Joseph "Joe" Talamo (born January 12, 1990 in

Marrero, Louisiana Marrero is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. Marrero is on the south side (referred to as the "West Bank") of the Mississippi River, within the New Orleans– Metairie–Kenner metropolitan stat ...

) is a

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

jockey in American

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

. Born and raised in Marrero on the West Bank of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

, within the

Greater New Orleans The New Orleans metropolitan area, designated the New Orleans–Metairie metropolitan statistical area by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, or simply Greater New Orleans (french: Grande Nouvelle-Orléans, es, Gran Nueva Orleans), is a me ...

Metropolitan area, Joe Talamo was influenced by a father who worked in horse racing as an assistant trainer. At age eleven, he began riding horses and worked as a stable boy. Like many successful

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...

jockeys before him, Talamo first raced at a

bush track Bush track is a term used in horse racing to describe unsanctioned, informal horse races run in rural areas of the United States and southern Canada. Quarter horses, ridden by amateur jockeys, are raced on makeshift tracks, often set up in the fiel ...

. 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 Louisiana Downs Casino & Racetrack is a horse racing track and racino located in Bossier City in northwestern Louisiana. It opened in 1974. The casino features over 800 slot machines. The track specification is a dirt track of & turf course of . ...

in June 2006 and went on to become the first apprentice jockey to win a riding title at the

Fair Grounds Race Course Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC. As early as 1838 Bernard de Marigny, Ju ...

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 Playa del Rey (Spanish language, Spanish for "Beach of the King") is a seaside community in the Santa Monica Bay and the Westside (Los Angeles County), Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It has a ZIP code of 90293 and area codes 310 and 4 ...

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 Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to t ...

2007 Spring/Summer meet. For 2007, he notably earned five Grade I

Graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is the ...

wins and was voted the

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...

as the 2007 United States Champion Apprentice Jockey. Joe Talamo has been the regular jockey on I Want Revenge who was the favorite to win the 2009 Kentucky Derby 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 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 Kentucky Derby. The horse finished in 17th place and out of the money. He jockeyed atop Attachment Rate in the 2020 Kentucky Derby.

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