Photo:

Coady Media / Churchill Downs

Jockey Samuel Camacho Jr. has made a strong return to the Churchill Downs jockey colony, recording two wins through the first 13 days of the fall meet while securing mounts on several live contenders in Saturday’s Claiming Crown.

“It was always a dream of mine to come here and ride with the top jockeys in this colony,” Camacho said. “It’s something I’ve wanted since I was a kid. When I got the call to come to Churchill Downs, I didn’t think twice.”

A native of Venezuela, Camacho grew up aspiring to follow in the footsteps of his father, who was also a jockey.

“My dad was a jockey in Venezuela and I wanted to follow his footsteps,” Camacho said. “Being a jockey is in my blood, so it was an easy decision as a kid.”

On Saturday’s Claiming Crown program, Camacho is named on four horses trained by David Jacobson, including Laughing Boy in the featured race, the $200,000 Jewel.

“I’m enjoying Churchill Downs right now and the plan is to head to Oaklawn this winter,” Camacho said. “I’ll be following David (Jacobson) where he plans to send horses.”

Camacho was previously part of the Churchill Downs jockey colony in 2018 but did not record a win. From 2019-21, he rode 10 horses at Churchill Downs but it wasn’t until eight days ago that he earned his first victory there aboard Quality Chic.