It has been a meteoric rise to stardom for 25-year-old jockey Jaime Torres. Simply 4 and a half years after deciding he wished to develop into a jockey, the native of Puerto Rico reached the top of his sport as he guided Seize the Gray to a front-running victory within the Could 18 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.
“I don’t know learn how to clarify it. It’s like a film, however in actual life,” Torres mentioned.
Torres solely began using horses after visiting the races at Camarero Race Monitor in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico in 2019. He immediately fell in love and found he had a brand new ardour.
Torres determined he wanted to pursue his ardour and drop out of faculty. He enrolled on the Escuela Vocacional Hípica at Camarero to learn to trip.
“Once I give up [college], I actually thought, ‘If I’m going to give up, I’ve received to make it,’ ” Torres mentioned.
Since that second, Torres has proven an undeterrable devotion to his craft.
“I haven’t rested since then,” Torres mentioned. “I’ve been working very exhausting. Not considering it was going to occur, however working for it.”
Upon transferring to the continental United States, Torres started train using in Florida for coach Saffie Joseph Jr. By August 2022, he rode in his first race and had his first winner simply over a month later.
“I’m very blessed, I had lots of people instructing me,” Torres mentioned. “My recommendation to younger guys beginning [out] is to focus and hear, that’s the very best factor to do. There are lots of people that wish to assist, so that you simply received to hear and check out exhausting.”
Somebody who has helped coach Torres is the “Coach” himself, Seize the Gray’s Corridor of Fame coach D. Wayne Lukas.
“He rode a number of horses for me at Churchill [Downs] and rode a number of simply normal horses, nothing actual particular,” Lukas mentioned. “I believed he had a whole lot of expertise and I cherished working with him, however I actually really feel good taking him to this stage.”
Lukas acquired calls from about six jockeys’ brokers inquiring about using Seize the Gray within the Preakness after Torres rode him to victory Could 4 within the Pat Day Mile Stakes Introduced by SAP at Churchill Downs.
“They mentioned, ‘You’re going to alter riders for the massive one, aren’t you?’ ” Lukas mentioned. “I mentioned, ‘Not an opportunity, he’s staying proper there.’ ”
Lukas recalled only a few weeks earlier than the Preakness, Torres rode considered one of his horses in a manner that Lukas was not happy. He adopted Torres all the way in which again to the jock’s room and “chewed him out.”
“I do know when he turned for house [in the Preakness], that was echoing in his ears, that he’d higher get down and scrubbing as a result of I actually suppose it hit house,” Lukas mentioned.
Torres has appreciated {that a} coach like Lukas has given him the chance to be taught and flourish.
“It means loads, it means all the things,” Torres mentioned of Lukas’ help.
Additionally appreciative had been his mother and father, who stunned Torres by attending the Preakness. They expressed their gratitude to the connections for giving their son an opportunity on the post-race press convention.
“Thanks very a lot for having the belief in a jockey who has simply two years [of] using [experience],” mentioned Torres’ father, who can also be named Jaime, in translated remarks. “I simply wish to say thanks very a lot, [MyRacehorse founder] Michael [Behrens], to Coach Wayne Lukas for trusting him, we’re blessed for this chance.”
All of the teaching labored completely within the Preakness as Torres broke sharply and located himself with the chance to steal the race on the lead.
“That was plan A, to go to the lead,” Torres mentioned. “I used to be questioning what [Imagination] was going to do, I wasn’t going to go loopy quick within the first half. Once I noticed that [Imagination’s jockey Frankie Dettori] took a maintain, I simply went.”
Torres mentioned that Seize the Gray felt comfy throughout the entire 1 3/16-mile distance. Regardless of feeling the presence of one other horse on his outdoors, which Torres would later discover out was Kentucky Derby Introduced by Woodford Reserve winner Mystik Dan, he knew he had gained the race on the quarter pole. Based on Torres, when Seize the Gray switched leads and took off coming into the stretch it was a second that desires are made from.
The Preakness marked the 147th profession win for Torres in 1,259 begins. Seize the Gray had given Torres his first graded stakes victory two weeks prior and has now offered him along with his first Grade 1 in one of many American classics.
“I’ve to present all of the credit score to the horse,” Torres mentioned. “He’s the one which deserves all the eye.”
Torres has constructed a robust bond with Seize the Gray, evident by the love he gave the horse within the winners’ circle celebration. The Preakness was the fifth race he rode the colt, and the third time the pair had gained collectively.
Profitable with Seize the Gray has been additional particular for Torres due to the colt’s house owners, MyRacehorse. The primary Kentucky Derby he watched after creating his dream to develop into a jockey was the 2020 version by which Genuine gained carrying MyRacehorse’s black and white silks. Torres was in awe when he noticed the silks in his locker the day he rode Seize the Gray for the primary time July 29 at Saratoga Race Course, a maiden race by which he gained wire-to-wire by 1 3/4 lengths.
“I used to be like, ‘Wow, I’m going to trip for MyRacehorse,’ ” Torres recalled. “I gained that race with Seize the Gray, that’s why I’m very emotional with them.”
Each time Torres seems to be again on the career-changing second by which he gained in his Triple Crown debut, he’ll see himself carrying these silks that imply a lot to him and over 2,500 shareholders that personal a chunk of the son of the late Arrogate.
Though he simply had a second that is without doubt one of the highlights of his life, Torres is already wanting forward at what profitable the Preakness will do for his blossoming profession.
“Hopefully, individuals consider extra in me and provides me extra possibilities,” Torres mentioned. “I feel I can do higher.”
