Juarez repays debt in full

Valid was an important horse early in the career of jockey Nik Juarez. Now, Juarez is paying Valid back by providing him with a good retirement.

Juarez, 24, won his first career stakes on Valid in the Grade 3 Iselin at Monmouth Park in 2015. Later that year, trainer Marcus Vitali and owner Carolyn Vogel let Juarez ride Valid in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland. They finished fifth.

Juarez rode Valid in three other races, all at Gulfstream Park. They finished second in the Grade 1 Donn; fourth in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap, a race in which Valid stumbled and almost fell in midstretch after being bumped; and they won the Grade 3 Skip Away in April 2016.

Juarez’s career has continued to blossom, and he holds a large lead in the Monmouth jockey standings. When Belmont Park opens Sept. 8, he will begin riding there for the first time, with top agent Ron Anderson representing him.

Valid, a Medaglia d’Oro gelding who is now 7, has had a tougher time.

After the Skip Away, the winner of 12 of 40 starts and more than $1.1 million injured a tendon and was sent to a farm.

Valid was consigned to the 2017 Keeneland January horses of all ages sale and purchased by Tom Thurman for $15,000. The plan was for trainer Stacey Rushton to rehabilitate him so he could race in Nebraska and Colorado this year.

“I didn’t like that he went through the sale,” Juarez said. “I thought he deserved better.”

Valid raced three times this year. He finished ninth in the $26,000 Dowd Mile at Fonner Park in April, second in a $13,500 allowance race at Arapahoe Park, and fifth in the $30,000 Front Range at Arapahoe.

Juarez stayed in contact with Thurman, and recently he received a phone call saying he could have Valid if he wanted. Juarez took Thurman up on his offer and paid to have Valid vanned from Colorado to Maryland. On Tuesday, he arrived at his new home, Summer Field Stables in Pikesville.

Juarez was there to greet him.

“I owe him a lot,” Juarez said. “It’s good to see him. We’ll see how he adapts to farm life and take it from there.”

Jockey Nik Juarez grazes Valid, who gave the rider his first stakes win and now lives the life of leisure in Maryland.