Espinoza out to prove himself again
Most athletes, including jockeys, are tremendous competitors. Their desire to compete against the best and succeed in their respective sport is what drives them to reach the top of the mountain.
But sometimes that competitive spirit must take a backseat to life’s more important issues. That elusive World Series or Super Bowl trophy, or trip to the winner’s circle at Santa Anita, isn’t as important as family.
Jockey Victor Espinoza has climbed to the mountaintop of his profession. He’s won the Kentucky Derby three times, including the Triple Crown with American Pharoah in 2015. He’s been given the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Award by a vote of his peers. He’s won 12 Southern California meet riding titles, and he was inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame in 2017.
However, all that took a back seat late last year when Espinoza’s 90-yearold mother, Gloria, fractured her back while at home in Mexico. Mom needed her son’s help, and suddenly winning a huge stakes race wasn’t as important for the 48-year-old Espinoza.
“Sometimes we forget about family because of our work,” Espinoza said during a phone interview Thursday. “Now I feel like work’s going to be there forever, but family ... I have to spend time with her.”
Gloria Espinoza was in the hospital for three weeks, and her son was there with her from the start. She’s confined to a wheelchair and undergoes therapy each day. Espinoza says doctors are unsure if she’ll ever walk again.
“She’s moving now, her legs, but it’s tough,” he said. “She’s 90 years old. All we can do now is a lot
OUT OF THE GATE SANTA ANITA LEADERS Through Thursday JOCKEYS / WINS
Flavien Prat / 85 Juan Hernandez / 51 Umberto Rispoli / 42 Abel Cedillo / 39
Joel Rosario / 29
TRAINERS / WINS
Bob Baffert / 30 Philip D’Amato / 30 Peter Miller / 27 Doug O’Neill / 24 Richard Baltas / 23
WEEKEND STAKES SANTA ANITA Saturday
• $200,000 Grade II Californian Stakes, 4-year-olds and up, 1 1⁄8 miles
• $75,000 Mizdirection Stakes, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, 6 furlongs (turf)
Sunday
• $100,000 Grade III Tokyo City Cup, 4-year-olds and up, 1 1⁄2 miles
• $100,000 Grade III Kona Gold Stakes, 4-year-olds and up, 6 1⁄2 furlongs
DOWN THE STRETCH
• It’s the type of matchup that is a racing publicist’s dream: Monomoy Girl versus Swiss Skydiver in Saturday’s $1 million Grade I Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park. Monomoy Girl, the 2018 3-year-old filly champ and 2020 top older filly/mare, against 2020 3-year-old Filly of the Year Swiss Skydiver. Both are 1-0 in 2021 and meet for the second time after a bad of therapy and hope they get her stronger and she’ll be able to walk again.”
Now that mom’s returned home and his sister is there to provide care, Espinoza has returned to the Southland and hopes to reboot his career. He’s ridden in only 22 races at Santa Anita this meet, winning two. His last victory came aboard Stella Noir on March 19.
Many of Espinoza’s horses ran during his absence and he lost the mounts. Suddenly, a man who has reached the Mt. Everest of his sport finds himself in the position start in the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Keeneland cost Swiss Skydiver any chance at victory. Monomoy Girl is the morning-line favorite at even money, with Swiss Skydiver next at 2-1. The 1 1⁄16-mile race is scheduled to go at
4:10 p.m.
• Hall of Fame rider Victor Espinoza will try to kick start his career beginning Saturday at Santa Anita when he has mounts in two races. Espinoza, who turns 49 on May 23, knows it’s going to be tough with names like Flavien Prat, Juan Hernandez, Umberto Rispoli and Abel Cedillo around and only three racing days per week. But he’s ready for the challenge and says he has no plans to leave town like circuit regulars Joe Talamo and Drayden Van Dyke. “I’ve been here my entire career. I’m not planning to go anywhere,” he said. “But anything can happen. All I can think about is I’m not going anywhere, but things can change over night.”
• Trainer Bob Baffert told Ed Golden of Santa Anita that Concert Tour came out of the Arkansas Derby in good order following a disappointing third-place finish behind Super Stock and Caddo River as the odds-on favorite. “He came out well, but it was very disappointing,” Baffert said. It was Concert Tour’s first loss in four tries. “It’s a learning process,” Baffert said. “He’s still pretty immature and we’re still analyzing the race.” Baffert, hoping for a record seventh Derby victory, figures to have two horses — Concert Tour and Medina Spirit — in this year’s running on May 1. of being forced to prove himself all over again.
“I’ve been there before,” said Espinoza, who suffered a severe neck injury during a frightening training accident at Del Mar in 2018 that left some wondering if he’d ever ride again. “During my career, I’ve learned and I’ve witnessed everything. I’ve been the highest of the highest and lowest of the lowest. For me, it’s just another challenge.
“Nothing is easy. This sport, it’s always a challenge, but I like it. The challenge makes me focus more and try harder.”
Espinoza’s latest challenge begins Saturday when he’s scheduled to ride two horses at Santa Anita on the nine-race program — Achilleus for trainer John Sadler in the sixth race and the Michael McCarthy-trained Ce Ce in the seventh.
The owners needn’t worry if Espinoza is in riding condition. He’s always kept himself in tiptop shape and says he’s ready to roll right out of the gate.
“It’s my first day back, and I’m ready,” he said. “For me, it doesn’t matter how much time I took. When I come back, I’m 100%. I take care of myself, I work out hard and don’t come back until I’m ready.”
Espinoza said he’s not considering retirement.
“You think about it and yeah, I’m getting close to 49 (May 23). Some might think, ‘OK you’re reaching the end, right?’ ” he said. “But nowadays, 49 is not really the age where you think you’ve reached the end. For me, I’ve taken care of myself. I’ve always eaten healthy and all that stuff.
“If I stop now, I’m gonna think I could have done more, won more races. And the sport, too. I like to help the sport as much as I can, and that’s one of the reasons why I wanna continue to win races.”
That and finding one more California Chrome or American Pharoah before he hangs ‘em up.
“That’s my goal. That’s my hope,” Espinoza said. “That’s why I come back so I can get another horse like American Pharoah.
“I was talking to Baffert (trainer Bob Baffert) this morning and he was like, ‘I wish I could get one horse every year like American Pharoah.’ I said, ‘Bob, for me, (I’d settle) for one every other year.’ ”
The quest resumes Saturday.