Thirteen years after the final mount of his Hall of Fame career, life moves at a steady, if different pace for Jose Santos. In his prime, Santos was busy, winning 4,083 races including the 2003 Grade 1Kentucky Derby and G1 Preakness Stakes on Funny Cide and 2002 G1 Breeders' Cup Classic on Volponi. Additional career highlights include the 1988 Eclipse Award and 1999 George Woolf Memorial Award that honors jockeys whose “personal character earn esteem for the individual and the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing.”
The rewards came with sacrifices including time away from his older children as they grew up. But he now has plenty of time to spend with his wife Grace and their only child, 6-year-old Manuel. Their family interaction includes evening walks and playing video games.
“It is a lot of work and a lot of fun to raise a little kid,” Santos said. “I spend a lot of time with him.”
Santos balances family hours with his Monday-through-Friday job for a South Florida feed company that he once owned. The business supplies products to Palm Meadows and Palm Beach Downs training centers and to Gulfstream Park.
“What I do is mingle with people and take orders (for delivery),” he said. “I get to see a lot of my old friends. That is my favorite part. I have a lot of friends who are jockeys, exercise riders, grooms and hotwalkers. I talk to everybody. We talk about the horses, what happened the day before at the races, stuff like that. I try to watch some horses during training.”
Santos also dabbles in buying and selling Thoroughbreds and has been instrumental in importing purchases from his native Chile.
He has adjusted to a lifestyle that includes going to the races on big event days but he admits his forced retirement was once a struggle. Known for his easy-going personality and competitive nature, Santos expected to compete at least until age 50, but the plan fell apart on Feb. 1, 2007 when he suffered multiple spinal fractures in a three-horse spill at Aqueduct. He officially announced his retirement at age 46 on July 30 of that year, a week before his induction into the Hall of Fame.
“I don't miss riding anymore but the first year was tough,” he said. “Now I am good; I have accepted it.”
Santos said he mostly misses the camaraderie of the jockeys' quarters.
“That was a lot of fun,” he said. “We had competition with each other but we were like family.”
In addition to keeping in touch with those former colleagues and other jockeys, Santos has a strong connection to racing through his son Jose Jr. who is agent for Kentucky-based Declan Cannon and Miguel Mena. The younger Jose intended to follow in his father's footsteps but his size quickly stopped that idea. While attending Bellarmine University in Louisville, he gravitated back to the track.
“In a way he got lucky because he grew up too much,” the elder Santos said. “He is a very good agent. He has a very good mind and a good head on his shoulders. He is very smart and very good with people. My friends always tell me what a nice guy he is. That makes me very proud.”
As a father to a total of three sons and three daughters, Santos set an example that diligence and appreciation of others leads to success.
“Work hard and be respectful,” he said. “That will bring you to a different level and take you a long way in the end.”
The post Lost And Found Presented By LubriSYNHA: Hall Of Famer Santos Has Grown To Love Life Out Of The Saddle appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
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