In Their Care

Jockeys often volunteer to take their Kentucky Derby mounts through the last workout or two leading to the big day. They understand how vital those drills can be, and they want to do everything possible to ensure that their horses are as ready as can be. Javier Castellano, winless with his first 15 Derby starters, […]

Sibelius needed an exercise rider who could smooth his rough edges and take him to an elite level. Chelsie Raabe needed him much more. Although Raabe had ridden since she was young, she never planned to enter the racing world after her graduation from Miami University in Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in wide-ranging integrative […]

Moises Morales was 17 when he decided to leave Chihuahua, Mexico, and attempted to cross illegally into the United States in 1977. He had little idea what awaited him, but he was intent on getting there. He was so determined that he walked through the desert day and night, only to be apprehended by border […]

Oct. 17, 1992. Simon Harris, a long-time exercise rider and valet on the New York circuit, remembers the day as if it was yesterday. It was a day of roiling emotions – sadness, anxiety, excitement. He was 24 years young and was leaving behind friends and family in Dublin, Ireland, for Ocala, Fla. He knew […]

As she prepared to launch her training career, Brittany Russell learned everything she could as an understudy to top-flight conditioners such as Jonathan Sheppard, Brad Cox, Jimmy Jerkens and Ron Moquett. She also kept a close eye on her fellow workers. Luis Barajas, a groom for Moquett, stood apart from the crowd. “He was a […]

Johnathan Estrada feels very much at home at Belmont Park. His parents worked as grooms there. He is proud to be part of the first graduating class of Anna House, established in 2002 as a daycare and early education center for children of backstretch employees at the Elmont, N.Y., track. Estrada, 21, has been employed […]

Jordan Freeman never imagined his work as a hotwalker would provide a livelihood while being medicinal. That is the way it has played out. The 27-year-old Toronto native has not had an easy life. He was diagnosed at a young age with Asperger syndrome, a developmental disorder on the autism spectrum that affects the ability […]

Bill Parcells displayed brilliance throughout his 19 seasons as a National Football League head coach to earn enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Now, at 81, he is still making all the right moves as a Thoroughbred owner. Parcells offered a fitting tribute to the courage and talent of Melanie Giddings, a native […]

Luis Ettedgui began following Hofburg, bred and owned by Juddmonte Farms, in the spring of 2018. The teenager’s interest intensified when the chestnut son of Tapit placed second in the Florida Derby, leading him to persuade his father, Alberto, to purchase general admission tickets to the Kentucky Derby. Heavy rain forced them to seek shelter […]