There are a number of Mexican jockeys that have excelled in the saddle throughout their career, with some even being fortunate enough to ride multiple Grade 1 winners.
So, who are some of the most successful Mexican jockeys in history?
Victor Espinoza
There are few more celebrated Hispanic jockeys in history that Victor Espinoza.
Espinoza was the first Hispanic jockey in history to win the Triple Crown in the United States, as he landed Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes glory with the legendary American Pharoah.
The jockey also won the Derby on War Emblem in 2002 and California Chrome in 2014. Espinoza’s knack to produce memorable rides when the pressure was on always caught the imagination, evident by the fact that he also won the Preakness Stakes with both War Emblem and California Chrome.
Those feats saw him become the first jockey in history to go into the Belmont Stakes in 2015 as the only rider to have a third opportunity to win the Triple Crown.
Mario Gutierrez
Mario Gutierrez is another Mexican rider that made the bold decision to move away from his homeland at a young age in the pursuit of winning the grandest prizes on the international calendar. Gutierrez moved to Canada in 2006, and later won jockey titles in 2007 and 2008.
However, it’s fair to say that 2012 would be his best year in the saddle, as he enjoyed a ride of a lifetime on I’ll Have Another throughout the calendar year.
The three-year-old landed the Robert B. Lewis Stakes and Santa Anita Derby to book his spot in the Kentucky Derby, before Gutierrez delivered a masterful ride to lead the Derby contender to Triple Crown glory.
He would later land Preakness Stakes success with the runner, before he was denied the opportunity to win the Triple Crown after I’ll Have Another was pulled out on the day of the Belmont Stakes. Gutierrez landed a second victory in the Kentucky Derby in 2016 with Nyquist, but that remains his last high-profile stakes win in the United States.
Ismael Valenzuela
At the age of 14, Milo began riding horses and launched his career to become a jockey in Arizona. His success in the saddle saw him become part of TwinSpires.com Kentucky Derby history, winning in 1958 on board Tim Tam, which later saw him appear on mainstream news channels, capturing the imagination of the public. Tim Tam would continue his success landing the Preakness Stakes, before coming second in the Belmont Stakes.
The vast majority of Milo’s success would come with Kelso. Throughout the equine star’s career, he would land 22 graded victories, becoming the highest-earning horse in racing history.
Milo landed a second victory in the Kentucky Derby in 1968. History would repeat itself, as he would win in Preakness Stakes before finishing second in Belmont Stakes. Valenzuela retired from racing with 2,545 wins under his belt, passing away in 2009 at 74 years of age.
