When somebody is honored for a outstanding profession achievement, they usually stand on the podium with trophy in hand and thank everybody who helped alongside their path to success. For jockey Jaime Torres, his ascent from inexperienced train rider to Preakness Stakes winner aboard Seize the Gray can be surprising to most. That’s, till you peek behind the scenes and see the mentors who’ve guided the 25-year-old Puerto Rican.
You don’t want to go looking lengthy to search out Angel Cordero Jr.’s title within the Thoroughbred racing document books. A Corridor of Famer and two-time Eclipse Award winner for Excellent Jockey, Cordero is one in all solely 10 riders to surpass 7,000 wins. Amongst these wins have been six Triple Crown races, 4 Breeders’ Cup races, and numerous Grade 1 victories aboard among the sport’s biggest champions. In a profession that spanned from 1960-1995, Cordero’s mounts earned greater than $164.5 million.
What shouldn’t be as simply seen whereas turning the pages of these document books is the affect Cordero continues to have on the sport in his retirement. Cordero, 81, has taken over the position of mentor, passing his experience on to the following generations of jockeys coming from his native Puerto Rico. The latest of these younger riders is Torres.
“I’m pleased with Jaime. He’s completed rather a lot and he’s been by way of rather a lot,” Cordero mentioned. “He’s individual, learner, and rider. So pleased with him and what he has completed in two years – greater than most of those guys that got here from Puerto Rico have completed.”
Torres’ path to changing into a jockey was not typical. After watching races on tv in 2019, Torres was amazed and determined to attend reside racing the next day at Camarero Race Monitor in Puerto Rico. It was then he determined he wished to develop into a jockey.
After enrolling in Puerto Rico’s jockey faculty, Torres was pushed towards the trail of an train rider. Transferring to Florida to start his profession, he began galloping horses for Saffie Joseph Jr. at Gulfstream Park, which led him to satisfy Pichy Garcias. Garcias turned an agent after retiring from using within the early Nineteen Nineties. He and jockey Jeffrey Sanchez gained the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies with Superior Feather. As soon as he retired from being an agent, Garcias turned the “colours man” within the Gulfstream jockeys’ room, holding observe of all of the silks.
“(Torres) got here to the jockeys’ room at Gulfstream Park each Tuesday for one 12 months and I taught him,” Garcias mentioned.
Garcias was impressed with Torres’ motivation and work ethic. As their relationship grew, Garcias discovered that Torres had been dwelling out of his automobile since transferring to the USA. Garcias gave Torres his deal with and advised him to return reside with him.
“He advised me, ‘I reside in my automobile.’ I began crying,” Garcias mentioned. “From that day, Jaime was the most effective child that I taught in my life. He’s quiet, humble, he works laborious, and take a look at the place he’s now.
“I’m so pleased with him, I’ve 4 youngsters – three boys and one woman – however Jaime is like my son.”
Garcias emphasised to Torres the significance of staying centered on his household and profession. Seeing Torres’ capability to hear and blossoming using abilities, Garcias contacted a detailed good friend of his, Cordero.
“He referred to as me and advised me he had a child that he’d been serving to,” Cordero mentioned. “He confirmed me an image of (Torres) and I mentioned that’s an enormous child and he mentioned, “Yeah, however you must see him on the Equicizer.”
Torres rode his first race at Gulfstream Aug. 12, 2022, and picked up his first winner a couple of month later. It was round this time that Garcias reached out to Cordero about transferring Torres to New York.
“He referred to as me and mentioned, ‘I feel I’m going to ship him to New York,’” Cordero recalled. “I mentioned, ‘You suppose he’s prepared to return to New York?’ He mentioned, ‘Yeah, he’s hanging in there with these guys, he shall be good there.’”
In November, Torres traveled to New York for Cordero’s birthday and met the legendary jockey in individual for the primary time. The 2 instantly related and by January, Torres was transferring his tack to New York.
“(Cordero) is the kindest individual I ever met,” Torres mentioned. “He’s so good, he treats me like a son.”
Cordero gave the younger apprentice rider a spot to remain and even cooked for him.
“Something I would like, he was there for me,” Torres mentioned. “Earlier than I moved to the USA, I knew who he was. I used to be like ‘Sooner or later I’m going to satisfy him.’ Now, not simply that I met him, I lived with him. It’s loopy.”
Torres continued to be taught with Cordero and excellent his using. With two Equicizers in his home, one in all which has a heavier head, Cordero would usually instruct Torres right into a place earlier than leaving him in that place for lengthy intervals of time.
“He’d come again and be like, ‘You doing good? Oh, you appear like you’re blowing. Maintain going till you may’t do anymore,’” Torres mentioned.
“He’s very critical with what he does,” Cordero mentioned. “He’s out each morning, he’s a learner. Whenever you inform him he did one thing flawed, he doesn’t give any excuse.
“That makes him completely different from the opposite guys. It takes them a very long time to get wherever they need to be. (Jaime’s ascent was) very fast, faster than some other rider that I see right here.”
The power and talent conditioning paid off. With Cordero as his New York agent, Torres ended 2023 because the main apprentice on the New York Racing Affiliation circuit, profitable 37 races and accumulating purse earnings of $2.6 million.
It was additionally by way of Cordero that Torres was launched to Corridor of Fame coach D. Wayne Lukas. Cordero managed to ebook a mount with Lukas aboard a longshot Arrogate 2-year-old for a July 29 maiden race at Saratoga Race Course. The horse’s title was Seize the Gray.
Torres took the colt wire-to-wire within the mud and Lukas, impressed by what he noticed from the younger rider through the Saratoga meet, beneficial that he transfer to Kentucky. A transfer to Kentucky meant that Torres must go away Cordero, however Cordero inspired him to take that subsequent step to maneuver his profession ahead.
Now represented by agent Liz Morris, Torres has reached the top of the game. He reunited with that longshot maiden Seize the Gray to achieve a pair of milestones, his first graded stakes victory within the Could 4 Pat Day Mile Stakes Introduced by SAP at Churchill Downs, and his first Grade 1 victory within the Preakness.
“He lastly obtained to the place he wished to be,” Cordero mentioned. “All people is aware of him now and all people asks for him.”
With all his success, Torres nonetheless makes positive to share it with those that obtained him there. After the Preakness, Torres referred to as Cordero from Lukas’ barn and put him on speaker in order that Cordero and Lukas might speak. Forty-four years earlier, Cordero and Lukas gained the Preakness with Codex.
“When I’ve a extremely large race, he congratulates me on a regular basis,” Torres mentioned. “We nonetheless have a extremely good relationship.”
Now, Torres and Seize the Gray return to New York and face the daunting problem of the Belmont Stakes Introduced by NYRA Bets at Saratoga June 8. Ought to Torres want any recommendation, Cordero can be the right individual to ask. Not solely did Cordero win the Belmont with Daring Forbes in 1976 at Belmont Park, however he was generally known as the “King of Saratoga,” profitable 14 using titles on the historic venue.
“I bear in mind I rode a horse (Daring Forbes) that didn’t need to go the (1 ½-mile) distance,” Cordero mentioned of his Belmont victory. “He occurred to win. That’s feeling understanding that you just completed one thing that was very tough.
“My recommendation is to go and win it. (Torres) rode an exquisite race (within the Preakness). The Belmont shouldn’t be a straightforward race to trip due to the space, however now it’s slightly shorter (1 ¼ miles as a result of short-term relocation from Belmont Park). That might assist his horse, perhaps he may not need to go a mile and a half, however perhaps he can maintain a mile and 1 / 4.”
Torres feels assured about Seize the Gray’s Belmont probabilities and hopes to reconnect with Cordero at Saratoga.
Ought to Torres win, it gained’t be the primary time that Cordero has mentored a Belmont Stakes-winning jockey. Cordero famously was the longtime agent for Corridor of Famer John Velazquez, a good friend who gained the Belmont in 2007 with Rags to Riches and in 2012 with Union Rags. Cordero was additionally the agent for Manny Franco when he gained the Belmont in 2020 with Tiz the Regulation. As well as, Cordero has develop into shut associates with the Ortiz brothers, Irad Jr. and Jose, who every has gained the Belmont. Like Torres, all these riders are from Puerto Rico.
“It makes you proud understanding that they’re doing good and that you just helped to be a part of that,” Cordero mentioned.
