When somebody is honored for a exceptional 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 stunning to most. That’s, till you peek backstage and see the mentors who’ve guided the 25-year-old Puerto Rican.
You don’t want to look lengthy to seek out Angel Cordero Jr.’s title within the Thoroughbred racing report books. A Corridor of Famer and two-time Eclipse Award winner for Excellent Jockey, Cordero is certainly one of solely 10 riders to surpass 7,000 wins. Amongst these wins had been six Triple Crown races, 4 Breeders’ Cup races, and numerous Grade 1 victories aboard a few of 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 report books is the affect Cordero continues to have on the sport in his retirement. Cordero, 81, has taken over the function of mentor, passing his experience on to the following generations of jockeys coming from his native Puerto Rico. The newest of these younger riders is Torres.
“I’m pleased with Jaime. He’s completed lots and he’s been by way of lots,” Cordero mentioned. “He’s a very good particular person, a very good learner, and a very good 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 Observe in Puerto Rico. It was then he determined he needed to change into a jockey.
After enrolling in Puerto Rico’s jockey college, 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 grew to become an agent after retiring from driving within the early Nineteen Nineties. He and jockey Jeffrey Sanchez received the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies with Superior Feather. As soon as he retired from being an agent, Garcias grew to become the “colours man” within the Gulfstream jockeys’ room, retaining observe of all of the silks.
“(Torres) got here to the jockeys’ room at Gulfstream Park each Tuesday for one yr 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 residing out of his automobile since transferring to america. Garcias gave Torres his handle 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 one of the best child that I taught in my life. He’s quiet, humble, he works onerous, and take a look at the place he’s now.
“I’m so pleased with him, I’ve 4 youngsters – three boys and one lady – however Jaime is like my son.”
Garcias emphasised to Torres the significance of staying centered on his household and profession. Seeing Torres’ potential to hear and blossoming driving expertise, Garcias contacted an in depth 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 a giant child and he mentioned, “Yeah, however you need to 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 assume he’s prepared to return to New York?’ He mentioned, ‘Yeah, he’s hanging in there with these guys, he can be good there.’”
In November, Torres traveled to New York for Cordero’s birthday and met the legendary jockey in particular person for the primary time. The 2 instantly related and by January, Torres was transferring his tack to New York.
“(Cordero) is the kindest particular person 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 america, I knew who he was. I used to be like ‘In the future 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 ideal his driving. With two Equicizers in his home, certainly one of 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. Preserve going till you possibly can’t do anymore,’” Torres mentioned.
“He’s very severe with what he does,” Cordero mentioned. “He’s out each morning, he’s a learner. Whenever you inform him he did one thing fallacious, 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 wish 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 guide 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 throughout the Saratoga meet, really useful that he transfer to Kentucky. A transfer to Kentucky meant that Torres must depart 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 succeed in 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 received to the place he needed to be,” Cordero mentioned. “All people is aware of him now and all people asks for him.”
With all his success, Torres nonetheless makes certain to share it with those that received him there. After the Preakness, Torres referred to as Cordero from Lukas’ barn and put him on speaker in order that Cordero and Lukas may discuss. Forty-four years earlier, Cordero and Lukas received the Preakness with Codex.
“When I’ve a very massive race, he congratulates me on a regular basis,” Torres mentioned. “We nonetheless have a very 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 proper particular person 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 driving titles on the historic venue.
“I keep in mind I rode a horse (Daring Forbes) that didn’t wish to go the (1 ½-mile) distance,” Cordero mentioned of his Belmont victory. “He occurred to win. That’s a very good feeling realizing that you simply completed one thing that was very troublesome.
“My recommendation is to go and win it. (Torres) rode an attractive race (within the Preakness). The Belmont shouldn’t be a straightforward race to journey due to the gap, however now it’s somewhat shorter (1 ¼ miles because of the non permanent relocation from Belmont Park). That would assist his horse, possibly he won’t wish to go a mile and a half, however possibly 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 received’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 received the Belmont in 2007 with Rags to Riches and in 2012 with Union Rags. Cordero was additionally the agent for Manny Franco when he received the Belmont in 2020 with Tiz the Regulation. As well as, Cordero has change into shut buddies with the Ortiz brothers, Irad Jr. and Jose, who every has received the Belmont. Like Torres, all these riders are from Puerto Rico.
“It makes you proud realizing that they’re doing good and that you simply helped to be a part of that,” Cordero mentioned.
