05/23/2026
Happy birthday to Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza, a member of the class of 2017. After winning the first two legs of the Triple Crown in 2002 with War Emblem and in 2014 with California Chrome, Victor Espinoza ended the sportโs 37-year drought between Triple Crowns when he piloted American Pharoah to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes in 2015. A native of Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico, Espinoza won his first career race at Hipodromo de las Americas in Mexico City in 1992 before moving to California and becoming the top apprentice at Bay Meadows and Golden Gate. Espinoza broke through on the national level in 2000 when he earned his first Grade 1 victory in the Hollywood Gold Cup. Later that year, he won the Breedersโ Cup Distaff aboard Spain at odds of 55-1. In 2006, Espinoza won a career-best 259 races and had $16.1 million in purse earnings. Espinoza was the regular rider of California Chrome when he was Horse of the Year in 2014 and 2016 and earned wins in the Santa Anita Derby, Hollywood Derby, Dubai World Cup, Awesome Again, and Pacific Classic, among others, to go with the Derby and Preakness. In 2015, along with the Triple Crown sweep, Espinoza and American Pharoah partnered to win the Rebel, Arkansas Derby, Haskell, and Breedersโ Cup Classic en route to Horse of the Year honors. Currently based in California, Espinoza has more than 3,500 career wins. Happy birthday, Victor!
Photo credit:
Victor Espinoza (Benoit Photo)
