Preakness Winner Torres Returns to Big Stage in Derby

Around this time two years ago, Jaime Torres was putting on his riding boots, placing his helmet atop his head, and driving into Churchill Downs before the sun rose; the same routine he performed daily.

However, things were different from the norm at that time. It was Kentucky Derby (G1) week, and the backstretch was as lively as ever. In all that hustle and bustle, Torres drifted through the backstretch in relative obscurity—a name and face really only known to the local racetrackers.

He had no idea that would all change two weeks later.

For one of the primary stops in his morning ritual was at Barn 44: the home of trainer D. Wayne Lukas. In Lukas' care was a beautiful gray son of Arrogate whom Torres had been called upon to ride on Derby day—not in the Derby itself, but a few races earlier in the Pat Day Mile (G2).

The 3-year-old colt, Seize the Grey  , was one he was familiar with having ridden him to a maiden victory at Saratoga Race Course the previous summer. Their relationship and his hard work paid off as he stormed home in front of the Pat Day Mile for Torres' first career graded triumph.

Then came what could be considered a surprise decision had the colt not been trained by "The Coach." He was going to wheel back in two weeks to run in the Preakness Stakes (G1). And, perhaps even more surprising, Lukas was keeping the 25-year-old rider who'd only begun riding professionally less than two years earlier.

Torres justified that belief from Lukas with a perfectly executed frontrunning ride, defeating Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan   by 2 1/4 lengths and etching his name permanently in American racing's greatest event: the Triple Crown.

However, Triple Crown history is filled with one-hit wonders—equine and human—who were considered to get lucky since they never reached that high echelon ever again. Surely the rider who pulled off an upset for Lukas in his second year in the saddle would be one of them, right?

Wrong.

Now, at 27, Torres has continued rising up the ranks and qualified for his first Kentucky Derby on not one, but two horses: Virginia Derby winner Incredibolt , who he chose to ride May 2, and Wood Memorial (G2) winner Albus .

Walking off the Pimlico Race Course track in 2024, Torres told BloodHorse, "It's like a movie, but in real life." And just like a box office smash hit, Torres experienced the sudden burst of stardom. Constant media requests, fan interaction, and the spoils of winning such a prestigious and lucrative race fell upon him as he quickly became a household name for racing fans. One might think a young man having such early success in his career may fall victim to the pressures, but again that would not be true for Torres.

Instead, the Puerto Rican rider just kept doing what he knew how to do: work hard and be humble.

"When I left Puerto Rico, nobody knew who I was. When I went back to visit, everybody was saying hi and wanting to take a picture and autographs ... it felt very good," Torres said. "It was very exciting and everybody was congratulating me, but I just kept working, doing the same thing. It didn't feel much different."

A former track and field athlete in school, Torres said he learned to be humble through the discipline he had to put himself through to succeed, in addition to the constant support of his family.

"(Track and field) was very tough to be on the big stages," Torres said. "(Being a jockey) and track and field keeps you on the ground. One day you are up, the next day you are down. It's like a roller coaster. My family is telling me all the time to be humble. I don't like people when they're cocky."

There was also the challenge that Torres is not a native English speaker. Although he could speak English, being thrust into constant interviews made him nervous, and he hated listening to them after they were posted. Yet he still was gracious enough to say yes to all the requests.

Torres' girlfriend and fellow jockey Brittany Troxtell said that the speed at which he learned English, and the devotion he's shown to learning it, is one of the things that she admires most about him.

"I think he's handled (the added attention from the media) really well," Troxtell said. "He's been able to pick up a language so great and been able to speak. To do it in something that's your second language is very difficult. (Now) he's so proud. He loves to talk about it and there's been a couple times where he's been proud of these interviews and excited to show them off."

That same drive has transferred to his riding career, and is something that has kept him on the right path.

Proving Himself as a Rider

Torres did not grow up in the racing industry, simply falling in love with the sport on a visit to Camarero Race Track in 2019. With no connections, Torres had to work hard for everything he's been given and impress purely by his improving skills.

One of those he impressed was agent Liz Morris. Like Torres, Morris worked her way up in an industry for which she had no connections and in a position largely dominated by men. Should they win the Derby, Morris will become the first female jockey agent to win the roses. She came close in 2020 as the agent of Gabriel Saez, who was third aboard Mr. Big News .

"We came from the bottom up in this game," Morris said. "We didn't have anybody in our family involved in this industry, so we made our own path. There's a lot of humbleness that comes with that, I believe. Not arrogance, just drive, passion, and humbleness."

That passion has been noticed by trainer Riley Mott, who trains both Incredibolt and Albus for Pin Oak Stud.

"You look at some of the guys like the Ortiz brothers, (Tyler) Gaffalione, Johnny Velazquez, these guys are out here working just as hard as everybody else in the mornings," Mott said. "They're hustling and breezing horses and honing their craft. (Torres) is that same way. He'll go work a horse no matter where it is, and he's happy to do it and help us out."

Being named in the same conversation as some of the greatest riders of the modern era—not to mention beating them on a stage like the Preakness—might make any other jockey walk with a little extra swagger in their step, but the humble Torres still believes there is work to be done to reach that level.

"I don't have a long time as a jockey. I remember just watching races in the grandstand like regular people," Torres said. "Even in the jocks' room when I have Manny Franco, Jose (Ortiz), Johnny (Velazquez) beside me, I am like, 'Wow, I'm with these people right here? That's crazy. What am I doing here?'"

But ask anyone else, and they can tell you exactly why he's there.

"He's very versatile. He's a strong finisher, but he's got good finesse," Mott said. "Horses relax for him, he seems to me like he can really do it all. He fits a lot of the horses that we train and run. I think he's a really well-rounded rider at this point in his career.

"(Torres) can tell you a lot about a horse, which can be useful for a trainer. He presents himself with a lot of confidence. He's young, but he acts like a seasoned veteran. I have a lot of confidence in him when we walk into the paddock. I have no reservations about who's on top of the horse when he's riding for us."

Like Torres, the son of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott began his own training career in 2022. He understands the same drive that Torres feels to prove himself early.

"We both are young guys trying to break through on the Kentucky circuit," Mott said. "We've found a lot of success together. I think I've won more races with him than anybody. He's hungry, I think that's a big part of it. Whether you're a trainer or a jockey, I don't think you can ever get complacent."

Torres and Mott a Dynamic Duo

The relationship with Mott is largely thanks to Troxtell. At the time she met Torres, Troxtell had been working as an exercise rider for the Bill Mott barn, working with horses looked over by Riley.

Following a Preakness win, Morris said opportunities began to open. Thanks to his growing relationship with the Mott family, Bill Mott decided to go ahead and give him a shot.

"We rode for Bill and that was huge," Morris said. "I think that had a lot to do with the fact we were able to win a grade 1 and show Bill that we were able to get that done."

By opening Bill's door, Riley's door soon opened, and Torres was more than happy to walk through it.

"I remember Riley coming up to me at Saratoga and telling me he wanted to get Jaime on for the first time," Troxtell said. "One day, he mentioned to me, 'I want to win the Derby for Riley Mott.' For this to be happening, not only his first Derby but for it to be for Riley, it's like a fairy tale."

In recent years, Bill Mott has had Junior Alvarado as his right-hand man in the saddle. The pair won the Kentucky Derby last year with Sovereignty  and are again in the Derby together this year with Chief Wallabee . Riley Mott said winning the Derby with Jaime would be a similar situation.

"You want to do it as a team," Mott said. "You'd be happy to do it with anybody, but when it's the team that you work with day in and day out, it's just a little bit more special."

"He's very easy to have a good relationship with," Torres said about Mott. "He's so humble, on the ground, and very easy to talk to. He's the best."

Both Incredibolt and Albus were horses that Torres was high on during their 2-year-old seasons, often making it difficult for him to determine which horse was best. Riding both to victory in their final Kentucky Derby preps justified that confidence he's held for several months.

"It feels great to see them growing up and becoming the horses they are now is very rewarding," Torres said.

Ultimately, Mott left the decision in Torres' hands. The choice was difficult, but Torres and Morris ultimately landed on Incredibolt. Mott said he wasn't too surprised by the selection. After all, Incredibolt is the horse Torres nicknamed "Little Sovereignty" last summer.

That nickname suddenly looked like it could become reality in late October when Incredibolt earned his first graded stakes win in the Street Sense Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs—the same race Sovereignty earned his first graded stakes win in 2024.

"Since the first time I worked Incredibolt, I was saying as a joke, 'Oh this is our next Little Sovereignty,'" Torres said. "I never thought it was going to be like that. Him actually showing up like that, I was like, 'Damn, I was right.'"

On May 2, Incredibolt will have the opportunity to become the literal next Sovereignty by being listed directly below him on any list of Kentucky Derby winners.

"That would be amazing," Torres said. "That would take a lot, because you know the kind of horse Sovereignty is. But just to be a little piece of what Sovereignty is, that would be great."