Eddie Castro is a Panamanian-born

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

 jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

 in American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Thoroughbred horse racing

Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...

. He grew up on a produce

Produce

Produce is a generalized term for a group of farm-produced goods and, not limited to fruits and vegetables . More specifically, the term "produce" often implies that the products are fresh and generally in the same state as where they were harvested. In supermarkets the term is also used to refer...

 farm

Farm

A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...

 in Panama where he learned to ride saddle

Saddle

A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...

 horse

Horse

The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...

s. Influenced by the accomplishments of other local jockeys, Castro attended the Panamanian jockey school and began riding in races in December 2002. In just over three months he rode thirty-six winners in Panama then decided to move to the United States where he debuted on April 16, 2003 at Gulfstream Park

Gulfstream Park

Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....

 in Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

. Although his fellow apprentice jockeys had more a three-and-a-half month head start

Head start (positioning)

In positioning, a head start is a start in advance of the starting position of others in competition, or simply toward the finish line or desired outcome...

, Castro wrapped up the year as the winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey

Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey

The Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey is an American thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1971, it is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to a jockey undergoing their apprenticeship....

. And 2003 was his big break.

On June 4, 2005 at Calder Race Course

Calder Race Course

Calder Casino & Race Course is a casino and horse racetrack in Miami Gardens, Florida in the United States.-History:In the mid-1960s, real estate developer Stephen A. Calder envisioned summertime racing in Florida; in 1965, on the advice of Mr. Calder, the Florida Legislature approved a bill...

, Eddie Castro set an American record with nine wins on a single race card and on November 15, 2006 at Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...

 won his 1,000th race. That year, he rode Miesque's Approval to victory in the Sunshine Millions Turf

Sunshine Millions Turf

The Sunshine Millions Turf Stakes is a race for thoroughbred horses held in January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California or at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida...

 and the Breeders' Cup Mile

Breeders' Cup Mile

The Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's inception in 1984...

.

Year-end charts

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (2003–present)
!Peak
position
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2003
| style="text-align:center;"|59
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2004
| style="text-align:center;"|28
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2005
| style="text-align:center;"|19
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2006
| style="text-align:center;"|15
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|16
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2008
| style="text-align:center;"|18
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2009
| style="text-align:center;"|18