A pair of jockeys who have been mainstays at Gulfstream Park have announced their stepping away from the South Florida riding colony.Jockey Luca Panici, after riding over 15 years in Florida, retired from riding at the conclusion of Sunday's program at Gulfstream, while Edgard Zayas shift his tack to New York after the Championship Meet's closing day.Panici, 52, has ridden 943 winners in the U.S. A son of Italy's leading jockey in the 1970s and 1980s, the Italian native rode more than 500 winners in Europe.“I feel good. It's time. I'm 52. I made the decision to retire right now when I still have business,” said Panici, who rode 14 winners during the 2025-2026 session.Despite the decision to leave riding, Panici will remain at Gulfstream where he will begin working on the track crew.“I don't know yet what I'm going to do, but I will be on the track crew,” he said. “I'm not going to ride, but I'm not leaving the track.”A frequent visitor to Gulfstream during the Italian off-season before moving to South Florida full-time, Panici rode his first race in the U.S. in 1997 and won his first race in America Nov. 25, 2005 at Calder Race Course.Panici won three graded-stakes in his career: Another Romance in the 2012 GIII Azalea, Sole Volante in the 2020 GIII Sam F. Davis and Maryquitecontrary in the 2023 GII Inside Information, the latter at Gulfstream.At the conclusion of Sunday's card, Zayas rounded out his last day riding full-time at Gulfstream, a track where he won nine meet titles since launching his career in the fall of 2012.A finalist for the Eclipse Award as champion apprentice of 2013, the popular 32-year-old native of Puerto Rico is moving his tack to New York.Zayas is named in two races Thursday and one race Friday at Aqueduct, for trainers Wayne Potts, Jose Jimenez and Chad Summers. He has been a year-round force in South Florida since his arrival in the U.S., getting his first domestic win Nov. 17, 2012 at Calder Race Course.He picked up his 2,000th career victory Nov. 4, 2022 at Gulfstream aboard Miss You Ella, and currently sits at 2,681.Among his victories are 20 in graded-stakes, from his first in the 2013 GI Princess Rooneyon Starship Truffles to his most recent in the 2025 GII Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf aboard Be Your Best, both at Gulfstream.Zayas ranked third at the 2025-2026 Championship Meet with 54 wins, to go along with nearly $2.5 million in purse earnings. Highlighting his victories were Mythical in the Any Limit and Destino d'Oro in the Tropical Park Oaks.“I'm going to miss everyone. I've been a little emotional. This past week, I'm feeling it,” Zayas said. “I'm leaving my family here a little while until we can get settled up there. It's going to be a big change, but hopefully it's going to be the best thing ever.”The post Luca Panici Retires from the Saddles, Edgard Zayas Heads to New York After Gulfstream Closing Day appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.