There are times in the careers of some athletes when everything suddenly comes together. Junior Alvarado is enjoying one of those times.
He broke through with his first Breeders' Cup victory last autumn when Cody's Wish staged a dramatic last-to-first rally to win the Grade 1 Dirt Mile. He registered his 2,000th victory on Jan. 21 when Broadway Force broke his maiden for trainer Jimmy Jerkens at Gulfstream Park. He recorded another huge triumph one week later at Gulfstream, when he executed the game plan to perfection to win the $3 million, G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational aboard Art Collector.
“That's what makes everything worth it now,” said Alvarado, 36, who was honored as Jockey of the Week.
Success has not come easily. Injuries have occurred with alarming regularity, forcing him to rebuild his business each time. He has required four shoulder surgeries. An ankle injury needed seven months to heal. He broke his collarbone three times. He broke his back twice.
“He's just had so many hurdles in his career with injuries. He gets taken off a lot of horses,” said Kelly, his wife. “He's at an all-time high right now. It's just falling into place for him. We're very grateful, thankful and excited.”
While his riding ability has always been respected, the native of Venezuela has struggled to gain opportunities given steadily to the nation's premier riders. He rides regularly for Hall of Famer Bill Mott but only occasionally for many other leading trainers. In his quest for a Triple Crown win, he took fourth with Mohaymen in the 2016 Kentucky Derby (G1) and fourth with Zetterholm in the 2012 Preakness (G1).
Even Mott had turned elsewhere for a rider for Art Collector, a 6-year-old multiple graded-stakes winner, to the frustration of Alvarado and his agent, Mike Sellitto. “He's been following that horse for awhile,” Sellitto said, “always hoping to get an opportunity to ride him one day.”
One day came when Luis Saez, Art Collector's regular pilot, thought he had a better shot in the Pegasus with Get Her Number for trainer Peter Miller and accepted that mount instead. They finished ninth of 12.
Art Collector had been running on the front end for Saez. After the son of Bernardini wilted to be fifth in the Oct. 1 Lukas Classic (G2) at Churchill Downs in his final start last season, Mott was eager to try a change of tactics. He wanted Art Collector to sit off an expected strong pace in the Pegasus, then pounce.
Plans rarely come to fruition in racing. Alvarado made sure this one did.
“I've really got to give him a lot of credit. He rode him perfectly,” Mott said. “We talked about it beforehand, how the race might shape up, and he rode him just the way we scripted it.” Art Collector made the lead by the top of the stretch and roared off by 4 ½ lengths.
Alvarado was equally masterful in the Dirt Mile, a race that severely tested horse and man after Cody's Wish broke slowly. That plan was for them to be forwardly placed. Instead, they were at the back of a very talented pack.
Alvarado's previous races with Cody Wish told him to stay cool. “When he's ready, you let him go. You don't get in his way,” the rider said. “The more you get in his way, things go sideways with him real quick. He will try to run off. He will do everything you don't want to do.”
Alvarado knew to respect the wishes of Cody's Wish. “I think he's a great horse, but he has his own mind,” he said. “Don't try to make him do something. That's not him. He says, 'Don't get in my way and I'll take you there.'”
They launched their rally pretty much when the horse decided it was time, with Alvarado making sure only to keep him in the clear. He will never forget that last sixteenth of a mile as they dueled Cyberknife, ridden by Florent Geroux.
“I could feel the will he had to win the race,” Alvarado said of Cody's Wish. “He put his head low and he wanted to win it as badly as I wanted to win it.”
The Keeneland crowd roared its approval of the head victory. By that time, the story of Cody's Wish had been well-documented. The Godolphin homebred was named after Cody Dorman, a courageous teenager afflicted with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.
Dorman is unable to walk and uses a tablet to communicate. The experience of meeting him had a profound impact on Alvarado. Kelly and Junior have three children – Adrian, 12; Adalyn, 7; and Axel, 3. The rider makes sure to devote his off days to his family, saying he wants to “create memories” with them.
Alvarado used Dorman's example to provide perspective to his children. “I mention to my kids 'Look at what he's going through. It hasn't been easy, not even one day in his life. We have everything. We have everything we need.'”
Merry Christmas 2022.
Our traditional photos with Santa. So much fun for all of us.
What a special year this has been for our family. Thankful and grateful for all of you. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a happy and healthy new year
pic.twitter.com/j5wQ7ILo1i
— Junior and Kelly Alvarado (@JuniorandKellyA) December 24, 2022
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