Ex-Jockey Trujillo Picks Up First Victory as a Trainer

Voodoo Valley tracked pacesetting Chuck's Dream into midstretch, surged to the lead inside the eighth pole, and drew off by 2 1/4 lengths to give ex-jockey Elvis Trujillo his first victory as a trainer in the second race Aug. 22 at Laurel Park.

Making his first start for Trujillo, the Ejetero-owned 5-year-old Petionville gelding ran one mile in 1:39.36 on a fast main track to earn his second win from 22 starts in the $5,000 claiming event. He paid $15.60.

It was the fourth starter as a trainer for the 36-year-old Trujillo, who later had Lady Rozina run fifth in Saturday's fourth race at Laurel. The Panama native had his first starter as a trainer Aug. 9 at Monmouth Park.

Trujillo was not in the winner's circle for Voodoo Valley's photo, choosing to stay back at the barn with Lady Rozina. The trainer has eight horses stabled on the Laurel backstretch.

"It feels so good, brother. It's amazing. Everybody is watching and everybody is jumping. I am so happy," Trujillo said. "It's so good. It's good for me, it's good for my family. It's good for everybody."

Voodoo Valley had not run since running fourth in a 1 1/16-mile claimer Aug. 1 on a muddy Laurel track for previous trainer Jonathaniel Badillo.

"He surprised me today," Trujillo said. "He was training good and everything, but the last time when he finished fourth, he had an issue that we had to figure out and take care of. Thank God, he got it done today. He ran great and Luis (Garcia) gave him a great ride."

A 2000 graduate of Panama's Laffit Pincay Jr. jockey school, Trujillo first came to the U.S. in November 2001, landing in Southern California after riding 90 winners in his home country and Mexico City, according to Laurel Park publicity. He spent time on circuits in Chicago, Florida, and New Jersey, winning meet titles in 2007 at the former Calder Race Course and 2009, 2011, and 2012 titles at Monmouth Park.

Trujillo won 2,102 races in North America and more than $70 million in purses between 2001 and 2018. He came to Maryland to ride full time in the fall of 2017 at the behest of his uncle, Laurel-based trainer Jose Corrales. Trujillo won the General George Stakes (G3) aboard Corrales-trained Something Awesome and other races in early 2018 before injuring his ribs and sternum in a three-horse spill that March. Once healed, he considered a comeback to riding before ultimately transitioning into a new career.

In all, Trujillo won 45 graded stakes, five of them grade 1s. A breakthrough victory came in the 2007 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint aboard Maryfield, on whom he also won the Ballerina Stakes (G1). Another grade 1 winner he rode was multimillionaire Presious Passion.

Trujillo said he had a lot of help making the career change, including from Corrales; his wife, Raquel; Badillo; and Abel Castellano, the brother of Hall of Famer Javier Castellano who also transitioned from jockey to trainer.

"I feel so good, man," Trujillo said. "Everybody helped me a lot and supported me so much in making the big change."