That proved to be a wise decision. He used the time back in Venezuela to take classes to learn English to help him better acclimate upon his return to the States. And it helped launch a career that’s seen him win nearly 3,300 races while racking up purse earnings in excess of $68 million.

Despite the impressive purse earnings Danny has never set “number” goals for himself. Instead, he focuses on the process, including keeping an active workout regimen, going to the gym, jogging, and lifting.

 “I’ve always approached racing on a day-to-day basis. I love winning and I try to do the best I can,” he explained, adding, “I always have been a sports guy. I like to play softball, I like to play basketball, I like to stay active and keep fit as well as keeping my weight down.”

Of course, riding isn’t just about being fit. It’s about understanding your mounts and putting them in winning positions. So in addition to his physical preparation Centeno does a lot of mental work.

“I look at the form to learn about the horses, riders and trainers,” he said. “I do my homework to see where I need to be in a race and what horses I may benefit from, by following.” 

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His agent John Weilbacher believes that Centeno is the best turf rider at Delaware Park. His ride on Reaching Stride July 12 at Delaware makes the case. Reaching Stride won at over 40-1; after she broke alertly, Centeno steered her inside to save ground while racing covered up around the first turn, moved up to press the leader nearing the far turn, and then charged  down the stretch to win by a neck.

His status as an elder statesman earns him respect from trainers. If he has ridden a horse previously, some trainers’ instructions are as simple as, “You’ve ridden the horse before, you know what to do.”

One of the trainers he rides for periodically is his father-in-law, Richard Sillaman. Danny is married to Sillaman’s daughter Brooke, and they have a young daughter, Sophia. Centeno beamed with pride when he spoke about the blessing Sophia has been to him and his wife.

As for riding for his father-in-law, Centento says the key is separating business and personal.

“When I ride for him, our communication before the race is strictly trainer to jockey,” he explained. “After the race we speak about both business and family.” 

Centeno is aware of the chase for the riding title but doesn’t obsess over it.

“I would like to win the title but I don’t come here everyday and put that pressure on myself to where I may make a mistake that causes me to lose a race,” the rider said. He added that as the season has progressed, the new surface at Delaware is playing fairer everyday. “With the more watering, rainfall and usage it gets the track is getting really good.”

From time to time, angry bettors razz jockeys they blame for defeats. Centeno said he is not bothered by the occasional railbird who gives him a hard time. 

“I try to be quiet, I know myself and I just walk away rather than talk back,” he said. 

His last few seasons have been made up of competing in the winter at Tampa and the Mid-Atlantic in the summer. 

“There is a lot of traveling between the local tracks in the summer, but you can do well if you work hard and follow your business,” he said.

At 51, Centeno is getting up there in years for a jock, but retirement still seems a farway thing.

“I don’t feel 51 years old,” he said. “Thank God, I’m fit, I’m healthy, I’m working everyday. Retirement is not on my mind for now. My future plans depend on my health and opportunities. If I can keep on riding good horses I plan on doing that for a few years more.”

DELAWARE PARK NEWS AND NOTES

Jockey Kevin Gomez had 10 wins in his last 18 mounts locally over the last two weeks to vault to 3rd place in the jockey standings with 21 wins. Daniel Centeno is 2nd in the jockey standings with 25 wins. Nine of those wins have come in allowance races where he has a winning percentage of 41%…

Chelsey Moysey is 4th in the trainer standings with nine wins in just 38 starts. The average payoff of those winners was $9.20 meaning you would have a net profit even if you had bet all of her 38 starters blindly…

Of the six racing cards held over the last two weeks, only one card was run on a day in which the turf course was utilized. Race 2 on July 22 was one of the races taken off the turf. It turned into the most unusual Delaware Park race of the year when scratches reduced it to a three-horse field going a distance of 1 1/2 miles. The third-place horse, Kiyomori, finished 29 lengths behind the winner. Dizzy Kitty looked like a lock at the one-mile mark before stopping badly and getting passed in the stretch by Praline’s Cat. Praline’s Cat then started to drift in the stretch and almost gave up the lead before regaining momentum to win. To top it off, Praline’s Cat had to withstand an objection before being declared the winner…

I generally ignore tips, but three different bettors told me first-time starter Sagamoose, trained by Sam Cronk, “could not lose” in the eighth race July 26. Leading jockey Jaime Rodriguez took the mount, so I was intrigued enough to leave the air-conditioned clubhouse to go down to the paddock. The trip to the paddock was enlightening: I saw that Sagamoose was hard to handle while being saddled. The gelding was also chilly on the board. During the race he showed nothing. I mentioned this race because it illustrates three fundamental handicapping principles. 1) “Tips” are only useful when they come directly from the connections and even then you should only use them as confirmation that a horse will be trying; 2) Watch the horses before the race; and 3) If the connections really have a live horse, it usually is evident on the board for a first-time starter at a track with small win pools. Unfortunately, I passed the tip to four friends earlier in the day, so I guess I may now have four fewer friends. It may help them to know I was locked into my bet as the second half of a double before witnessing the paddock behavior… 

The ultimate winner of the race noted above was Disco Devil, who had been claimed for $6,250 and was moving way up. In the initial start he broke awkwardly, made a good middle move and then tired. You may recall that this horse was ridden that time by Vince Halliday in his return as a jockey after a two-year hiatus due to injury. Vince had told me this horse had some ability, so in hindsight that was the connected tip I should have considered.