Jockeys Pass Derby Lessons Down From Generations

Fate was on John Velazquez's side May 7, 2011.

In the roller coaster of events leading up to that year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1), Velazquez found himself with the ride aboard Animal Kingdom   after the colt's regular rider Robby Albarado was injured and Velazquez's mount, Uncle Mo  , was scratched.

Watching that year's Derby from the fourth floor at Churchill Downs was Velazquez's mentor and agent, Angel Cordero Jr. The Hall of Fame rider, who attended the Derby with his daughter that year, found himself in a good position to see race, standing next to a partner in Animal Kingdom's ownership group, Team Valor. 

"I was kidding around and I said (to the Team Valor partner), 'If we win, how are we going to get to the winner's circle?'" Cordero joked, but soon had to figure out a route, as Velazquez and the chestnut colt took command in the final furlong and crossed the wire 2 3/4 lengths in front. 

"When that horse won, I was running behind (the partner) like he was my father," Cordero recalled. "I wanted to get to the winner's circle. 

"I was as happy (for Johnny) as I was when I won (the Derby), because I know how much it means to him. And it means that much to me too—knowing that I could put him on a horse and he could win."

This year, Cordero might want to stand closer to winner's circle, as his rooting interests include Velazquez aboard the Todd Pletcher-trained Always Dreaming and the 23-year-old Jose Ortiz aboard another Pletcher trainee, Tapwrit. While Ortiz is represented by agent Jimmy Ricco and his brother Irad Ortiz Jr. has Steve Rushing, Cordero still has a soft spot in his heart for the young brothers from his native Puerto Rico whom he called "winning machines."

"I've been around a lot of jockeys in my life and I've helped a lot of guys, but they are really, really talented," Cordero said of the duo. 

Knowing the feeling of winning the Derby himself, Cordero knows how important it is for other riders to win the nation's most well-known race and how nerve-wracking it is leading up to the classic. 

"No matter how many times you win it, the first time is the one you really remember. ... They all mean something to me, but the first one had to be special, because it was the first one," said the Hall of Fame rider, who won the Derby three times, aboard Cannonade (1974), Bold Forbes (1976), and Spend a Buck (1985). 

"I went to the men's room about six times before I rode my first Derby," he said. "You just get nervous inside, but every athlete has that. If you don't get nervous before an event, then you're not a good one."

When the time came for Cordero's protege to ride in his first Derby, he decided to give Velazquez all of the advice he could, knowing that anything could happen and riding in a race like the Derby is something that can be hard to teach someone else. 

"I told him ... you have to have a good break, you have to get a position, you have to be patient, and (that patience) comes from him. ... That's something that you can't teach to somebody," Cordero said. "You could teach them how to ride or how to maneuver a horse. But patience—you can't teach that. That's got to come from you."

For Velazquez the input from a rider with more than 38,000 races of experience was invaluable. Unlike almost every other sport, the human athletes in horse racing don't always have a go-to coach that can help them. Finding a trustworthy mentor as a jockey can help make your career. 

"Like most of the people in our sport, we don't have coaches. Every other sport you have coaches for everything," Velazquez said. "If you look at it that way, (Cordero has) been a very good coach for me. Having somebody like him, it helps a lot. That's for sure.

"I've learned a lot from him—strategy, races, pace, riding on grass and dirt, all of that stuff," he added. "And (I've learned) from other riders as well... just looking at mistakes that other people make and things that you learn as you go and try to put it into practice."

Now, that Velazquez himself has been inducted into the Hall of Fame (in 2012), has won two Eclipse Awards, and is approaching his 19th ride in the first leg of the Triple Crown, he understands the nuances of a difficult riding race like the Derby. 

"Derby is completely different than everything," he said. "You go into the Derby with an open mind. You hope you get a good post, get a good break, your horse responds, when the gate opens try to get a good spot going into the first turn and then try to relax. It's weird, but once you get a position, then you try to get your horse to relax... trying to get your horse to relax on the backstretch so you can have something to fight down the lane. Everything has to fall into place at one time, very quickly."

This year he's optimistic about his chances about Always Dreaming, who enters off three wins including a five-length score with Velazquez aboard in the Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1). But the jockey will still go into the Derby with a similar game plan—have a good position on the first turn, relax down the backside, and hope for a response in the stretch. 

As Cordero did for him, Velazquez has passed along his race riding knowledge to the next generation, as he's been a role model for the Ortiz brothers, who both rode in their first Derby in 2014 (Jose finished fifth aboard Samraat and Irad finished 14th aboard Uncle Sigh). 

"The first thing I said to them was, 'Make sure you come out running and get a good position going into the first turn,'" Velazquez recalled of his advice before the 2014 Derby. "I tried to explain to them (that) it's a rough race. Going into that first turn, if you can avoid all of that (bumping), then you have a better shot.

While only one of the brothers is back this year, Velazquez has high hopes for their future in the sport because of their willingness to learn. 

"They're very, very smart kids," he said. "They focus on the things that they want to do and learn. They practice what you tell them. ... You can explain to people—you can say whatever you want—but if you don't put it in practice when you go out, you don't learn. The kids seem to get it right away."

Jose Ortiz has watched Velazquez ride for as long as he can remember and takes to heart anything the Hall of Fame rider tells him. 

"If I made a mistake, Johnny is going to tell me," Ortiz said. "I listen because he knows what he's talking about. Johnny has been a role model for me. In my opinion, he's one of the best jockeys."

As much knowledge that can be passed down from one jockey to another, the reality is that it's the Derby and there's only so much riders can do—be prepared and hope luck is on your side on the first Saturday in May. 

"You have to get lucky," Cordero said. "And luck comes from destiny. We have to live with destiny."