Cristian Torres Voted Jockey of the Week After Oaklawn Stakes Sweep

Cristian Torres earned Jockey of the Week honors for the Feb. 2–Feb. 8 window after sweeping two stakes at Oaklawn Park, a performance that cements his status as one of the meet’s most in-form riders. The panel of racing experts that selects the weekly award recognized Torres for guiding Silent Tactic to a decisive Southwest Stakes (G3) victory and for piloting Search Party to the Martha Washington Stakes, giving him a marquee double on the winter card.

Silent Tactic provided the headline act, producing a 3 1/4-length rallying score in what the original race coverage labeled the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3). Torres’ timing on the run turned a competitive field into a clear-length victory, a performance captured in a photo caption that read, “Christian Torres is all smiles after a victory aboard Silent Tactic in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.” Search Party’s stakes win for trainer Mark Casse added a turf-and-traditional-stakes complement to the card, illustrating Torres’ versatility across mounts and race shapes during the same meet.

The award adds to a string of accomplishments Torres has assembled at Oaklawn and beyond. Oaklawn Park’s earlier season releases noted Torres as a native of Puerto Rico, age 26, who rode his first winner April 21, 2019, at Gulfstream Park and claimed his first riding title at Remington Park in 2022. He entered the meet as Oaklawn’s defending leading rider and posted a single-season purse earnings record at Oaklawn of $6,163,941 in the prior meeting. As of mid-January he led Oaklawn standings with 15 wins, two more than Francisco Arrieta, and was one of only two jockeys in a season at Oaklawn to reach 100 wins in a meeting alongside Hall of Famer Pat Day.

This February recognition follows a separate Jockey of the Week honor Torres received for the Jan. 8–Jan. 14 week, when he scored four winners on a single Saturday, including the inaugural Mockingbird Stakes aboard Midshipman’s Dance. The back-to-back weekly honors mark a pattern: Torres has translated early-season opportunities into tangible results, prompting trainers to trust him on high-profile mounts.

That trust is visible beyond the two stakes that clinched this award. Community race coverage credits Torres with victories aboard Catching Freedom in the Smarty Jones Stakes and with guiding Wicked Halo to the Twin Bridges Stakes at Ellis Park. Other reporting notes that international calendar motion such as the Saudi Cup opened doors for Torres, landing him prized mounts for two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox at Oaklawn late in the month.

The immediate implication is simple: Torres’ stock is rising, and owners and trainers looking for a hot hand will notice. For Oaklawn handicappers and racing bettors, his recent form alters jockey overlays and mounting strategies; for Torres, the streak builds bargaining power for premium rides through the spring stakes season. The next steps are confirmation via official charts and postrace comments, but the results on the track are clear, Cristian Torres is converting opportunity into stakes-level deliveries, and the riding circuit is taking notice.