For 53-year-old jockey Wigberto “Wiggy” Ramos, the longshot victory in Saturday's $20 million Saudi Cup is certainly the pinnacle of his career. Ramos told Thoroughbred Racing Commentary that the win was made even more special since Saudi Arabia, where the jockey has ridden for 24 years, is his “second home.”
Prior to his time in Saudi Arabia, Ramos rode in the United States beginning in 1989. From 1,470 winners, Ramos' biggest came in the 1993 Florida Derby (G1) on Bull inthe Heather (Ferdinand). He went on to ride the colt to an 11th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.
Shifting his tack to Saudi Arabia, Ramos earned several leading rider titles but missed the first two editions of the Saudi Cup. First, the jockey was ruled out with a broken hand in 2020, and then when his mount became sick the week before the race in 2021.
This year, local trainer Mitab Almulawah had two entries preparing well for the big race, and his regular jockey Alexis Moreno (also from Panama) got first pick between Emblem Road and Making Miracles. Initially, Moreno chose Emblem Road, but the week before the race Moreno decided he would rather ride Making Miracles.
Ramos picked up the mount on Emblem Road.
While the 4-year-old Quality Road colt's win may have been a pari-mutuel surprise, Ramos had faith in him since the beginning.
“I said in the lead-up to the Saudi Cup that I believed my horse could finish in the first three,” Ramos told TRC this week. “I said I would take my time and when I saw my horse in the parade ring I knew he could run a very big race. He went around the horses and was in the clear. I won by half a length and when I pulled him up and realized what I'd done I was close to crying.
“I started to shout, 'I did it, I did it!' Then I celebrated. From that time to now I have been chilling with the Saudi people, people from America, all over the world. The vice-president of Panama sent me a message on my Instagram, and that feels good.”
Closing down the center of the track, Emblem Road bested U.S. challengers Country Grammer and Midnight Bourbon to take his record to eight wins from 11 starts. Emblem Road is owned by Prince Saud bin Salman Abdulaziz.
“Saudi Arabia is now my second home,” Ramos continued. “To ride this winner for these people means a lot. Emblem Road came here as a 2-year-old from America but he is a local horse who beat all the best horses in the world.”
Read more at the Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.
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