Jose A. Santos
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Jose A. Santos (José Adeón Santos León) (born April 26, 1961 in Concepción, Chile) is a retired United States thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey.
Jose Santos first raced horses at Club Hipico de Concepcion in his native Chile, following in the footsteps of his father and three of his seven brothers, and in Colombia until moving to the United States in 1984 where he was the top money-winning jockey four years in a row from 1986 through 1989, winning the 1988 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in the United States. He is a seven-time winner of Breeders' Cup races and won the 1999 Belmont Stakes aboard Lemon Drop Kid. He won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes with Funny Cide but missed winning the American Triple Crown after finishing third in the Belmont Stakes. In recent years, Santos would say that Funny Cide was not the greatest horse he ever rode, but he certainly was his personal favorite.
Santos was voted the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award by his peers in 1999 and was a winner at the 2003 ESPY Awards as the outstanding jockey in the United States. Santos has long been a fan favorite and one of the most well liked and respected jockeys in the sport.
[edit] Advertising controversy
Jose Santos was also one of the first of five top jockeys to wear advertising patches in the Kentucky Derby, starting in 2004. They sued on First Amendment grounds, to be allowed to wear ad patches during the race. The ruling was issued on April 21, 2004, by U.S. District Judge John Heyburn in Louisville.
The jockeys in question had been offered substantial endorsement contracts to wear the ad patches, with payments, in some cases, of $30,000 apiece. Wearing the ad patches were legal in other Triple Crown states of New York and Maryland, but were argued by The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority that they might lead to corruption and violated racing tradition.
The other jockeys included Jerry Bailey, John Velazquez, Gary Stevens, and Shane Sellers.
[edit] Retirement
On February 1, 2007, Santos, then 45 years old, was involved in a 3-horse racing accident at Aqueduct Racetrack in NY. He suffered five broken vertabrae, a broken sternum, as well as several broken ribs. Santos had initially planned on a return to riding, in late 2007, however, he did not fully recover from his spinal injuries. Advised by his doctors that he had an 80% chance of winding up in a wheelchair if he raced again, one week before his induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, at Saratoga Race Course, Jose Santos announced his retirement:
| “ | I am extremely grateful for the career I've had, for the owners and trainers that had faith in me, to my fellow jockeys who helped bring out the best in me and to the fans for their support," Santos said. "Most of all, I am grateful to my family. They have always supported me, and it is tough because every time you ride a horse, you are in danger. They don't have to worry anymore, and that is a relief. | ” |
One week later, when Santos was formally inducted to the Hall of Fame, he received an unprecedented three standing ovations from the crowd. It was one of the largest attended Hall of Fame ceremonies in years.
Lifetime stats: 25,928 mounts, 4,083 wins and earnings of $188,561,787, ranking him 11th on the all-time jockey rankings.
[edit] External links
- Jose Santos at the NTRA
- USA Today Derby Jockeys Can Wear Ads
- SI Jose Santos Retires From Racing
- ESPN Funny Cide Jockey Jose Santos Retires From Racing
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