Victor Espinoza
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Victor Espinoza (born May 23, 1972) is a Mexican
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 ...
in American
Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and Horse industry, industry involving the Horse racing, racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter know ...
who won the Triple Crown in 2015 on American Pharoah. He began riding in his native Mexico and went on to compete at racetracks in California. He has won the
Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...
three times, riding War Emblem in 2002, California Chrome in 2014, and American Pharoah in 2015. He also won the
Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...
three times, in those same years and with the same horses. He was the first jockey in history to enter the Belmont Stakes with a third opportunity to win the Triple Crown; his 2015 victory made him the oldest jockey and first Hispanic jockey to accomplish the feat. He joined
Ron Turcotte Ronald Joseph Morel Turcotte (born July 22, 1941) is a retired Canadian thoroughbred race horse jockey best known as the rider of Secretariat, winner of the U.S. Triple Crown in 1973. Career Turcotte began his career in Toronto as a hot walk ...
as the only jockeys to win five of the six jewels of the Triple Crown spread over two consecutive years.


Background and early career

Espinoza was born on a dairy farm in Hidalgo, Mexico, the eleventh of twelve children. He and his brother Jose L. Espinoza, his senior by three years, rode horses on the farm; when he was 15 he left home and traveled to
Cancún Cancún is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, located in southeast Mexico on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. It is a significant tourist destination in Mexico and the seat of the municipality of Benito J ...
to assist his brother as a Quarter Horse trainer. He paid for jockey school by driving a bus in Mexico City at age 17. Within a few years, Espinoza was racing Thoroughbreds at
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
's track, Hipódromo de las Américas. Espinoza did not speak English when he came to the United States in 1990. He moved to Northern California in 1992, where by 1994 he was the leading apprentice rider at the Bay Meadows and
Golden Gate Fields Golden Gate Fields was an American horse racing race track, track straddling both Albany, California and Berkeley, California along the shoreline of San Francisco Bay adjacent to the Eastshore Freeway in the San Francisco Bay Area. With the closi ...
racetracks. At the Bay area tracks, he started out very poor and lived in a
tack Thermoproteati is a kingdom of archaea. Its synonym, "TACK", is an acronym for Thaumarchaeota (now Nitrososphaerota), Aigarchaeota, Crenarchaeota (now Thermoproteota), and Korarchaeota (now Thermoproteota), the first groups discovered. They ...
room at the stables. Espinoza was described as "just a hardworking kid who was out there every day...But he kept getting better and better, and soon people started seeing the talent he had." A year later, he moved to Los Angeles. His big break came in 2000 when he won the Breeders' Cup Distaff aboard
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. He rode his first
Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...
in 2001, placing third on Congaree, and in 2002, he won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes atop War Emblem. Between 2000 and 2006 he averaged 193 wins a year and twice finished third in total earnings among jockeys. However, his career entered a slump until he decided to refocus. As he explained, "One day, I woke up and I said 'This is not how I'm going to end up my career." He hired a new agent in January 2013, Brian Beach, and with a change in motivation went on to obtain his 3,000th career win, aboard Flashy Delight, on May 31, 2013, at Betfair Hollywood Park in
Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...
. After winning the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes on California Chrome, in June 2014 Espinoza traveled to Britain to win the Windsor Castle Stakes at the
Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Gra ...
meeting on the Wesley A. Ward-trained colt Hootenanny.


California Chrome and American Pharoah

Espinoza became the first jockey in history to get three opportunities to win the Triple Crown and earned back-to-back wins with California Chrome and American Pharoah in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, only the sixth jockey in history to do so. In December 2013 Espinoza was selected as the jockey for California Chrome by veteran horse trainer Art Sherman, who had used him as a jockey during Espinoza's years in Northern California. Up to that point, California Chrome had won only 2 of his 6 starts. Espinoza rode California Chrome to consecutive victories in the King Glorious Stakes on December 22, the California Cup Derby on January 25, 2014, the San Felipe Stakes on March 8, and the
Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is currently run at a distance of miles on the dirt and carries a purse of . It is one of t ...
on April 5. On May 3, 2014, Espinoza lengthened the winning streak as he rode California Chrome to victory in the Kentucky Derby, marking the jockey's second Kentucky Derby win. On May 17, California Chrome placed first in the Preakness Stakes, also Espinoza's second Preakness win. On June 7, Espinoza's 6 for 6 streak aboard California Chrome came to an end when, due to an injury sustained right out of the starting gate, the Triple Crown contender finished in a dead heat for fourth place in the Belmont Stakes. In the fall of 2014, Espinoza also became the regular rider of American Pharoah, trained by
Bob Baffert Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer. He has trained two Triple Crown winners: American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018. Baffert's horses have won the Kentucky Derby six times, tying the record with ...
and owned by
Ahmed Zayat Ahmed Zayat (Ahmed El-Zayat) (; ) (born August 31, 1962) is an Egyptian-American businessman and owner of Thoroughbred race horses. He is the CEO of Zayat Stables, LLC, a Thoroughbred horse racing business which bred and owns the 2015 Triple ...
. Espinoza started with the colt's second race, the
Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
Del Mar Futurity The Del Mar Futurity is a seven-furlong American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. A Grade I event since 2007, the race is open to two-year-old horses and offers a purse of $300,000. In 1971, it wa ...
on September 4. The pair went on to win the FrontRunner Stakes. The colt was scratched from the
Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup W ...
, but the pair reunited in 2015 with wins in the Rebel Stakes and
Arkansas Derby The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. In 2004, t ...
. American Pharoah and Espinoza then won the 2015 Kentucky Derby. After the win, Espinoza said, "I feel like the luckiest Mexican on Earth." However, his performance attracted some scrutiny as he struck the horse 32 times with his whip during the race. Kentucky racing stewards reviewed Espinoza's ride and ruled that his whip use did not violate state regulations. On May 16, 2015, Espinoza and American Pharoah won the 2015 Preakness Stakes on a sloppy track, setting up Espinoza's third attempt at the Triple Crown. His June 6, 2015, victory at the 2015 Belmont Stakes made him the oldest jockey to win the Triple Crown, as well as the first Latino jockey to do so. For 3 years, he held the distinction of being the last jockey, and the oldest, to sweep the Triple Crown until Mike Smith did it aboard Justify in 2018. On October 31, 2015, Espinoza rode American Pharoah to victory in the Breeder's Cup Classic, becoming the first jockey in history to win horse racing's Grand Slam—the Triple Crown and the Breeder's Cup Classic.


Other ventures

On August 25, 2015, it was announced that Espinoza would compete on the 21st season of ''
Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...
''. He was paired with professional dancer
Karina Smirnoff Karina Smirnoff (born Karina Smyrnova, January 2, 1978) is a professional ballroom dancer. She is known as a professional dancer on ''Dancing with the Stars,'' where she won the thirteenth season with army veteran and soap opera star J. R. M ...
. The couple was eliminated on Week 2 of competition and finished in 12th place.


Accident

On July 22, 2018, Espinoza was injured when riding Bobby Abu Dhabi at the
Del Mar racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is an event venue in Del Mar, California. It hosts the annual San Diego County Fair. The venue sits on a property along the Pacific Ocean coastline. It includes the Del Mar Racetrack, built in 1936 by the Del Mar Thoroug ...
. Espinoza suffered a fractured vertebra but was initially expected to make a full recovery. Several weeks after the accident, he continued to have trouble shaving, walking and getting out of bed, and lacked feeling in his left arm. On January 5, 2019, Espinoza returned to riding at the Santa Anita Park.


Personal

Espinoza is single and has no children. He donates ten percent of his winnings to the City of Hope to support pediatric cancer research. Following his Triple Crown win, he announced that he would be donating 100% of his Belmont Stakes earnings to the City of Hope. Espinoza has a nephew, Assael Espinoza, who is following in his uncle's footsteps and is an apprentice jockey who is riding at Santa Anita Park, in Arcadia, California.


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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Espinoza, Victor 1972 births Living people American jockeys Mexican emigrants to the United States American sportspeople of Mexican descent Mexican jockeys Sportspeople from Hidalgo (state) Sportspeople from Mexico City People from Tulancingo