marin will ride Runaway Diva, who is owned by Holly Hill Stables and trained by Michelle Hemingway.
Runaway Diva broke her maiden at first asking as a 2-year-old at Tampa Bay Downs in December of 2023.
Trainer Saffie A. Joseph, Jr., has the even-money favorite for the Gasparilla in Tessellate, a Florida-bred who won the Nov. 15 Juvenile Fillies Sprint Stakes on Nov. 15 at Gulfstream Park by 13 lengths in her most recent start. Now 2-for-4, Tessellate is owned by Magic Cap Stables, Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch, Castle Gate Farm, BAG Racing Stables, John Reinhardt and Turf Express Racing and will be ridden by Edgard Zayas.
The second morning-line choice at 3-1 is Lightscape, who broke her maiden here in impressive fashion for breeder-owner Glen Hill Farm and trainer Tom Proctor going 6 furlongs on Dec. 6 in her career debut. Marin retains the riding assignment on the daughter of Practical Joke out of an Uncle Mo mare.
Sunday’s nine-race card begins at 12:29 p.m.
Gerald Bennett saddled two winners today. In addition to Cademan in the third race, the conditioner won the seventh on the turf with Aegon Targaryen, a 4-year-old Florida-bred gelding owned by Team Equistaff and ridden by Daniel Centeno.
Tampa Bay Downs is open every day for simulcast wagering, no-limits action and tournament play in The Silks Poker Room and golf fun and instruction at The Downs Golf Practice Facility.
