Justify exercise rider finds comfort after dad’s death
It’s been more than two weeks since his father died, and you can forgive Humberto Gomez if he hasn’t yet found the time to completely process his loss.
Gomez is the exercise rider for Justify, who will try to become Thoroughbred racing’s 13th Triple Crown winner next Saturday when he competes in the Belmont Stakes.
Ulpiano Portela Gomez died May 15, four days before the Preakness Stakes, and Humberto was unable to make it to Mexico for the funeral, partly because of logistical issues and partly because of the whirlwind surrounding Justify.
“It was tough not to go back,” the 43year-old said. “Here it’s maybe a week for a funeral, but in Mexico it takes two days. They had the funeral, and the next day he was cremated. Even if I had tried to go there, I wouldn’t have been there on time. And this is so important to me, too, and I know he’d want me to be here. I’m 100 percent sure of that.”
So Gomez was in Baltimore for the Preakness. He said the support he received from colleagues, including trainer Bob Baffert and WinStar Farms president and racing manager Elliott Walden, helped him get through the week.
Gomez said his father died from heart complications. “I don’t know if he was 100 percent, but he got to watch the Derby,” he said. “He was super proud of me and was always supportive. When I was riding the races, he was always standing there. He was there the whole way.”
Gomez credited his father with getting him into the business, first taking him to the races in Mexico City when he was 12. “I didn’t care about the horses,” he said. “I was just picking up the tickets and running around.”
But Gomez was interested in speed, and a particular horse caught his eye one day while watching a race on TV. “There was a horse running from off the pace who won the race,” Gomez said. “That’s what got my attention, because I was thinking, ‘How much speed can you pick up going from last to win?’ I went to my dad and said, ‘I love speed. I want to be a jockey.’ He said, ‘You’re crazy. Go back and do your homework.’ ”
His father eventually relented, and Humberto was off to riding school.
“I fell off the first day, like really bad,” he said. “I went back home and my dad was so excited. He wanted to hear the story and know how I felt. I didn’t tell him I fell off. I just told him, ‘Ahh, it was OK. Just a normal day.’ ”
Gomez stayed with it and eventually became a jockey at 15, riding at Hipodromo de las Americas in Mexico City.
Six years later the track closed and Gomez moved to Canada, riding in Vancouver and Toronto. After suffering two broken collarbones, Gomez nearly moved back to Mexico before a friend persuaded him to move to California.
Gomez said injuries and difficulties maintaining weight — at 5-7, he’s tall for a jockey — forced him out of being a fulltime jockey, but he landed a job in 2000 as an exercise rider for Bobby Frankel.
Gomez also has ridden for Julio Canani, Doug O’Neill and John Shirreffs, among others, and currently is helping with the business of his girlfriend, trainer Kristin Mulhall.
Gomez joined Baffert’s barn in January. “We’ve known him for a long time and knew he was a very good exercise rider,” said Jimmy Barnes, Baffert’s assistant. “We need someone who can travel and be on the road.”
As for winning the Belmont and the Triple Crown, Gomez wasn’t making any predictions. But he said it’s a dream come true getting to work with Justify.
“I’ve been around, but this is the top,” he said. “Riding Justify, I can say he’s one of the best. … He’s so easy. It’s just like driving a different car. He’s a very classy horse.”