Gabriel Saez (born February 1, 1988, in Port Darien,

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

) is a

Panamanian Panamanians (; feminine ) are people identified with Panama, a country in Central America (which is the central section of the American continent), and with residential, legal, historical, or cultural connections with North America. For most Pan ...

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

. He began his riding career in his native country in 2004, becoming the leading apprentice jockey in 2005. Saez moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in February 2006, and almost instantly became

Delaware Park Racetrack Delaware Park (also known as ''DelPark'') is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track, casino, and golf course in Stanton, Delaware. It is located just outside the city of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington, and about 30 miles from Philadelphia ...

's leading jockey that same year. He won his first race as an apprentice in the U.S., and then his first race as a journeyman.

Career

2008

Gabriel rode Eight Belles in the 2008 Kentucky Derby and came under sharp criticism when Eight Belles was

euthanized Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from ; "good death") is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to con ...

after she'd crossed the finish line, a very game second to Big Brown. During cool-down, she collapsed due to

fracture Fracture is the appearance of a crack or complete separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress (mechanics), stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacemen ...

s in both front ankles. In a letter to the Kentucky Racing Authority,

PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...

claimed that the

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

was "doubtlessly" injured during the race, and therefore Saez bore some responsibility for the injury and euthanization. Eight Belles' trainer, Larry Jones, has vigorously defended Saez, saying, "We have photographs 50 to 70 yards from where this happened, and the horse had her ears up . . . If this horse had anything going on with her at the time, she didn't know it. If the horse never had a clue, there's no way the jockey could have had a clue." The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority did not find any evidence of wrongdoing by Saez. Saez won the horseraceinsider.com "I've Got Your PETA Right Here Insider Award" in 2008 for achieving a redemptive moment with his dramatically heady victory aboard Eclipse finalist Proud Spell in Saratoga's

Alabama Stakes The Alabama Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies. Inaugurated in 1872, the Grade I race is run over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the dirt track at Saratoga Race Course. Held in mid August, i ...

. The day before the Kentucky Derby, Saez rode Proud Spell to a win in the

Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Frida ...

2009

Saez entered the

2009 Kentucky Derby The 2009 Kentucky Derby was the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. The value of the race was $2,177,000 in stakes. The race was sponsored by Yum! Brands and hence officially was called ''Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands.'' The race took p ...

aboard prerace favorite

Friesan Fire Friesan Fire (foaled April 30, 2006, in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by 1992 American Horse of the Year, A.P. Indy, a son of the 1977 U.S. Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew. His dam, Bollinger, is an Australian ...

and finished 18th. At the 2009 Preakness Stakes, Saez again jockeyed Friesan Fire, and finished 10th.

Year-end charts

References

External links

Gabriel Saez
at th
NTRA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saez, Gabriel 1988 births Panamanian jockeys American jockeys Living people People from Darién Province Panamanian emigrants to the United States