José Luis Espinoza (born December 17, 1969 in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

) is a Mexican retired

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

.
Espinoza rode in his first

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

in 2013, guiding Giant Finish to a 10th-place finish for Sunrise Stables and trainer

Anthony Dutrow Anthony W. Dutrow (born April 27, 1958) is an American horse trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing. The eldest of three brothers involved in Thoroughbred racing, he is the son of the late well-known Maryland trainer Richard E. Dutrow, Sr. A brot ...

. In August 2013, Espinoza suffered a

traumatic brain injury A traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as an intracranial injury, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. TBI can be classified based on severity (ranging from mild traumatic brain injury TBI/concussionto severe traumatic b ...

when he was thrown from a mount after crossing the finish line. This head injury effectively ended his career as a jockey. After 8 months of treatment, he retired at the age of 44 with a total of 856 wins. He is the older brother of U.S. Triple Crown winning jockey,

Victor Espinoza Victor Espinoza (born May 23, 1972) is a Mexican jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing who won the Triple Crown in 2015 on American Pharoah. He began riding in his native Mexico and went on to compete at racetracks in California. He has wo ...

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espinoza, Jose L. 1969 births Living people American jockeys Mexican jockeys Mexican emigrants to the United States