backbreaker
Master Don Juan
I thought this was interesting and I thought I would share it. I did not take this from anywhere, this is me talking to you guys, but this just happened and it's a good story.
The preakness just went off about 2 hours ago (no i did not win). Anyway, the jockey of the winner is named martin garcia. He's a 25 year old kid, who is not that great looking, who is honestly.. not the brightest guy on earth (yes I know him), wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth or a 12 inch ****.
He came from mexico 5 years ago give or take, and could not speak a word of english, flat broke, and came here simply just to have the opprotunity to earn a half decent living. he started working at a freaking sammich shop, and his work eithic impressed some of the people there. he's a naturally small guy and someone said hey man you ever thought about riding a horse, like, for real (he had played aorund with horses back in mexico but just that.. nothing he did seriously, and not race horses)..
they took him to the track and no he was not a natural. but he was small and he worked his ass off. they said okay we will give you a job, so they gave him a job cleaning out stalls. Then he got promoted to hotwalking horses (you cool the horse down after they race by walking them in circles for sometimes up to an hour)... these are like 300 dollar a week jobs if that and he never complained, he was happy for the opportunity.
he had been working with horses and learning how to ride horses, like for real and he got the opportunity to exercise ride (same thing my fiancee did when i met her, in fact she is who introduced me to him) in the mornings.. better pay but not antyhing to be proud of.. about 100 or so a day give or take. but he was working with horses.[
he worked his ass off and in about 6 months, he had really started turning heads and someone gave him the opportunity to ride in a real race in the afternoon. he had to start off at the smaller tracks at california but he caught on like gangbusters. the leading jockey in the world is russell baze who is based in San Fransisco.. he wins like 4-5 races a day but he rides in cheap races.. he's a good jockey but not a top tier one, anyway, he had won like 10 straight titles for most wins and in his first year, he was neck and neck with russell baze for the most wins. that REALLY turned some heads. but still.. racing at bay meadows and golden gate is not really all that impressive in the grand scheme of things, it's a small time circuit.
so he hooked up with a new agent who brought him to socal and he went from the top to the bottom pretty quick. he was in the big leagues now. did he get discurouaged? hell no, he just worked his ass off. he is easily the hardest working jockey I Have ever seen in person. You never hear him complain, he's very humble, never hear him make excuses. he just works. so he he is honing his skills.. getting better and better.
he cought bob baffert's attention. you know how he caught his attention? he would work his horses in the morning for free. just for ****ing hell of it. and he did a good job, he followed instructions, did what he was told and was greatful for the opportunity. did not ever expect anything out of it.
bob baffert, has alot, i mean alot of good horses. martin would nag him to get on something, anything for him in a real race. bob said he would think about it.. this went on for like 3 months lol. but he was persisitant. something happened one day, i forgot what, but one day bob said okay.. you want a shot.. go ahead, here you go. it wasn't that good of a horse, but it was something.
trainers have certain jockies they usually go to regardless. baffert has so many horses he usually has 2 jockies, and something had cheapened to that second jockey, think he came up injuired, i don't remember. anyway he got his opporunity and he made the most of it.
By January of this year, martin garcia had become baffert's second in command. and was freaking winning. he won a grade 1 race on a 15 to 1 shot on one of bafferts horses (gabby's golden gal in the la brea)
Did he get big headed? nope. still worked horses for him in the morning, he even worked his BIG horse, lookin at lucky, the 2YO north american champion, even though he wasn't the regular rider, who was garrett gomez, but never worked horses in the morning. martin garcia worked him and never expected to ride the horse, he just made himself of maximum service.
so he is 2nd in command now... baffert has azeri's first offspring named take control. eyebrows were raised when Garcia got the call. eyebrows were really raised, when he won first time out. maybe this garcia guy can really ride. Then he has a really good 3YO named conveyance (who came in 15th in the derby.. baffert shipped him and the horse to Arkansas and they won a grade 2 race.
Then, the first real big move, baffert takes a very established jockey, victor Espinoza.. who won the first two legs of the triple crown in 03 with war emblem with bob baffert off to put martin garcia on a horse called misremembered in the santa anita handicap which is the most pretigous race for older horses in the country.. and won. He was no longer the 2nd in command it was 1 and 1a
then, the kentucky derby which martin rode in, he did what he did, the horse just didn't' want to ride that far. garrett gomez had given lookin at lucky two ****ty trips the last two races, baffert wanted to take lookin at lucky back to California and rest him ofr the fall. martin, who rides him every morning (Because garrett doesn't want to) told him look, this horse is ****ing better than any horse out there right now, let me try. just once. after a week of this, last week, baffert takes gomez./. the leading money winner in earnings for jockies the last 3 years straight in north America, to put martin garcia, a jockey who had only run in 1 triple crown race (1 week ago) on him in the freaking preakness stakes.
And he won. he was right. he was the best horse, gomez was riding him wrong, that was not how he wanted to be rode, garcia did not even attempt to save ground and he moved him alot earlier than gomez would have, and he just outkicked every other horse in the race.
25 years old. 5 years ago came to America with nothing, literarly but a strong work ethic. now is basically a millionaire and is officially the go to rider for one of the best trainers in the world. could not GALLOP a race horse 4 years ago let alone ride one in a race just won the 2nd jewel of the triple crown.
The preakness just went off about 2 hours ago (no i did not win). Anyway, the jockey of the winner is named martin garcia. He's a 25 year old kid, who is not that great looking, who is honestly.. not the brightest guy on earth (yes I know him), wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth or a 12 inch ****.
He came from mexico 5 years ago give or take, and could not speak a word of english, flat broke, and came here simply just to have the opprotunity to earn a half decent living. he started working at a freaking sammich shop, and his work eithic impressed some of the people there. he's a naturally small guy and someone said hey man you ever thought about riding a horse, like, for real (he had played aorund with horses back in mexico but just that.. nothing he did seriously, and not race horses)..
they took him to the track and no he was not a natural. but he was small and he worked his ass off. they said okay we will give you a job, so they gave him a job cleaning out stalls. Then he got promoted to hotwalking horses (you cool the horse down after they race by walking them in circles for sometimes up to an hour)... these are like 300 dollar a week jobs if that and he never complained, he was happy for the opportunity.
he had been working with horses and learning how to ride horses, like for real and he got the opportunity to exercise ride (same thing my fiancee did when i met her, in fact she is who introduced me to him) in the mornings.. better pay but not antyhing to be proud of.. about 100 or so a day give or take. but he was working with horses.[
he worked his ass off and in about 6 months, he had really started turning heads and someone gave him the opportunity to ride in a real race in the afternoon. he had to start off at the smaller tracks at california but he caught on like gangbusters. the leading jockey in the world is russell baze who is based in San Fransisco.. he wins like 4-5 races a day but he rides in cheap races.. he's a good jockey but not a top tier one, anyway, he had won like 10 straight titles for most wins and in his first year, he was neck and neck with russell baze for the most wins. that REALLY turned some heads. but still.. racing at bay meadows and golden gate is not really all that impressive in the grand scheme of things, it's a small time circuit.
so he hooked up with a new agent who brought him to socal and he went from the top to the bottom pretty quick. he was in the big leagues now. did he get discurouaged? hell no, he just worked his ass off. he is easily the hardest working jockey I Have ever seen in person. You never hear him complain, he's very humble, never hear him make excuses. he just works. so he he is honing his skills.. getting better and better.
he cought bob baffert's attention. you know how he caught his attention? he would work his horses in the morning for free. just for ****ing hell of it. and he did a good job, he followed instructions, did what he was told and was greatful for the opportunity. did not ever expect anything out of it.
bob baffert, has alot, i mean alot of good horses. martin would nag him to get on something, anything for him in a real race. bob said he would think about it.. this went on for like 3 months lol. but he was persisitant. something happened one day, i forgot what, but one day bob said okay.. you want a shot.. go ahead, here you go. it wasn't that good of a horse, but it was something.
trainers have certain jockies they usually go to regardless. baffert has so many horses he usually has 2 jockies, and something had cheapened to that second jockey, think he came up injuired, i don't remember. anyway he got his opporunity and he made the most of it.
By January of this year, martin garcia had become baffert's second in command. and was freaking winning. he won a grade 1 race on a 15 to 1 shot on one of bafferts horses (gabby's golden gal in the la brea)
Did he get big headed? nope. still worked horses for him in the morning, he even worked his BIG horse, lookin at lucky, the 2YO north american champion, even though he wasn't the regular rider, who was garrett gomez, but never worked horses in the morning. martin garcia worked him and never expected to ride the horse, he just made himself of maximum service.
so he is 2nd in command now... baffert has azeri's first offspring named take control. eyebrows were raised when Garcia got the call. eyebrows were really raised, when he won first time out. maybe this garcia guy can really ride. Then he has a really good 3YO named conveyance (who came in 15th in the derby.. baffert shipped him and the horse to Arkansas and they won a grade 2 race.
Then, the first real big move, baffert takes a very established jockey, victor Espinoza.. who won the first two legs of the triple crown in 03 with war emblem with bob baffert off to put martin garcia on a horse called misremembered in the santa anita handicap which is the most pretigous race for older horses in the country.. and won. He was no longer the 2nd in command it was 1 and 1a
then, the kentucky derby which martin rode in, he did what he did, the horse just didn't' want to ride that far. garrett gomez had given lookin at lucky two ****ty trips the last two races, baffert wanted to take lookin at lucky back to California and rest him ofr the fall. martin, who rides him every morning (Because garrett doesn't want to) told him look, this horse is ****ing better than any horse out there right now, let me try. just once. after a week of this, last week, baffert takes gomez./. the leading money winner in earnings for jockies the last 3 years straight in north America, to put martin garcia, a jockey who had only run in 1 triple crown race (1 week ago) on him in the freaking preakness stakes.
And he won. he was right. he was the best horse, gomez was riding him wrong, that was not how he wanted to be rode, garcia did not even attempt to save ground and he moved him alot earlier than gomez would have, and he just outkicked every other horse in the race.
25 years old. 5 years ago came to America with nothing, literarly but a strong work ethic. now is basically a millionaire and is officially the go to rider for one of the best trainers in the world. could not GALLOP a race horse 4 years ago let alone ride one in a race just won the 2nd jewel of the triple crown.