Garrett Gomez is one tough jockey.

A spill while riding Bella Dancer at Del Mar Wednesday in California might have sidelined a lesser athlete. Instead, he won the next race on that card and made plans to fly across the country to compete in Saturday’s 139th running of the $1 million Travers.

Good decision.

Gomez’s gutsy ride on Colonel John resulted in one of the biggest victories of his career.

Strange how things work out.

“Earlier in the week, I just had a fall,” Gomez said matter-of-factly. “I hit the surface hard, and I had to shake the cobwebs off. It turned out that I hurt my shoulder. It wasn’t that big of a deal, but it was very sore.”

Gomez said he didn’t even think about taking some time off after the fall to recuperate.

“I just got up and won the next race. I just jammed the shoulder. I figured that it’s better if I got right back up and continued to ride. Otherwise, I might be sore for quite a while. We don’t have contracts in this business. If you don’t work, you don’t get paid,” he said with a smile.”

Gomez is currently the nation’s leading rider with more than $13 million in earnings. He spends most of his time on the West Coast, but he used to ride for six-time Saratoga training champion Todd Pletcher.

“I’m happy wherever I go,” he said. “But as my kids got older, I decided that my business didn’t suit me at Belmont. That’s why I moved to California. I still do a lot of traveling, but it works out better for me out there.”

Gomez didn’t react when Robby Albarado, rider of runner-up Mambo in Seattle, raised his fist in triumph at the finish line in the closely contested Travers.

“I thought I saw him raise his fist, but I wasn’t really sure. I had my head down, trying to get every last ounce out of my horse,” he said. “But as a jockey, you’re usually 90 percent sure when you win. I thought we won, and it’s not fun being on the other side. But you’ve just got to pick yourself up and not dwell on the negatives. I’d rather be lucky than good.”

Although Gomez wins a lot of big races out west, he still considers Saratoga special.

“This [winning the Travers] means a lot to me. It’s a very prestigious race,” he said.

Gomez previously finished fifth on High Cotton in 2006 and seventh on For You Reppo last year in Travers rides.

William Casner, co-owner and chairman of WinStar Farm, the owner of Colonel John, gave Gomez a lot credit for the Travers win.

“Garrett put a stellar ride on him, and he got it done. I always say winners find a way to win, and that’s what Garrett did today. He found a way to win when it was deep in the race.”

Trainer Eoin Harty agreed. “When you’ve got the best horse, you try to get the best jockey. He doesn’t get flustered, and he always seems to have something left.”

Gomez didn’t have a ride in the 12th race, so he had a little extra time to talk to the media and celebrate. But he’s off to California again this morning.

“I’ve got a free ride back with the owners [today]. Not bad,” said Gomez.

No, not bad at all.