Jockey Javier Castellano Is Awash in Kentucky Derby Contenders Javier Castellano cannot seem to do anything wrong on the racetrack this year, but he has not figured out how to ride two Kentucky Derby contenders at once. That is turning out to be a problem for Castellano, the most in-demand jockey in the sport. The top three horses in The Daily Racing Form's rankings of Derby prospects, Union Rags, Algorithms and El Padrino, were all ridden by Castellano in their last starts, which has put him in the somewhat enviable, somewhat unenviable position of having to make hard choices. He wants to land on the Derby winner, win as many prep races as possible, keep his clients happy and keep his options open. He has already had to make one difficult choice, between Algorithms and Union Rags, who will both start Sunday in the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fla. He chose Algorithms. Castellano was also the regular rider of Discreet Dancer, expected to be the third choice in the betting Sunday. "If we weren't in this situation, we would be wishing that we were," his agent, Matt Muzikar, said. It's a great opportunity to have, but it's also a double-edged sword. If you're not careful, it could backfire. But Muzikar or Castellano will not be found complaining. They are not just busy winning races, but also making the case that the 34-year-old Castellano has developed into the sport's top rider. Castellano began riding in his native Venezuela a year before shifting to the Florida racing circuit in 1997. He developed into a dominant rider there before moving his base to New York in 2001. During his first several years in New York, he was among the more successful riders on the circuit but had difficulty cracking a top tier that included jockeys like Jerry Bailey, John Velazquez and Edgar Prado. In 2009, he was 16th in the country in earnings with $9.1 million. Two years later, he was third with $15.7 million. His ascension seems to be a direct result of his new partnership with Todd Pletcher, who trains Algorithms, Discreet Dancer and El Padrino, and is generally recognized as the best in his profession. In 2008, Castellano rode just six horses for Pletcher. Last year Pletcher gave him 148 mounts, 39 of them winners. Of those victories, 14 came in stakes races. Pletcher still gives a majority of his rides to Velazquez, but Castellano is earning more and more of his business. When Muzikar was asked why he and Castellano picked Algorithms over Union Rags, who was generally regarded as the sport's best 2-year-old last year, he said the decision was based on their loyalty to Pletcher. "I'm getting the opportunities," Castellano said when asked about his recent success. I'm very lucky, very fortunate and blessed to be riding for quality trainers that give me support, especially Todd. He's been very helpful the last couple of years. Pletcher was particularly generous to Castellano this year when he started to assign jockeys to his many top 3-year-old colts. Castellano rode Discreet Dancer to an allowance win in January, guided Algorithms to victory over the 2-year-old champion Hansen in the Holy Bull Stakes, and was aboard El Padrino in a Jan. 29 allowance win. He was also the rider of the Pletcher-trained Gemologist, a top 3-year-old being pointed for the Rebel Stakes on March 17 at Oaklawn in Arkansas. This embarrassment of riches left Muzikar and Castellano hoping their Derby candidates would avoid one another for as long as possible. They got lucky with El Padrino, who was expected to be the favorite Saturday in the Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, but were not as fortunate when Pletcher and Michael Matz, the trainer of Union Rags, opted for the Fountain of Youth. "I ended up on three or four horses all going for the same spot," Castellano said. It was really hard on me to make a decision because I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, and both Algorithms and Union Rags are really talented horses who are evenly matched. It must have been especially difficult to turn down Matz, the trainer of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro. Though he was beaten by a nose with Castellano aboard in the Breeders" Cup Juvenile, the talented Union Rags might be a once-in-a-lifetime horse. Julien Leparoux has been named to ride the colt Sunday. Matz was not pleased. "There was a little bit of a problem because Javier was telling me for the last month that he was riding Union Rags and when I finally saw the article in The Racing Form, I called his agent and his agent said something different," Matz said. I don't know what the problem was. But Castellano cannot worry about that now. He wants to win a Kentucky Derby, something he has not done in five tries. With 10 weeks to go, he has two things a jockey needs, quantity and quality. It's nice to be wanted.