Espinoza Looks Forward To Kentucky Derby

By ESPN

When Victor Espinoza rides Gormley in the post parade of Saturday's Kentucky Derby, he will sneak a glance at the jammed grandstand at Churchill Downs.

"The thing you see are the colors," Espinoza said last weekend. "It never gets old. This is what we work for."

There will be little time for sightseeing. Gormley will need a warm-up.

"Everybody is having fun, and I have to work," Espinoza said with a laugh.

Espinoza, 44, has won the Kentucky Derby three times, first with War Emblem in 2002. His past two victories have been aboard two of the most popular winners in a generation -- California Chrome in 2014 and American Pharoah in 2015. American Pharoah went on to sweep the Triple Crown.

"It never gets old," he said. "After you win, you get more excited. I want to win it again. The Derby is always fun."

Riding American Pharoah in the Triple Crown was a life-changer. That summer, Espinoza was a contestant on the television show "Dancing with the Stars." He danced his way past the first round, one program longer than Chaka Khan, before being eliminated.

"It's remarkable how many people watched me on that," he said. "It was fun. I met a lot of interesting people."

Fortunately for Espinoza, the show was taped in Los Angeles on Mondays, clear of his racing obligations. When his involvement in the program ended, he went back to work. A few months later, American Pharoah won the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky.

Last year, the highlights of the season were California Chrome's wins in the $10 million Dubai World Cup and the Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

This year, there already have been highlights off the track. On April 24, Espinoza was elected to racing's Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony for the Class of 2017 will be staged in Saratoga Springs, New York, in early August.

Espinoza, who moved from his native Mexico to the United States in 1993, has won 3,322 races in North America. Several days after the Hall of Fame announcement, Espinoza was still in a state of amazement.

"It's a dream to be part of it," he said. "What are the odds when I started riding I'd win the Triple Crown and be in the Hall of Fame?"

The Triple Crown, Breeders' Cup and other big events have become a focus for Espinoza. Based in Southern California, Espinoza emphasizes quality mounts over quantity and has the results to show.

In April, Espinoza won four races after going winless in March. Three of the April wins were stakes: two Grade 1 races for Thoroughbreds -- the $1 million Santa Anita Derby aboard Gormley and the $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park on Stellar Wind -- and a Grade 1 stakes for Arabians at Santa Anita.

"I'm happy with the way things are going right now," he said. "I'm focused on the big horses.

"As long as I have good horses to ride, as long as there is the next one, it makes me motivate myself and stay in shape. I work out a lot. If I'm not in shape, we're not a good team."

Gormley, owned by Jerry and Ann Moss and trained by John Shirreffs, has won four of six starts and earned $920,000. Espinoza has ridden Gormley in all of his races, including a win in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes last October and a disappointing seventh in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last November.

This year, Gormley won the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at a mile in January and finished a dull fourth in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes in March before the win in the Santa Anita Derby.

In the Santa Anita Derby, Gormley closed from fifth in a field of 13 to win by a half-length over Battle of Midway, who is also part of the Kentucky Derby field. Espinoza said Gormley needs a stalking trip in the crowded field Saturday.

"If I can get him in a good position, he can do what I know he can do," Espinoza said. "I want to put him in the right direction. I like the way he's going. He's a happy horse."

California Chrome and American Pharoah were favored when they ran in the Derby. Gormley will be about 12-1.

"It doesn't mean you don't have a chance," Espinoza said. "If he runs his race, I think he can win the race."

If that happens, Espinoza and Gormley will be the center of attention for a raucous audience. Espinoza knows how to find that famous winner's circle. The view toward the stands from there is even better than the post parade.

2017 Kentucky Derby Odds

(Odds courtesy of the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, as of May 1.)

Horse                 Odds

Always Dreaming    5-1
Classic Empire    6-1
Gunnevera    6-1
Irish War Cry    7-1
McCraken    10-1
Gormley    12-1
Hence    12-1
Girvin    15-1
Tapwrit    18-1
Battle of Midway    20-1
Lookin at Lee    20-1
Practical Joke    20-1
Thunder Snow    25-1
J Boys Echo    30-1
Patch    30-1
Royal Mo    30-1
Sonneteer    30-1
State of Honor    30-1
Irap    40-1
Untrapped    40-1
Local Hero    60-1
Fast and Accurate    80-1
Fact Finding    100-1