Apprentice Gallardo Gearing Up for 2016

Getting established in a veteran-dominated colony at Tampa Bay Downs seems like a minor task compared with what apprentice jockey Eduardo Gallardo faced at the start of his career in April 2012.

 

The native of Oaxaca, Mexico rode 32 races in Louisiana without tasting victory when his daughter Perla was born three months prematurely, weighing 1 pound, 11 ounces. She had two holes in the chambers of her heart and virtually no vision in her left eye, leading doctors to recommend surgery by the time she was thee months old.

 

Worried about Perla's future, paying the bills, and providing a steady income for his baby girl and fiancée, Alma Crisanto, Gallardo took a job galloping horses at Indiana Downs for trainer David Paulus, unsure when he would return to afternoon action.

 

Fortunately, his prayers for Perla were answered. Two operations were successful, the smaller chamber hole closed on its own, and she was able to come home when she was nine months old. 

 

"The doctors had told us with the heart defect she had, there was a 90% chance she wasn't going to make it," Gallardo said recently through an interpreter, jockey Jesse Garcia. "And her vision now is incredible. She picks up the tiniest thing. "Everybody says she is like a little miracle."

 

Almost four years later, 25-year-old Gallardo has resumed his career full-time. After spending the last two years as an exercise rider for trainer Steve Asmussen at Oaklawn Park and Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Gallardo returned to race riding last summer at Indiana Grand, where he rode 12 winners from 88 starters. He arrived at Tampa Bay last month with his family, agent Jimmy McNerney, and a seven-pound apprentice weight allowance designed to offset his lack of experience.

 

For Gallardo getting enough opportunities to make an impression can almost seem miraculous in itself. And, perhaps frustrated by his paucity of chances at Tampa Bay, Gallardo has elected to shift his tack to Turfway Park, where the winter/spring meets runs Jan. 1-April 3.

 

"Trainers don't use the young riders (at Tampa) much. They use the ones with experience that always do good," said veteran Jorge Vargas, who has ridden almost 3,100 winners since starting his career in 1979. "All they can do is try not to get discouraged and work extra hard. The harder you work, the more mounts you're going to get."

 

Gallardo began riding in Quarter Horse match races in Oaxaca when he was 8. By the time he left his job in Mexico at a chicken farm and arrived in the U.S. eight years later, his only ambition was to be a jockey. He worked at Oaklawn as a hotwalker for a season, then worked on a farm in the Midwest learning to gallop Thoroughbreds. By the time he turned 18 and headed to Indiana, Gallardo had amassed a wealth of experience.

 

"He is pretty seasoned for a 'bug' (apprentice) rider because he has so much foundation in him," McNerney said. "He has been around racetracks his whole life, and he's a quick learner. He is always studying the form and race replays and watching what certain riders do in different situations. The big thing is, horses run for him."

 

Working horses for Asmussen was a major challenge. The veteran trainer was very particular about workouts, instructing Gallardo to breeze a horse a certain distance in a specific time. Gallardo welcomed the opportunity to fine-tune his skills, knowing it would pay off down the road.

 

"I learned a lot of things from (Asmussen)," Gallardo said. "If I messed something up, he would tell me to do it another way, but he never got on my case. He always told me 'You'll be a good jockey.' I was never really in any hurry, because I knew if I took my time and learned as much as I could, good things were going to happen."

 

Veteran trainer Dennis Ward sees the Asmussen influence on Gallardo and predicts big things for him.

 

"He definitely has it all. He can sit on a horse quiet, he gets away from the gate good and he is as strong as anyone here," Ward said. "He places a horse perfect, and when he gets one on the lead, he can walk it to the wire. He doesn't say much, but when you tell him something, you know he pays attention."

 

At the end of every day, Gallardo, who has never seen his own father, feels fulfilled knowing he has given his best effort toward making a good life for his family. He is committed to improving his English skills to better communicate with horsemen, racing officials, and media, while sharpening his moves in the saddle.

 

"It's harder here than he expected," Garcia said. "But he is used to working hard every day. He knows there is always something to learn, and everything that has happened in his career has given him more time to get polished."