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Jockeys Around The World: Where Do The Best Jockeys Come From?

To become a jockey, you need to meet up with requirements such as weight, physical fitness, and so on. Any person from any race can become a jockey as long as they meet up the requirements, and that’s why Jockey originates from different locations of the world. Jockeys will also need to know what type of horse feed is best for horses from different regions.

However, some places of the world have produced some excellent jockeys over the years. The Royal Ascot is just around the corner. One of the many Royal Ascot 2021 tips is to look out for the jockey profile before you place your bets. 

We know the location isn’t totally a determining factor, but it’s fun to know where your winning jockeys originate. So, here’s a short article on where the best jockeys in the world come from. 

Mexico

Mexico has some of the best jockeys around. Latinos are well represented in the horse racing scenes. Joseph Rodriguez was the first Latino to compete in the triple crown, and he came in second place back in 1992 at the Preakness Stakes. Since then, Latinos have become a force to reckon with at the racecourses. 

Again, in 1958, another Latin-origin jockey, Ismael Valenzuela, won the Kentucky Derby and was the first to do so at the time. Ismael also conquered the Preakness Stakes and came in second at the Belmont.

Victors Espinoza is another Mexican that dominated the racecourse. He was the first Latino to clinch the Triple crown. That’s a big deal because the race has only been won 13 times since 1875. He made history not just for being the first Latino to win the triple crown but also because he was the oldest rider to win it at age 43 in 2015.

Panama.

Panama is home to some fine jockeys. In the ‘70s, Laffit Pincay dominated the racecourse with an impressive 9,530 career wins, seven breeders’ cup wins, and a whopping earning of over $200,000,000. The Panama-norm jockey is one of the most successful and greatest jockeys ever. 

Venezuela

Another nation that has produced some outstanding jockeys is Venezuela. Gustavo Ávila conquered the Triple crown in 1971. As if that wasn’t enough, he went ahead to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes the same year. 

Canonero is another Venezuelan worthy of mentioning. It was reported that he lost nearly 70 pounds during his trip from Venezuela, which led to him losing the triple crown. Nevertheless, Avila was a champion as he’s one of the only four jockeys to clinch the Kentucky Derby and the Caribbean Derby. 

There’s more; another Venezuelan jockey with an impressive record is Ramon Dominguez. With three consecutive Eclipse Award, he was inducted into the museum of racing hall of fame in 2015. He has three breeders’ cups as part of his bragging rights and retired with over 5000 wins. 

Puerto Rico 

If you mention Puerto Rico At the racecourse, then Angel Cordero will undoubtedly come up. The Puerto Rican norm jokey is considered one of the best of all time. He impressively won the Kentucky Derby twice in 3 three years. Furthermore, he clinched first place again two years later, making him one of the only eight jockeys in the world ever to win the Derby three times. That’s not all; the Puerto Rican also won Belmont Stakes and  Preakness Stakes twice.  He is the first Puerto Rican to win all three triple crown races. Despite the fact that a knee injury forced him into retirement, he recorded 7000 wins, an eclipse award and became inducted in 1998 into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame.

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