The 2020 season has brought challenges to those involved in racing. With COVID-19 regulations in place, Indiana Grand jockeys must only ride in Indiana, and those coming in must adhere to specific rules, including a 14-day quarantine. It's a commitment that Apprentice Jockey Joshua Morales didn't back down from.
A native of Puerto Rico, Morales knows all about commitment. He attended his country's Escuela Vocacional Hipica Agustin Mercado Reveron jockey school at Camarero Race Track near San Juan. Known for its rigorous curriculum that spans up to two years, Morales entered the school and graduated last August at the age of 19, ready to tackle the world of Thoroughbred racing.
“My two uncles (Wilfredo Rohena and Jose Rohena) are jockeys at Finger Lakes,” said Morales through his valet, Ramiro Torres. “I came to the United States a couple different times and worked as a hot walker at Finger Lakes, but I never had any plans to be a jockey. My friends influenced me because of my size and build. That's how I ended up going to jockey school.”
Morales began riding in Puerto Rico and in January, relocated to Turfway Park, which eventually took him to Belterra Park. Although he was riding a lot, his business wasn't taking him in the direction he wanted, so a suggestion from Nelson Figueroa, clerk of scales at Belterra, got him connected to agent Francisco Torres.
“Nelson and I go way back and a recommendation from him was all I needed,” said Torres. “I'm always shopping for another apprentice. I feel in this stage in my life, it's time to give back and working with these younger riders is what I like. He sure looks great on a horse and he has great hands. When he puts everything together, look out.”
Morales made the move to Indiana Grand and put in the mandatory time for the 14-day quarantine. During that time, Morales worked on an equicizer and Torres began to share some pointers for the apprentice, who turns 21 next week.
“Cisco has helped me out a lot,” said Morales. “Not only on the track but off the track, helping me find an apartment for my family and getting settled. He has corrected a few things already about my riding and helped me improve.”
Morales got out of the gate with a win on his very first day of competition at Indiana Grand, Sept. 7. Since that time, he has scored two riding doubles with seven wins total in only 10 days of racing. He and Torres are working on short term goals with hopes of opening some doors in the near future.
“The goal is to become leading apprentice here,” added Torres. “Then, he will either go to Turfway or possibly Oaklawn with me. We will just wait and see how it works out.”
Morales and his partner, Chareen, have two young sons, Owen, age four, and Harlan, 16 months. He also has support from his father, Javier, who is a former exercise rider. He is currently overseeing his son's start in racing.
“His two uncles wanted bigger and better things for him, so that is why he didn't go to Finger Lakes,” said Javier. “Jockey school was very good for him. It is very disciplined. The last semester, they have 20 races a day, 10 for a start of a race and 10 for a finish of a race. There were five that graduated from his class and four are now riding in the United States. He even had a personal trainer in school that helped him learn about keeping his weight down and keeping in shape.”
One of those graduates with Morales, Alex Crispin, competed at Indiana Grand in the first few weeks of competition this year before relocating to Delaware Park. Another from the same class includes Marielis Cosme currently riding at Mountaineer Park.
Racing is held Monday through Thursday until Wednesday, Nov. 18. All-Quarter Horse racing is set for Saturday, Oct. 3 and Saturday, Oct. 24. For more information, go to www.indianagrand.com.
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