Jose Valdivia Jr. (born December 8, 1974 in
Lima, Peru) is 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 ...
. The son of a top
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
n jockey, he is the nephew of retired jockey
Fernando Toro and
trainer, Juan Suarez. He and his family moved to the United States in 1989 and settled in the
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lagoon. The populati ...
area where his father worked as a trainer.
In 2000, he married his wife Renee. The couple have two children, Siena and Luca.
In 1994, Valdivia began his professional riding career as an apprentice at
Belmont Park, earning his first win in just his third start. Riding for fellow Peruvian, trainer
Julio Canani, his first important win came aboard
Val Royal when he won the 2001
Breeders' Cup Mile
The Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's incepti ...
at
Belmont Park and that year became a breakout year.
Year-end charts
References
Jose Valdivia Jr. at the NTRA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valdivia, Jose Jr.
1974 births
Living people
American jockeys
Peruvian emigrants to the United States