Joseph "Joe" Talamo (born January 12, 1990 in Marrero, Louisiana) is a Champion

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 ...

in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Born and raised in Marrero on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, within the Greater New Orleans

Metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

, Joe Talamo was influenced by a father who worked in

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 ...

as an assistant trainer. At age eleven, he began riding horses and worked as a stable boy. Like many successful Cajun jockeys before him, Talamo first raced at a bush track. His skills and desire was such that he decided to leave high school in order to pursue a professional riding career. He debuted at Louisiana Downs in June 2006 and went on to become the first apprentice jockey to win a riding title at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. In April 2007, during his breakout year fresh off his riding title at the Fair Grounds, Talamo moved to live in Playa del Rey, California from where he competes primarily at race tracks in the southern part of the state. He was the second leading jockey in wins during the Hollywood Park Racetrack 2007 Spring/Summer meet. For 2007, he notably earned five Grade I Graded stakes race wins and was voted the Eclipse Award as the 2007 United States Champion Apprentice Jockey. Joe Talamo has been the regular jockey on

I Want Revenge I Want Revenge (March 26, 2006 – November 24, 2018) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was one of the favorites to win the 2009 Kentucky Derby. Background He was sired by Grade I winner Stephen Got Even, a son of 1992 American Hors ...

who was the favorite to win the 2009

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 ...

but the horse was scratched on the day of the race. He had said that if he wins the Derby, he is going to donate twenty-five percent of what he earns to the

Children's Hospital of New Orleans Children's Hospital of New Orleans (CHNOLA) is a non-profit, pediatric acute care children's teaching hospital located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The hospital has 229 pediatric beds and is affiliated the Louisiana State University Health Science ...

that cares for all children, regardless of a family's ability to pay

Talamo was one of the jockeys featured Animal Planet's 2009 reality documentary, Jockeys (TV documentary), ''Jockeys''. He was invited by the Hong Kong Jockey Club to participate in the Cathay Pacific International Jockey Championship in December 2009. He jockeyed atop Sidney's Candy in the 2010

. The horse finished in 17th place and out of the money. He jockeyed atop Attachment Rate in the 2020

Year-end charts in the United States

References

Joe Talamo at the NTRA

NTRA article and video on Joe Talamo's winning a 2007 Eclipse Award

Animal Planet Page on Jockeys

Talamo Hits 2,000-Win Milestone Aboard ... - Horse Racing News
{{DEFAULTSORT:Talamo, Joseph 1990 births Living people American jockeys Cajun jockeys Eclipse Award winners People from Terrytown, Louisiana People from Marrero, Louisiana