As he closes in on his sixth straight riding title and 11^th overall at Monmouth Park, jockey Paco Lopez is also nearing a significant milestone: 4,000 career wins.

It’s an achievement he says he would like to happen at the Jersey Shore track, which has been his summer base since 2009, but with only 16 live racing cards left to get the 40 wins he needs to reach that number it could prove to be a challenge.

The chase will be renewed this weekend, with Lopez listed to ride in six of the eight races at Monmouth Park on Friday and seven of the nine on Saturday.

“I’d like to do it at Monmouth Park,” he said. “But I can’t change anything to try to make that happen. I just have to keep working hard and hopefully it will work out.”

At the age of 38, Lopez is having yet another banner year with 191 winners overall. He holds a comfortable 60 to 44 lead over Jairo Rendon atop the Monmouth Park jockey standings, having won five stakes at the track this summer and 17 overall (five graded).

This will mark the seventh straight year he has had 200 wins or more and the 10^th time in the past 12 years. And the winning never gets old, he says.

“Everybody likes to win. I’m no different,” he said. “So far I’m having a very good year.

“I have always worked hard. I like to work. When you work hard you have a better chance to be successful. And I am always trying to get better. That never stops.”

Barring injury, Lopez is well on his way to becoming the most accomplished jockey in Monmouth Park history. That title is currently held by Joe Bravo, who has a track record 13 riding titles with 2,119 victories just at Monmouth Park.

But Bravo, at 52, is no longer chasing titles. Lopez is, with his 11^th at Monmouth Park looking to be little more than a formality. Lopez has won 1,321 of his 3,960 career races at Monmouth Park.

This Monmouth Park title would be his 10^th in the past 12 years. He also holds the track record for winners on a single card with seven, something he has accomplished three times.

“It’s a lot of work and it gets harder every year,” said Lopez, who won the Eclipse Award as the Outstanding Apprentice in 2008. “There are a lot of new, talented riders that come here every year and they all see me as the one to beat.

“But I love competing. I will work as hard as I need to and my thing is I try to get better every year.”

The Veracruz, Mexico, native will be the 84^th rider in the sport’s history in the United States to reach 4,000 wins, according to Equibase. He is currently 27^th in career wins among active riders.

“Everyone wants to win and wants to be consistent,” said Lopez, who has won stakes races at six different tracks this year. “The thing I feel good about is how I work.”

Lopez started riding in the United States in 2007 in Florida after growing up on the bush tracks in Mexico. He decided to give Monmouth Park a try on a trial basis in 2009. Little did he know it would lead him to where he is today.

“When I decided to come to Monmouth Park for the first time I told (long-time agent) Cory Moran `let’s try it for two months and see how it goes. If I’m not winning or doing well we’ll go back to Florida,’ ” Lopez said. “Now I’m here every year and I love being here.”