Jockey Luis Saez Reflects On ‘Magnificent’ First Classic Win In Belmont Stakes

The pageantry of Belmont Park emanated off the television screen when Luis Saez watched as the track hosted its crown jewel, the Belmont Stakes, from his native Panama growing up.

When Saez began his professional riding career winning $10,000 claimers at the Miami Gardens-based Calder Race Course in 2009, the allure of Belmont remained strong, offering the then-apprentice jockey the opportunity to dream of competing in one of racing's marquee events.

In June of 2021, Saez blended aspiration and ability, fulfilling his dream of winning the Belmont Stakes – and garnering his first win in a Triple Crown race overall – when piloting 6-5 favorite Essential Quality to a 1 1/4-length victory over Hot Rod Charlie in the 153rd running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

Though nowhere close to the sport's pinnacle he would later reach, Saez was successful from the start of his career, winning 105 times in 479 mounts in 2009, surging to the top of the national apprentice jockey standings and earning an Eclipse Award nomination for top apprentice rider. That early ability was honed at the Laffit Pincay Jr. Jockey School in Panama City, giving Saez a strong foundation that helped lead to his eventual winner's circle trip following the “Test of the Champion.”

“I remember when we were in Florida, we always wanted to come to this place. It was my dream to be riding at Belmont,” Saez said. “I remember growing up watching the Belmont Stakes. It was something so big and special. To win it, it was magnificent for us. We're so blessed to be here.”

Saez has exceeded 200 wins in every full year since 2015 and is on pace to do so again in 2021. The now 29-year-old has amassed high win totals but not at the expense of quality, coming into his own by tallying 34 graded stakes wins since 2020. In the last year and a half, Saez has won 10 Grade 1 events, including his first-ever Breeders' Cup victory when guiding Essential Quality to a win in the Juvenile.

“Every year, I feel like I'm learning more and doing better,” Saez said.

That Juvenile win secured an Eclipse Award for top 2-year-old for Essential Quality. It also helped trainer Brad Cox notch his first Eclipse trophy as Outstanding Trainer. Just six months later, Saez facilitated another career milestone for Cox, who earned his first win in an American Classic when Essential Quality was feted with white carnations after the Belmont Stakes.

“He's always played a role in us being able to go to the next level,” Cox said. “He's played a big part in the success we've had. He's just always been very helpful in so many ways, and we look forward to continuing the relationship.

“He's very good from the gate and can get horses in position early in the race and he's great under pressure,” Cox added. “He's one of the best riders in the world and he's shown that over the last few years with winning some of the biggest races in the Middle East in addition to the Breeders' Cup and the Belmont. He's a very talented athlete, to say the least.”

Cox cited Saez's ride aboard Spelling Again five years ago in the Grade 2 Princess Rooney at Gulfstream Park in 2016 as an effort that epitomized the type of impact the rider could have on a talented horse. That win by a neck over Cali Star in the seven-furlong main track sprint was a harbinger of the special moments that would await the Saez-Cox tandem later on.

“One of the best rides I ever saw was when he rode a filly for us at Gulfstream in 2016 when he was on Spelling Again in the Princess Rooney, and he showed how strong he could finish there,” Cox said. “It was early on when we were picking up some graded stakes horses. He was always so hopeful.”

Cox said he appreciates the feedback from riders, especially ones who have developed a strong rapport with a horse.

“I may run 4-5 horses a day, but they ride 10 a day, and Luis is such a good horseman and such a good judge of pace,” Cox said. “His feedback is very helpful. He's an all-around great jockey.”

Essential Quality ran fourth in the Kentucky Derby on May 1, giving Cox half of the superfecta as stablemate Mandaloun was second to Medina Spirit, whose result is in question. Essential Quality was the favorite in the “Run for the Roses” as well but bumped at the start and finished 4 1/2 lengths back. Saez said he wanted to avoid trouble leaving the gate in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont, which he did, tracking Hot Rod Charlie's hot pace of 22.78 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and the half in 46.49 before overtaking him by the quarter-pole and fending off his late rally.

“It was something very special; he had a big shot to win the Kentucky Derby. Unfortunately, we had an unlucky break, but I had a lot of confidence in him,” Saez said. “Stuff happens, but in the Belmont, he was magnificent. The only thing we were worrying about was having a clean break, and thank goodness he did it.”

A talented jockey with no live mounts is like an Aston Martin without high-octane fuel to power the V12 engine. That's where Kiaran McLaughlin has helped Saez take that next career step.

McLaughlin took over as Saez's agent in March 2020 after Richard DePass retired, and the partnership blossomed immediately, with Saez being assigned live mounts and making the most of his opportunities in winning Grade 1 contests with Vequist [Spinaway], the Woodward [Global Campaign], Fourstardave [Halladay], Ballerina [Serengeti Empress], Darley Alcibiades [Simply Ravishing] and Spinster [Valiance] among others.

McLaughlin knew Saez well from his time as successful trainer in which he compiled 1,577 wins from 1995 until retiring from his role as a conditioner last year to take Saez's book.

“He's very strong and does his homework. One of the best things he does is break well out of the gate and gives all his horses a chance,” McLaughlin said. “He gives them an excellent chance by being forwardly placed.

“He tries hard on all of them. For me as his agent, he never complains,” he added. “He's willing to go out and work in the morning any time. He's very appreciative of his position in the business and he's got a wonderful family and he's with them all the time he can be when he isn't riding. He likes to run and stay fit, so he's very diligent. He's great to work with and a great person.”

Saez parlayed his strong ending to 2020 into the early part of this year. Before there was Belmont Stakes glory on the line, Saez traveled halfway around the world to compete in the $12 million Group 1 Dubai World Cup and led Mystic Guide to a win.

That success – and the Triple Crown trail that followed – made Saez reflect on his start at Belmont, where he went 0-for-4 in 2009 and did not return to ride at the track until 2013, where he went 66-76-72 in 515 mounts, including winning the Grade 2 Peter Pan with Freedom Child and the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay with Tannery. The Belmont Stakes win also mitigated the disappointment of 2019, when Saez crossed the wire first in the Kentucky Derby on Maximum Security before the horse was disqualified for interference and placed 17th.

“It's been a blessing for us. When we started here, it wasn't easy,” Saez said. “I know it's like that for everyone, but we just kept working hard. Kiaran has my book and he's been doing a great job. To win the Dubai World Cup and go on from there, it's been great.”

Saez, who has just more than 2,700 career wins, is on pace to crack the 3,000-win threshold in 2022. His career earnings of more than $140 million place him in the top-40 all-time.

Saez boasts the second-highest purse earnings [$4,066,246] at the current 48-day Belmont spring/summer meet and the veteran rider will look to add to those riches on Closing Weekend, piloting Hidden Enemy in the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational and Ova Charged in the Grade 3, $150,000 Victory Ride on Saturday. On Closing Day, Saez has the call on Delta's Kingdom in the $150,000 River Memories.

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‘I’ve Grown Up And I’m Ready’: Sebastian Saez Returns To Aqueduct For Fall Meet

Jockey Sebastian Saez, the younger brother of prominent New York-based rider Luis Saez, will make his return to riding at the Aqueduct fall meet which kicks off on Friday, Nov. 6, and runs through Sunday, Dec. 6.

The 21-year-old Saez said he wants to uphold the highly-regarded riding talents of his family, including 28-year-old brother Luis and his late brother Juan, an apprentice rider who died tragically at the age of 17 from injuries sustained in a spill in October 2014 at Indiana Grand.

Saez last rode in January 2019 at Gulfstream Park before returning to his native Panama to spend time with family and look inward as an act of mindfulness before resetting course to his goal of becoming a successful rider.

“I went back to Panama for a year to clear my head and find myself,” said Saez. “But I realized how much I missed riding here in the States and I knew that I had to give it a shot again. I was just a kid then. Now, I've grown up and I'm ready.”

As a teenager, Saez won five races in New York at the 2016 Belmont spring/summer meet, including a frontrunning half-length score with the Bruce Levine-trained Foxy Posse on the inner turf where he held off a game bid from Luis aboard Maybry's Conquest.

“It was a great finish,” recalled Luis. “He has a lot of talent. I think when he first came here he was a little too young, but now he's grown and he's ready.”

“Most important for him is to be patient and to try and do his best and always be here to work horses in the morning, see everybody and work hard,” he added. “The main thing is to work hard. I wish all the best for him.”

The up-and-coming rider lived with his brother Luis in Florida before launching his career in 2015 at Churchill Downs, where he picked up his first win in May 2015 aboard Bob's Gone Wild.

The elder Saez, a multiple Grade 1-winning veteran with more than 2,500 career wins, said his younger sibling has the talent to make it in New York.

“When he was living with me in Florida, I was teaching him every day about how to ride. He learned a lot,” said Saez. “When he went to Churchill he was doing great over there but we had a bad moment when we lost our brother. I think that hurt him and that's why he had to take time off. Now, he's in the right spot and I have a good feeling about him coming back to ride.

“He's a strong rider, too,” Saez added. “He can ride horses anywhere – from the front, from behind. He has a good left hand and I think he has the talent.”

With 1,093 starts to his credit, the younger Saez owns a modest record of 121-137-138, good for purse earnings in excess of $2.6 million. For the last two months, Saez said he has been riding out for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen in Kentucky.

“I was working in Kentucky getting fit and ready to ride. I was breezing a lot of horses,” said Saez.

Saez will be making his return and Big A debut on Opening Day of a fall meet that offers 29 stakes, including 11 graded events, worth $3.41 million in purse money.

The good-natured young rider said he brings a few familiar Saez family traits to the table.

“I think I am very strong and I finish well,” said Saez. “I try to watch and learn as much as I can from my brother Luis. I also have good hands and I know how to get a horse to relax.”

When asked what he would choose if he could borrow a skill or strength from each of his brothers, Saez said, “From Luis, I would like to borrow his knowledge of the game and how he is loved by everyone. And from Juan, he rides with me. I will ride with the passion he rode with and smile and enjoy riding like him.”

All three Saez brothers graduated from Panama's famed Laffit Pincay Jockey School. Juan went on to earn honors as the leading rider at the 2014 Ellis Park meet and Luis has ridden on the biggest stages of the sport and guided his mounts to more than $126 million in purse earnings.

Saez, however, said he credits his older brother as his role model and mentor.

“I went to the school of Luis Saez,” said Saez with a laugh. “I think I had a really great teacher. He is one of the best in the country.”

Racing fans can follow Saez, who will be represented by agent Shawn Klotz, on his Twitter account @Jockeyssaezpty.

“I just want a shot to prove that I'm a good rider and I can make it here in New York,” said Saez. “This is the major leagues of horse racing and it's an honor to ride with the best riding colony in America. I'm going to work so hard to be the best I can be.”

America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the Aqueduct fall meet with coverage to air on FOX Sports and MSG Networks.

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‘Everything Is About Being Consistent’: Panamanian Jockey Castillo Could Pick Up First Stakes Win This Weekend

Jockey Isaac Castillo looks at his list of accomplishments at Monmouth Park this summer and sees enough to know that this is far and away the best year of his young career.

He was able to ride in a graded stakes race for the first time. He had his first three-winner day (on Aug. 22). He has already exceeded his victory total at the meet from a year ago, doing so in 64 fewer mounts. And he has cracked the top 10 in a competitive jockey colony after finishing 14th a year ago.

But there's one thing missing: A stakes victory.

The 22-year-old Panamanian hopes to add that final piece to a breakout year this weekend, first aboard Absentee in Saturday's $100,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes, then again on Sunday when he re-unites with the Anthony Margotta, Jr.-trained Bronx Beauty in the $75,000 Regret Stakes.

“Everything is about being consistent,” Castillo said through an interpreter. “My first year riding in 2017 I didn't do much. The next year was only a little better. Finally, last year, people got to know me and I was getting more opportunities. I feel very good about the way things are going this year.

“It's all about hard work, being there every morning to show you want to work, a good attitude and staying positive.”

Castillo, a 2014 graduate of the Panama jockey school started by Laffit Pincay, Jr., heads into the weekend at Monmouth Park with 17 winners from 145 mounts (compared to 15 from 209 mounts a year ago). That's good for eighth place in the rider standings.

While a victory aboard Absentee on Saturday would represent a significant upset, Bronx Beauty looms as one of the horses to beat in Sunday's Regret Stakes, which has drawn a field of seven fillies and mares 3-and-up going six furlongs.

Castillo has ridden Bronx Beauty twice this meet, earning a win in a $50,000 optional claimer and then finishing second in the Incredible Revenge Stakes. A 5-year-old mare, Bronx Beauty has won nine of 21 career starts with lifetime earnings of $527,270.

“Every race I watch replays to see what I could have done better for the next time,” said Castillo. “I'm trying to improve with every ride. This has been a good year for me because my confidence is growing. I'm being more aggressive and I can see from the results that I can do it. I just have to keep working and keep getting better.”

Castillo said he was inspired to become a jockey by the success of Eddie Castro, the 2003 Eclipse Award-winning apprentice who grew up in the same town in Panama. He made the move to the United States to launch his riding career in December of 2016, getting two mounts that month.

It took until Sept. 5 for Castillo to land his first graded stakes mount, finishing fifth aboard Share the Ride in the Grade 3 Red Bank Stakes.

“That was a great experience,” he said. “It's part of the progress I am making and shows how things are coming along – not easily, but step by step.”

Castillo said he will head to Tampa for the first time following the nine-day Meadowlands-at-Monmouth meet in October in an effort to continue to build his business.

“The harder I work the better things will be. I can see that from the way things are going for me now,” he said.

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Spanish Race Caller Sues NYRA Over Wage Inequity Compared To White Counterpart

Race caller Luis Grandison filed a lawsuit against the New York Racing Association in the Brooklyn Federal Court on Tuesday, alleging that he was paid less than half as much as his white, English-speaking counterparts, reports the New York Daily News.

The suit states that Grandison was paid an annual salary of $60,000, while his white, English-speaking counterpart Larry Collmus has a salary estimated to be over $200,000.

Grandison, a black native of Panama, had been employed by NYRA to call races in Spanish since 2014. He requested and was denied a raise in 2018. This year, Grandison was furloughed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. He was terminated in June, prior to the resumption of racing in the state of New York.

“Grandison has performed the exact same primary duty of race calling … at NYRA in Spanish that his white American counterparts performed in English in the same racetracks, under the same management, using the same oratory skills, and using the same NYRA simulcast network,” the suit reads. “The only difference between Grandison and, for example, Larry Collmus is that the former is a Black Latino speaking in Spanish whereas the latter is a white American speaking in English. Their primary work duty of race calling was otherwise identical.”

Read more at the New York Daily News.

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