Veteran Jockey Daniel Centeno Finds New Momentum at Tampa Bay Downs

Daniel Centeno marked a milestone many riders never reach when he scored his 3,000th career victory aboard Lucy’s Town at Tampa Bay Downs, a ride he described after the race: “I don’t have words right now. I’m feeling so great, grateful and blessed to make 3,000. Especially here at Tampa. This place made Daniel Centeno.” Past triumphs and recent form have framed a late-career resurgence that Paulick Report charted in a profile published Feb. 20.

Centeno’s bond with Tampa Bay Downs runs decades deep. Barn Notes and PastTheWire list him as the track’s all-time leader with 1,463 wins and 54 stakes victories, and Paulick notes he holds six Tampa Bay Downs riding titles. The track has been both a workplace and a proving ground since his first Tampa winners’ circle on his 33rd birthday, Dec. 18, 2004, when he rode 39-1 Marked Native to victory for owner-trainer Edward T. Clark; Centeno recalled of that night, “Nobody knew who I was then.”

The veteran’s resurgent profile is rooted in preparation and sharp racecraft. PastTheWire describes how Centeno routinely pauses along the rail after weighing in to watch replays on the jumbo video board, studying his own rides and rivals’ tactics. His agent at Tampa Bay Downs, John Weilbacher, summed up that work ethic: “He does his homework, watches replays and reads the form. Horsemen respect his opinion, and he’ll tell a trainer if he thinks a horse would run better with or without blinkers, or going longer or shorter. I never have to worry about his preparation.” Barn Notes adds Centeno’s own assessment of his approach: “I’m doing my job well right now, focusing and working hard. I like to ride for everyone. My agent does a great job getting me good opportunities, and I have to keep enjoying them while I can.”

Centeno’s résumé stretches back to Caracas, where he began riding in 1990. Pimlico’s 2014 snapshot lists his birth date as December 18, 1971, and traces his U.S. move to 2003 at Calder Race Course, followed by relocation to Tampa Bay Downs in 2004. Pimlico’s 2014 career table recorded 11,618 starts with 2,058 wins and career earnings of $38,153,144, and its 2014 season box showed 922 starts, 170 wins and $4,000,712 earned that year. Those older figures sit alongside later accomplishments: Centeno rode Musket Man to the 2009 Tampa Bay Derby (G3), his first graded score, and reached his 2,000th win aboard Forest Rim at Parx before later climbing to the 3,000 mark at Tampa.

Family and mentorship remain part of Centeno’s story. Tampa Bay Downs’ Barn Notes describes his partner Brooke Sillaman and daughters Sophia and Jazmyn as his center off the track and highlights his role as a mentor who “values experience,” a line echoed in the Paulick profile. The same Barn Notes noted Centeno planned to return to Delaware Park in May and to compete across the mid-Atlantic circuit, underscoring that his winter meet form at Oldsmar is part of a broader seasonal pattern.

As the Oldsmar winter meet continues to spotlight veterans, Centeno’s combination of mileage, preparation and track history positions him as both a winning rider and a steadying voice for trainers and younger jockeys at Tampa Bay Downs.