Gabriel Saez (born February 1, 1988 in Port Darien,

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

) is a

Panamanian Panamanians (Spanish: ''Panameños'') are people identified with Panama, a transcontinental country in Central America (a region within North America) and South America, whose connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For m ...

horse racing jockey. He began his riding career in his native country in 2004, becoming the leading apprentice jockey in 2005. Saez moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in February 2006, and almost instantly became

Delaware Park Racetrack Delaware Park (also known as ''DelPark'') is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track, casino, and golf course in Stanton, Delaware. It is located just outside the city of Wilmington, and about 30 miles from Philadelphia. Thoroughbred racing ...

's leading jockey that same year. He won his first race as an apprentice in the U.S., and then his first race as a journeyman.

Career

2008

Gabriel rode

Eight Belles Eight Belles (February 23, 2005 – May 3, 2008) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who came second in the 2008 Kentucky Derby to the winner Big Brown. Her collapse just after the race resulted in immediate euthanasia. Earlier in the ye ...

in the

2008 Kentucky Derby The 2008 Kentucky Derby was the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 3, 2008 with 157,770 in attendance, the second largest in Derby history.euthanized Animal euthanasia ( euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditi ...

after she'd crossed the finish line, a very game second to Big Brown. In cool-down, she collapsed due to fractures in both front

ankles The ankle, or the talocrural region, or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular join ...

. In a letter to the Kentucky Racing Authority, PETA claimed that the

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

was "doubtlessly" injured during the race, and therefore Saez bore some responsibility for the injury and euthanization. Eight Belles' trainer, Larry Jones, has vigorously defended Saez, saying "We have photographs 50 to 70 yards from where this happened and the horse had her ears up . . . If this horse had anything going on with her at the time, she didn't know it. If the horse never had a clue, there's no way the jockey could have had a clue." The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority did not find any evidence of wrongdoing by Saez. Saez won the horseraceinsider.com "I've Got Your PETA Right Here Insider Award" in 2008 for achieving a redemptive moment with his dramatically heady victory aboard Eclipse finalist Proud Spell in Saratoga's

Alabama Stakes The Alabama Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies. Inaugurated in 1872, the Grade I race is run over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the dirt track at Saratoga Race Course. Held in mid August, it cu ...

. The day before the Kentucky Derby, Saez rode Proud Spell to a win in the

Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday ...

2009

Saez entered the 2009 Kentucky Derby aboard prerace favorite

Friesan Fire Friesan Fire (foaled April 30, 2006, in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by 1992 American Horse of the Year, A.P. Indy, a son of the 1977 U.S. Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew. His dam, Bollinger, is an Australian ...

and finished 18th. At the

2009 Preakness Stakes The 2009 Preakness Stakes was the 134th running of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown. The value of the race was $1,100,000 in stakes. The race was sponsored by BlackBerry and hence officially was called ''BlackBer ...

, Saez again jockeyed Friesan Fire, and finished 10th.

Year-end charts

References

External links

Gabriel Saez
at th
NTRA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saez, Gabriel 1988 births Panamanian jockeys American jockeys Living people People from Darién Province Panamanian emigrants to the United States