Longtime Arlington Park rider Carlos Silva picked up his 1,000th career win at the suburban Chicago oval on Thursday when he guided the Tom Swearingen-owned and -trained Deno's Connection to a two-length victory in the eighth race. Silva becomes the third jockey to win 1,000 races at Arlington Park, behind Hall of Fame riders Earlie Fires and Pat Day. Fires is the track's all-time leading rider with 2,779 victories while Day has made 1,330 trips to Arlington's winner's circle. "I want to thank all the trainers that I've ridden for," Silva said. "I rode for Gene Cilio for 14 years and we won 500 races together, and Richard Hazelton --- he's my main man."
Silva, who came to the United States in 1978 after winning 250 races in his native Chile, has 3,185 victories in North America. The 48-year-old veteran won two riding titles at Hawthorne but has never earned an Arlington crown. The ultra consistent Silva finished in the top 10 in Arlington standings for nine straight seasons from 1990 to 2000.
