15 YEARS OLD WITH DREAMS OF BECOMING A JOCKEY… WITH DREAMS OF BEING A PART OF THIS THING WE CALL THE SPORT OF KINGS

JOCKEY’S LICENSE

MY FIRST RACE EVER… 1977 AT AQUEDUCT RACECOURSE ON WINTERWALK! IT WAS 15 FREEZING DEGREES THAT DAY, NOT TO MENTION I WAS RIDING WITH SEVERAL FRACTURED RIBS FROM A BAD SPILL EARLY THAT SAME MORNING

AQUEDUCT. FIRST RACE.

MY FIRST RACE AND FIRST TIME SEEING MY NAME IN THE AQUEDUCT PROGRAM… RIDING NEXT TO RON TURCOTTE, WHO RODE SECRETARIAT. EVEN THOUGH I WAS TO MAKE 107 IBS., I WAS FOUR POUNDS OVERWEIGHT

IN THE SAME RACE AS MY MENTOR ROBERT A. PINEDA. SUMMER OF 1977 AT DELAWARE PARK RACETRACK

ROBERT A. PINEDA… MY MENTOR

BREEZING ON THE MAIN TRACK AT BELMONT PARK, INCHING MY WAY CLOSER TO MY DREAM! THOUGH FIGHTING WITH MOTHER NATURE… TRYING TO STAY SMALL AND MAINTAIN MY WEIGHT

BREEZING ON THE BELMONT PARK TRAINING TRACK, HONING MY SKILLS

MY DREAM IS GONE… NO LONGER A JOCKEY BUT AN EXERCISE RIDER AT MONMOUTH PARK RACETRACK, NJ, 1978. NOT KNOWING WHAT MY FUTURE HOLDS.

MY MOTHER, GLORIA, THE CULPRIT WHO INTRODUCED ME TO THE RACETRACK

LESLIE JORDAN AND I WORKED AT BELMONT PARK RACETRACK TOGETHER IN THE ’70S