More than 500 years after Juan Ponce de Leon failed to find the Fountain of Youth in Florida, jockey Jose Ferrer appears to have discovered it.

The 61-year-old Ferrer is returning to Monmouth Park this summer following a one-year hiatus from his “home track,” and he will do so with plenty of momentum after finishing a solid third in the rider standings at the recently-completed Tampa Bay Downs meet with 49 wins.

Monmouth Park’s 80^th season gets underway on Saturday, May 10.

“I missed being at Monmouth Park last year,” he said. “When I was riding at Gulfstream Park last summer I’d look up at the replays of Monmouth races and I would have to walk away. I would get sentimental. Monmouth has always been my home track.”

Ferrer, who began his riding career in New Jersey in 1982, had been a fixture at the Jersey Shore track for 41 consecutive years until last summer, when he opted to remain in Florida to spend more time with his family: sons Derek, age 10, and Joey, age 9, and his wife Steffi.

“I wanted to make sure the boys were doing well in school,” said Ferrer, who owns a home in Tampa. “It’s tough when I’m not there because it’s family first for me. They’re at an age where it was good for me to be around them the whole time for a change. I never realized how much time I missed being with them.

“I’ve always left Florida for New Jersey while they were still in school. But they’re doing so well in school now I feel good about coming back to Monmouth Park. They will be up here with me when school ends.”

Ferrer has been able to keep riding – and riding well – at an age when most jockeys are retired because of his vigorous workout routine. He converted his garage in Florida into a gym and works out for nearly an hour every morning before heading to the track.

Few jockeys are fitter.

“The workouts last about 45 minutes,” he said. “I do strength training, weights, upper and lower body work and cardio. There are days when you don’t feel like working out but I try to never miss a day. When it comes to fitness you have to be dedicated. I always remind myself that I have to work harder than most jockeys because I am riding against guys that are half my age. Some of them are teenagers.”

For the first time, though, Ferrer knows retirement is approaching. He said that 2026 will likely be his last year of riding.

And he has a specific goal in mind before he does retire: Reaching 5,000 wins. He currently has 4,824.

“We’ll see. It’s something I am going to try for,” he said. “It’s in the back of my mind that it is something I want to accomplish.

A native of Puerto Rico, Ferrer was named the recipient of the George Woolf Memorial Award in 2018. The award is presented to a jockey who has demonstrated high standards through personal and professional conduct on and off the track.

Ferrer credited part of his winter success to new agent Jose Garcia, who also represents 11-time Monmouth Park riding champion Paco Lopez. Winning, he says, never gets old for him, either.

“I love the game. I love the horses. I love being around the racetrack and being with other jockeys. A lot of them are my friends,” he said.

But the Fountain of Youth potion will eventually wear off, he knows.

“If you had told me back in 1982 that I would still be riding in 2025 I would have told you that you are crazy,” he said. “You never expect to be riding in your 60s. But I haven’t lost my desire.

“At some point you know you have to stop. I told my family I will probably ride one more year after this one. That’s the way I am thinking now. I’m giving serious thought that 2026 will be it for me. I’ll just have to figure out something to do. My wife knows I get bored easily if I am not keeping busy.”