Hall of Famer Alex Solis Retires From Riding

Hall of Fame jockey Alex Solis officially announced his retirement Nov. 26 at Del Mar.

Still going through physical therapy to recover from hip surgery in August, the 53-year-old rider said he just didn't have the competitive fire he felt he needed to make a full comeback.

"The surgery went fine, but I really thought about it and I've been out six, seven months, and I was losing the passion," said Solis, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. "When you have to ride races, you have to give it 100%. To be out that long, to think about making weight—my heart has to be in it."

With 5,035 victories in North America in a career that started in 1981, Solis won 84 grade 1 races and piloted champions Snow Chief, Bertrando, Ryafan, and Kona Gold, among others. He earned more than $238 million in purses from 33,966 North American starts. His top earner was Pleasantly Perfect, who he rode to victory in the 2003 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and the Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup (G1) in 2004.

"I'm grateful for all the owners and trainers who gave me the opportunity to do something I love and make a living doing it," Solis said. "It's a blessing. Throughout my career I reminded myself of where I came from, starting in Panama, and it makes you appreciate what you have."

Solis' mounts had been trailing off in recent years, but in 2016 three of his 10 victories were in graded stakes—San Onofre in the Midnight Lute (G3), Keri Belle in the Megahertz (G3T), and Stays in Vegas in the Senorita (G3T).  In 2017 he had eight mounts and his final winner came aboard Siberian Iris in February in a maiden special weight event on the turf at Santa Anita Park.

Although he didn't rule out getting back on horses as an exercise rider, Solis said he'll turn his focus to other ventures within the sport, including his current position on the California Horse Racing Board, where he has served since 2015.

"Whatever I feel like doing in the future, I'm going to use the same blueprint—hard work," Solis said. "I've been doing this for 37 years and it's very important to stay involved and to help keep up the integrity of racing."