Jockey David Cora, a leading rider on the Pennsylvania circuit for more than a decade, reached 2,000 victories in his North American career March 29 when he guided Raging Smoke to victory in the fifth race at Parx Racing.
The 33-year-old native of Peru got his milestone victory for trainer T. Bernard Houghton and owner Harry Nye in a first-level allowance race for 3-year-old fillies going six furlongs. Raging Smoke, the 9-10 favorite in the field of seven, scored by 2 1/2 lengths while timed in 1:12.24 on a muddy, sealed track.
Cora's career highlights include a victory in the 2009 Pennsylvania Governor's Cup Handicap aboard Cardashi at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course.
He was leading rider at Penn National three consecutive years and also won three classics in Peru.
Cora began riding in the United States in 2000 and tallied six winners on a nine-race program at Penn National Oct. 19, 2002. He was fourth in the nation in wins that year with 295, and had a career-best 300 victories in 2001 when he ranked seventh nationally.
According to Equibase, Cora has amassed total purse earnings of $27,590,755 from 12,861 mounts. So far in 2014, he has 26 wins from 148 mounts with his horses earning $529,341.