Alex Solis is from the cradle of jockeys
By Kevin Baxter for the Los Angeles Times - Should Alex Solis finally end his streak of bad luck and second-place finishes with a win on The Pamplemousse in next month's Kentucky Derby, the celebration won't be confined to the winner's circle at Churchill Downs. In fact, a victory probably would resonate louder in the jockey's native Panama than anywhere in the U.S. "It's a small country that follows horse racing like you can't believe," Solis says. "It's crazy. I go to Panama and I feel like Michael Jordan." Only Panama has more than one Michael Jordan when it comes to horse racing. In fact the country's main track, the Presidente Remon in Panama City, is know locally as the "cradle of jockeys," having turned out five Hall of Famers, including two of the eight most successful riders of all time. (more)
"It's a way out," says fellow Panamanian Laffit Pincay Jr., the son of a jockey who went on to become the first rider to win 9,000 races. "It's a good job [and] it's a way out of Panama. A chance to make money and have a name."
Solis, who grew up on his grandparents' farm in San Carlos, about an hour from the capital, was riding horses almost from the time he could walk. Yet despite the fact his uncle is Hall of Famer Jacinto Vasquez, who counts two Derby victories among his 5,231 career wins, Solis knew nothing about racing until his father took him to the track at 13, eventually enrolling him in jockey school a few months later.
"Panama has produced the most incredible riders," Solis says with pride. "So many guys. It's probably the No. 1 sport, combined with baseball.
"But we have produced more jockeys than anything else."
-
Wikizines are interactive magazines that anyone can create or edit - and this one is about Alex... Read Full Story »
