Mexico's Victor Espinoza Rides California Chrome to Preakness Victory Joe Drape - The New York Times
go to original May 18, 2014

Preakness 2014 California Chrome Winner (Luke Joerger)

His big brother Jose was on hand, just as he was two weeks ago for the Kentucky Derby, just as he has always been in the right place at the right time for Victor Espinoza. It was Jose who taught him how to get along with horses when they were children in Mexico.

It was work — Victor was afraid of horses, and sitting on their backs did not come naturally. It was Jose who needed Victor in Cancún when he suddenly found himself as the trainer of a string of quarter horses. Jose was 18, Victor was 15, and all either one of them knew was that they needed each other.

Victor is the more talented jockey. Jose is the better horseman. Victor went north first, and Jose followed. Both put their time in on the California fair meets, the grits-and-hard-toast circuit, and turned themselves into pretty good race riders.

On Saturday afternoon, as California Chrome turned for home here in the 139th running of the Preakness Stakes, Jose, 44, was in the clubhouse, but Victor, 41, felt him next to him. He heard his big brother’s voice.

It was telling him to use his head, not his soft hands, to think his way through this mile-and-three-sixteenths race that just might land him on the doorstep of history, giving him and his colt a shot to grab horse racing’s holy grail and join Secretariat, Affirmed and nine other immortal horses as Triple Crown champions.

Read the rest at The New York Times

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