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 is best 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 the United States to race at tracks in California. He has won the important Kentucky Derby 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 with the same horses in those years. In 2015, he became the oldest jockey and the first Hispanic jockey to win the Triple Crown.
Contents
Victor'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.
Moving to the United States
Victor came to the United States in 1990 and did not speak English at first. In 1992, he moved to Northern California. By 1994, he was a top new rider at the Bay Meadows and Golden Gate Fields racetracks. He was very poor and lived in a small room at the stables. People saw that he was a hard worker and had great talent.
In 1995, he 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. In 2002, he won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes with War Emblem.
Overcoming Challenges
From 2000 to 2006, Victor won about 193 races each year. He was often among the top jockeys in earnings. However, his career slowed down for a while. He decided to work harder and hired a new agent in 2013. On May 31, 2013, he achieved his 3,000th career win.
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 named Hootenanny.
Winning the Triple Crown
Victor Espinoza made history by being the first jockey to have three chances to win the Triple Crown. He also won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in back-to-back years with different horses. Only six jockeys have done this.
California Chrome's Journey
In December 2013, Victor became the jockey for California Chrome. Before Victor rode him, California Chrome had only won 2 out of 6 races. Victor rode California Chrome to many wins in a row:
- King Glorious Stakes (December 22)
- California Cup Derby (January 25, 2014)
- San Felipe Stakes (March 8)
- Santa Anita Derby (April 5)
On May 3, 2014, Victor and California Chrome won the 2014 Kentucky Derby. This was Victor's second Kentucky Derby win. On May 17, they won the Preakness Stakes, which was also Victor's second Preakness win. Their winning streak ended on June 7 when California Chrome finished fourth in the Belmont Stakes due to an injury.
American Pharoah's Historic Wins
In late 2014, Victor also became the main rider for American Pharoah. This horse was trained by Bob Baffert. Victor and American Pharoah won the Del Mar Futurity and the FrontRunner Stakes.
In 2015, they reunited and won the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby. Then, American Pharoah and Victor won the 2015 Kentucky Derby. Victor said he felt like "the luckiest Mexican on Earth." On May 16, 2015, they won the 2015 Preakness Stakes on a wet track. This set up Victor's third try for the Triple Crown.
On June 6, 2015, Victor and American Pharoah won the 2015 Belmont Stakes. This made Victor the oldest jockey and the first Latino jockey to win the Triple Crown. He also became the first jockey to win horse racing's Grand Slam. This means winning the Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup Classic, which they did on October 31, 2015.
Other Activities
On August 25, 2015, Victor Espinoza joined the TV show Dancing with the Stars. He danced with professional dancer Karina Smirnoff. They were eliminated in the second week of the competition.
Accident and Recovery
On July 22, 2018, Victor was hurt while riding a horse named Bobby Abu Dhabi at the Del Mar racetrack. He broke a bone in his back. For a while, he had trouble with simple tasks and lost feeling in his left arm. However, he worked hard to recover. On January 5, 2019, Victor Espinoza returned to riding at the Santa Anita Park.
Victor's Personal Life
Victor Espinoza is not married and does not have children. He is very generous and 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 gave all his earnings from the Belmont Stakes to the City of Hope. Victor's nephew, Assael Espinoza, is also a jockey.
Images for kids
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Victor Espinoza (in gray silks) with trainer Art Sherman before a race in 2016.
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Victor Espinoza in the winner's circle after the 2014 Preakness Stakes.
See also
In Spanish: Víctor Espinoza (jinete) para niños
