“Just Trust Him”: Renowned Equestrian Worth $73,812,219 Delivers Touching Words Following Grade 2 Stakes Victory

Defending the title is always special in the equestrian race. The son of Belardo, Gold Phoenix has managed to do the same. Trained by Phil D’Amato, the five-year-old horse defended the title and won Grade 2 $300,000 Del Mar Handicap at Del Mar. With the win, he qualified for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Despite being the favorite, he trailed back at the start but only to boost his might at the last stage of the race. This was his second consecutive win and fifth win of his career. After the win, the horse added a considerable amount to his earnings but the most happy one with his performance was the jockey Juan Hernandez who spoke highly of the gelding post race.

Equestrian rider praises the horse

Gold Phoenix arrived at the event after winning another stake, Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes at the same track in July. He was favored by 5-2 before the race and started the race from the outside post. At the start, he rallied at the tail and continued to do so until the last turn when he was looking for an opening and got one. Hernandez guided the Gold Phoenix in the opening and took the lead in the dying seconds of the race, meanwhile completing the race in 2:15.34. The five-year-old won the race by one and a quarter lengths. Worth $73,812,219, Juan Hernandez was happy with the horse’s performance and had only praise for him.

When asked about Gold Phoenix, he said that he had a lot of horses in front of him at the race. But praising the horse he said, “he’s so patient and I just have to trust him and stay with him as long as I can“. Hernandez explained that around the quarter pole, there were a lot of horses around him so he waited for an opening. When he saw it he said, “ I asked him. He picked it up right away and then he won the race“. In the end, he said that for him the horse was “a beast“. This was another win in the illustrious career of the jockey.

Juan Hernandez’s equestrian journey

Juan Hernandez belongs to Veracruz, Mexico. He started his horse riding career in Mexico and also participated in other Latin American country’s equestrian races. In the year 2009, he migrated to the United States and over the decades made a name in the racing circles. He won his first graded Stake at Grade 3 All-American Stakes at Golden Gate Fields. In the year 2020, he won the Golden Gate Fields riding title.

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Hernandez later shifted to southern California tracks and continued his journey. In his total of 11,586 starts to date, Hernandez won 2497 of them, placed 1965 times at the second spot, and placed third in 1835. This year to date he has added $9,918,281 to his total earnings with 139 wins.

Juan Hernandez’s career speaks about his experience and talent. His praise for the horse stands out as the highlight of the day because, in the end, he was with the horse on the track.

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