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Pat Valenzuela
Patrick Angel Valenzuela (born October 17, 1962) is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Born into a racing family, his father plus three of his uncles, including Ismael Valenzuela, were jockeys. He rode his first career winner on November 10, 1978, at Sunland Park Racetrack in Sunland Park, New Mexico. In 1980, 17-year-old Pat Valenzuela became the youngest jockey to ever win the Santa Anita Derby. He was voted the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award by his peers in 1982.
Pat Valenzuela has repeatedly said throughout his career that the best horse he has ever ridden was Arazi.
In 1989 Pat Valenzuela won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes aboard Sunday Silence but lost his chance to capture the American Triple Crown when he was beat by Easy Goer in the Belmont Stakes.
Pat Valenzuela is a seven-time winner of Breeders' Cup races. In 1992, he became the first jockey to win two Breeders' Cup races twice on the same card.
During his career, Valenzuela has dealt with a drug abuse problem that many observers believe prevented his natural talents from making him one of the greatest of jockeys in racing. During the 1990s, he was suspended by racing authorities eight times and in 2000 another suspension kept him out of racing for 22 months. Problems emerged again in January 2004 that resulted in suspension but he came back to win top jockey honors during the 2004-2005 racing season at Santa Anita Park. In 2005, he rode Wild Desert to victory for trainer Robert Frankel in the Queen's Plate, Canada's most important horse race.
Valenzuela's conditional California license, which stipulated many conditions including drug testing, was suspended once in 2006 and twice in 2007 for violations. The CHRB Stewards 'permanently' revoked Valenzuela's CA license in early 2008 after a drunk driving arrest. Stewards said then that he would not be able to reapply in the state of California. Louisiana still allowed Patrick to ride so he was able to use some time there and in Canada to get his career back on track.
On October 9, 2008, at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, Louisiana, Pat Valenzuela rode his 4,000th winner.
On July 22, 2010, the CHRB Stewards granted Patrick Valenzuela another conditional thoroughbred license, whose conditions include thrice weekly AA meetings, submission to random and for cause drug tests and must completely abstain from the possession, injection or consumption of all mood-altering drugs, including alcohol. Tom Knust, Patrick's agent, has insisted that he has been clean since May 2008, which was confirmed by Louisiana stewards as Valenzuela never failed a random drug test there.
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Pat Valenzuela
Patrick Angel Valenzuela (born October 17, 1962) is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Born into a racing family, his father plus three of his uncles, including Ismael Valenzuela, were jockeys. He rode his first career winner on November 10, 1978, at Sunland Park Racetrack in Sunland Park, New Mexico. In 1980, 17-year-old Pat Valenzuela became the youngest jockey to ever win the Santa Anita Derby. He was voted the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award by his peers in 1982.
Pat Valenzuela has repeatedly said throughout his career that the best horse he has ever ridden was Arazi.
In 1989 Pat Valenzuela won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes aboard Sunday Silence but lost his chance to capture the American Triple Crown when he was beat by Easy Goer in the Belmont Stakes.
Pat Valenzuela is a seven-time winner of Breeders' Cup races. In 1992, he became the first jockey to win two Breeders' Cup races twice on the same card.
During his career, Valenzuela has dealt with a drug abuse problem that many observers believe prevented his natural talents from making him one of the greatest of jockeys in racing. During the 1990s, he was suspended by racing authorities eight times and in 2000 another suspension kept him out of racing for 22 months. Problems emerged again in January 2004 that resulted in suspension but he came back to win top jockey honors during the 2004-2005 racing season at Santa Anita Park. In 2005, he rode Wild Desert to victory for trainer Robert Frankel in the Queen's Plate, Canada's most important horse race.
Valenzuela's conditional California license, which stipulated many conditions including drug testing, was suspended once in 2006 and twice in 2007 for violations. The CHRB Stewards 'permanently' revoked Valenzuela's CA license in early 2008 after a drunk driving arrest. Stewards said then that he would not be able to reapply in the state of California. Louisiana still allowed Patrick to ride so he was able to use some time there and in Canada to get his career back on track.
On October 9, 2008, at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, Louisiana, Pat Valenzuela rode his 4,000th winner.
On July 22, 2010, the CHRB Stewards granted Patrick Valenzuela another conditional thoroughbred license, whose conditions include thrice weekly AA meetings, submission to random and for cause drug tests and must completely abstain from the possession, injection or consumption of all mood-altering drugs, including alcohol. Tom Knust, Patrick's agent, has insisted that he has been clean since May 2008, which was confirmed by Louisiana stewards as Valenzuela never failed a random drug test there.