“I Was Really, Really Depressed”: Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes Winning Jockey Makes Massive Revelation on His Toughest Life Phase

What a time to be Javier Castellano, who is living the dream he always dreamed about. The equestrian from Venezuela won 2 out of the 3 Triple Crown events this year, which must be a surreal feeling for him. However, just two years ago, things weren’t looking bright for the jockey. Suffering from COVID and then undergoing surgery, Castellano found it extremely difficult to get back on the horse, both literally and metaphorically. As he looks back, Castellano fights tears that are both of joy and sadness, for how far he has come in such a short period.

Javier Castellano won the Kentucky Derby earlier in May with his horse Mage, and now he has won the Belmont Stakes with another horse Arcangelo. He might be having a tough task choosing one out of both the champion thoroughbreds going ahead into competitions. But for now, Castellano can reap his rewards and look back fondly at his toughest phase of life, and how he emerged out of it.

From almost giving up to being twice the champion, equestrian inspires all

Javier Castellano, who is currently 45 years old, was asked by reporters of DRF if it was time to retire at age 43 i.e. 2 years ago. He replied to DRF, “Two years ago, I was struggling. Mentally, I was ready to give up and walk away”, as he was dealing with multiple health complications.

He continued, “I was upset because I knocked on the door of every single stable, every single barn, and I don’t see any feedback at all. I thought maybe this is it. The summer of 2021 I was really, really depressed”.

He had initially suffered from COVID, putting his health at risk. Things went downhill when he underwent hip surgery on top of COVID. The prosperous name he had made for himself was slowly seeming to die off.

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Castellano had the decision to make – whether to keep fighting to continue being a jockey or to retire. Needless to say, he took the braver decision of the two, and now it has paid him off in a bountiful amount.

His belief in family and the almighty gave him the courage to keep going

From being depressed and not finding a single thoroughbred to race with to winning 2 out of the 3 Triple Crown events in just a matter of 2 years, is the stuff of fairy tales. Castellano made it happen. He further conceded, “I talked with my family and my family support me in my career and they said if it’s time go that’s okay, we are here”, showing the immense impact family support can have in writing success stories.

When Castellano won the Kentucky Derby with Mage, he was emotional. He had previously won the Preakness Stakes in 2006 and 2007, but this one was special for many reasons, the least of which is his comeback from an illness. Castellano was surprised and overwhelmed minutes after his win, as he thanked the Lord in the interview with a reporter. Little did he know then, that he would script another such moment in a month’s time.

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