Thanks to a successful year for both Brian and Colby, the Hernandez brothers are quickly ascending up the ranks of jockey sibling duos.
Brian Hernandez Jr., 36, began galloping horses at the age of 12, growing up on the backside of Evangeline Downs in Louisiana. He began his career as a professional jockey in 2003 at Delta Downs and began going back and forth between the Louisiana and Kentucky circuits the following year. Brian currently has lifetime earnings of $99,790,140 and has won 2,271 races, as well as an Eclipse Award in 2004 as outstanding apprentice jockey.
Colby Hernandez, 31, followed quickly in his older brother's footsteps with his first start as a professional jockey coming in 2006 at Evangeline Downs. Colby rode primarily on the Louisiana circuit until 2020 when the pandemic-related track closures prompted him to give the Kentucky circuit a try. He has gone back and forth between the two states ever since. Colby has current lifetime earnings of $51,375,010 and has won 2,334 races.
With their careers overlapping, Colby and Brian have both faced off with not only each other, but their father as well before his retirement. Colby and Brian's father, Brian Hernandez Sr., had a riding career spanning from 1989 to 2014 with lifetime earnings of $13,431,686. The multiple stakes winning jockey was most notably the main rider for trainer Dale Angelle at Delta Downs.
The brothers, currently members of the Fair Grounds jockey colony in their native Louisiana, discussed their relationship, and reflected upon a year of many achievements.
Question: How did growing up with a father for a jockey influence your decision to become a jockey?
Brian Hernandez Jr.: “He was a big part of it because we grew up watching him ride and always going out to the track in the mornings with him. Instead of going to daycare when we were on summer break from school, we would go out there to the racetrack every morning. We kind of grew up on the backside of Evangeline Downs, so that was a big influence on both of us for choosing our career paths. Growing up on the backside had an advantage because we kind of knew everybody and everybody watched over us so it was a pretty easy decision.”
Colby Hernandez: “Growing up, we were at the racetrack every single weekend when we didn't have school. Since I was a little kid, I remember always wanting to be a jockey.”
Q: What is it like to be able to share this experience of being professional jockeys with each other?
Brian: “It's a lot of fun, especially down here in New Orleans. Both of our families stay up in Kentucky for the winter time because our kids are all in school, so we come down to New Orleans and we actually share an apartment together right there by the track. We're in the same corner and our dad is actually our valet, so it's fun to come down here and compete against each other. It kind of brings out the best in both of us. Growing up, we would always race Shetland ponies in the field and we always wondered if we would ever get the chance to be jockeys so to see the level of success that we have so far has been really rewarding.”
Colby: “It's a great thing to have day in and day out in the jock's room together. We have a pretty close bond. We're always happy for each other. You do get competitive, but you want each other to do well.”
Q: Colby, in what ways have you looked up to your older brother during your career?
Colby: “The whole time I've ridden, I've competed in Louisiana and just in the past two years I've been going back and forth between Kentucky and Louisiana. Watching him ride the better races and the better horses influenced me to want to get to that next level.”
Q: Was your brother influential in your decision to start riding more on the Kentucky circuit?
Colby: “A little bit. What really helped me make that move, though, was Covid. All the racetracks were shut down and he was talking about how Churchill was going to start up so I said, 'Alright let me try and give it a shot' and I gave it a shot and I loved it. I love being there now.”
Q: What is the best advice your brother has given you during your career?
Colby: “On the better horses, he kind of helped me out and just taught me how to ride the better races.”
Q: How did it feel to go 1-2 with each other in a graded stakes race at Keeneland this fall?
Brian: “To be able to make that transition from the Louisiana circuit up to Kentucky and do as well as we did is very rewarding.”
Colby: “It was very exciting for us.”
Q: Brian, have you enjoyed getting to see more of your brother since his fairly recent start on the Kentucky circuit?
Brian: “Yeah. It's good because of our families. I have three kids and he has two, so it's great for the kids to be able to grow up together and play together because they never really got to do that before. For years, I was always telling Colby, 'You're good enough to make it on the Kentucky circuit, you've just gotta make that move,' and to see him finally do it and be as successful as he has been, it's just really rewarding.
Q: What has been your biggest career highlight this year?
Brian: “Probably the opening weekend of Keeneland (Fall meet). I think we won six races the first three days and for one of them to be the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity and then to follow that the next day and win the Bourbon, that was probably the biggest weekend of the year success-wise. Just to be a part of those horses who jumped up and ran when we needed them to, it was a very successful weekend. It was great to see those 2-year-olds win between Tiz The Bomb and Rattle N Roll. We always thought they had talent in them so to be able to showcase that was just special.”
Colby: “I had my first graded stakes win at Belmont, and I ended up winning four graded stakes this year so that was a pretty big highlight for me.”
The post From Shetland Ponies To Graded Stakes Winners: Brian, Colby Hernandez On Continuing Family’s Racing Legacy appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
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