Paco Lopez ran away with the 2009 leading rider title in his first season at Meadowlands Racetrack.

Lopez led all jockeys with 53 wins and 1.3 million in earnings for the meet, which concluded Saturday Dec 5. Daniel Centeno was a distant second with 38 winners. Lopez, 24, earned an Eclipse Award as the nation's top apprentice rider in 2008 after winning 171 races and 2.6 million. Already a standout on the Florida circuit, he moved his tack to Monmouth Park this summer(rode one month at Belmont) and finished seventh in the standings with 46 victories and 1.6 million in earnings.

"It's pretty special for a rider to come to New Jersey his first year and be the leading rider at the Meadowlands, especially with the caliber of riders that are there," noted his agent, Cory Moran