Victor Espinoza facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Victor Espinoza |
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Victor Espinoza in 2016
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| Occupation | Jockey |
| Born | May 23, 1972 Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico |
| Career wins | 3,200+ (ongoing) |
| Major racing wins | |
| Moccasin Stakes (1996, 2000) Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes (1999) Hollywood Gold Cup (2000, 2015) Del Mar Breeders' Cup Handicap (2000, 2001, 2004) Del Mar Futurity (2001, 2004, 2006, 2014) Sham Stakes (2001, 2005, 2006, 2017) Wood Memorial Stakes (2001) Providencia Stakes (2001, 2008, 2009) Haskell Invitational Handicap (2002, 2015) San Diego Handicap (2003, 2004, 2005, 2013, 2016, 2017) Delta Jackpot Stakes (2004) Hawthorne Handicap (2004, 2005) Pimlico Special (2004) Sunshine Millions Classic (2004) Thunder Road Handicap (2004, 2006, 2015) Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap (2005) Arlington Million (2006) CashCall Mile Invitational Stakes (2006) C. L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship (2006) Gamely Stakes (2006, 2015) Lane's End Breeders' Futurity (2006) WinStar Derby (2006, 2007) Las Flores Handicap (2006, 2008) La Cañada Stakes (2001, 2007, 2014) San Felipe Stakes (2007, 2014) Sunland Park Oaks (2006, 2007, 2009, 2015) A Gleam Invitational Handicap (2003, 2006, 2007, 2010) Potrero Grande Breeders' Cup Handicap (2008) California Cup Distance Handicap (2008) Tuzla Handicap (2008) Hollywood Derby (2009, 2014) Lazaro Barrera Memorial Stakes (2010) Del Mar Handicap (2011, 2013) Santa Anita Derby (2011, 2014, 2017) FrontRunner Stakes (2014, 2016) Arkansas Derby (2015) Rebel Stakes (2015) Remington Springboard Mile Stakes (2017) American Classics wins Breeders' Cup wins Dubai Golden Shaheen (2015) Windsor Castle Stakes (UK, 2014) Dubai World Cup (2016) |
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| Racing awards | |
| ESPY Award for Best Jockey (2002, 2014, 2015) George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award (2016) |
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| Honors | |
| National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (2017) | |
| Significant horses | |
| War Emblem, Peace Rules, Behaving Badly, California Chrome, Congaree Declan's Moon, The Tin Man, American Pharoah, Bob and John, Secret Circle, Take Charge Brandi, Stellar Wind, Gormley, Bolt d'Oro |
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Victor Espinoza (born May 23, 1972) is a famous Mexican jockey in American horse racing. He became well-known for winning the Triple Crown in 2015 with the horse American Pharoah.
Victor started riding horses in his home country of Mexico. Later, he moved to California to compete at racetracks there. He has won the important Kentucky Derby race three times. He won with War Emblem in 2002, California Chrome in 2014, and American Pharoah in 2015. He also won the Preakness Stakes three times in those same years with the same horses.
In 2015, Victor Espinoza made history. He was the first jockey to have a third chance to win the Triple Crown. When he won, he became the oldest jockey to achieve this amazing feat. He was also the first Hispanic jockey to win the Triple Crown.
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Victor Espinoza's Early Life and Career
Victor Espinoza grew up on a dairy farm in Hidalgo, Mexico. He was the eleventh of twelve children. He and his older brother, Jose L. Espinoza, rode horses on the farm. When Victor was 15, he went to Cancún to help his brother train Quarter Horses.
To pay for jockey school, Victor drove a bus in Mexico City when he was 17. A few years later, he was racing Thoroughbreds at Mexico City's track, Hipódromo de las Américas.
Victor moved to the United States in 1990. He did not speak English at that time. In 1992, he moved to Northern California. By 1994, he was a top new rider at the Bay Meadows and Golden Gate Fields racetracks. When he first started, he was very poor. He even lived in a small room at the stables where horse equipment is kept. People described him as a "hardworking kid." He kept getting better and soon everyone saw his talent.
In 1995, Victor moved to Los Angeles. His big break came in 2000 when he won the Breeders' Cup Distaff race with a horse named Spain. He rode in his first Kentucky Derby in 2001, finishing third with Congaree. In 2002, he won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes with the horse War Emblem.
From 2000 to 2006, Victor won about 193 races each year. He was also among the top three jockeys for total money earned. After this, his career slowed down for a while. He decided to work harder. He said, "One day, I woke up and I said 'This is not how I'm going to end up my career.'"
In 2013, he hired a new agent, Brian Beach. With new motivation, he achieved his 3,000th career win. This happened on May 31, 2013, at Betfair Hollywood Park. After winning the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes with California Chrome, Victor traveled to Britain. In June 2014, he won the Windsor Castle Stakes at the Royal Ascot meeting with a horse called Hootenanny.
Winning the Triple Crown with California Chrome and American Pharoah
Victor Espinoza is the first jockey ever to have three chances to win the Triple Crown. He also won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in two years in a row. This happened with California Chrome and American Pharoah. Only six jockeys in history have done this.
In December 2013, horse trainer Art Sherman chose Victor to be the jockey for California Chrome. Art Sherman had worked with Victor before. At that time, California Chrome had only won 2 of his 6 races. Victor rode California Chrome to win several races in a row. These included the King Glorious Stakes, the California Cup Derby, the San Felipe Stakes, and the Santa Anita Derby.
On May 3, 2014, Victor and California Chrome won the Kentucky Derby. This was Victor's second Kentucky Derby win. On May 17, California Chrome won the Preakness Stakes, which was also Victor's second Preakness win. On June 7, their winning streak ended at the Belmont Stakes. California Chrome finished fourth because of an injury.
In late 2014, Victor also became the regular rider for American Pharoah. This horse was trained by Bob Baffert. Victor started riding American Pharoah in his second race, the Grade I Del Mar Futurity. They then won the FrontRunner Stakes. American Pharoah did not race in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
In 2015, Victor and American Pharoah reunited. They won the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby. Then, they won the 2015 Kentucky Derby. After this win, Victor said he felt like "the luckiest Mexican on Earth." On May 16, 2015, Victor and American Pharoah won the 2015 Preakness Stakes on a wet track. This set up Victor's third try at the Triple Crown.
On June 6, 2015, Victor and American Pharoah won the 2015 Belmont Stakes. This made Victor the oldest jockey to win the Triple Crown. He was also the first Latino jockey to do it. For three years, he was the last jockey to win the Triple Crown. Then, Mike Smith won it with Justify in 2018.
On October 31, 2015, Victor rode American Pharoah to victory in the Breeder's Cup Classic. This made him the first jockey to win horse racing's Grand Slam. The Grand Slam means winning the Triple Crown and the Breeder's Cup Classic.
Other Fun Things Victor Has Done
On August 25, 2015, it was announced that Victor Espinoza would be on the TV show Dancing with the Stars. He was on the 21st season of the show. He danced with professional dancer Karina Smirnoff. They were eliminated in Week 2 and finished in 12th place.
Victor's Accident and Recovery
On July 22, 2018, Victor Espinoza was injured while riding a horse named Bobby Abu Dhabi. This happened at the Del Mar racetrack. Victor broke a bone in his back. At first, doctors thought he would fully recover. However, for several weeks after the accident, he had trouble with simple tasks. He couldn't shave, walk easily, or get out of bed. He also had no feeling in his left arm. On January 5, 2019, Victor returned to riding at the Santa Anita Park.
Victor's Personal Life and Charity Work
Victor Espinoza is not married and does not have children. He is very generous. He gives ten percent of his winnings to the City of Hope. This charity supports research for children's cancer. After winning the Triple Crown, he announced he would donate all of his Belmont Stakes earnings to the City of Hope.
Victor has a nephew named Assael Espinoza. Assael is following in his uncle's footsteps. He is also a jockey and rides at Santa Anita Park in California.
Images for kids
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Espinoza (in gray silks) with Art Sherman before the 2016 Breeders' Cup Classic
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Espinoza in the winner's circle of the 2014 Preakness Stakes
See also
In Spanish: Víctor Espinoza (jinete) para niños
