Juan"JJ" Hernandez has had a rapid ascent to success in Northern California racing. Since he arrived at Golden Gate Fields from Mexico City in 2008 he has ridden over 1000 winners for purse earnings of more than $18,000,000. JJ talked to Thoroughbred People about his riding career so far.

TBP: JJ Where are you originally from and how did you get started as a rider?

JJ: I am from Mexico City, I started riding races at the Mexico City track in 2008. My father was a quarter horse rider and rode in match races as well, so I grew up with that around me and I always wanted to be a jockey from an early age. My dad was galloping for a trainer so I got a job as a groom at the track and graduated to learning to gallop horses. Then I got licensed to ride as a jockey. I was leading rider when I was a bug boy in 2009, I rode over 200 winners in Mexico.

TBP: How did you transition to the US?

TBP: I had always been interested in US racing and used to watch all the Kentucky Derby and Breeders Cup races on TV, Curlin and Zenyatta were horses that made big impressions on me. Then I got a chance to ride in Puerto Rico's biggest race, the Grade 1 Caribbean Derby - the Clasico del Caribe. The best horses come from all over Latin America for the race, Venezuela, Panama, Mexico etc.. My horse finished second and after that it got me more interested in riding in big races so I decided to give the US a try. My agent had some family connections in racing here so I came to Golden Gate Fields.

TBP: How did you adapt to the Tapeta synthetic track at Golden Gate after riding on the dirt in Mexico?

JJ: It was straightforward and I actually like riding on Tapeta a lot, it's a very nice type of track to ride on.

TBP: Would you say you have a certain style as a rider?

JJ:Some people think I like to come late in a race from off the pace but I like riding front runners just as much and ride as many winners on the front end as I do on closers, but a lot of winners come from behind on Tapeta. I read the racing form before each race and see what the likely pace set up is going to be.

TBP: What do you like most about life as a jockey?

JJ: The fact that it doesn't seem like work to me, I love my "job" and I love horses, it seems very natural to me.

TBP: Are there any parts of the job that you don't like?

JJ: For me the only tough part of the job is not being able to eat what I would like to sometimes. I can ride at 113 when I need to and I go to the gym and workout regularly to stay strong and keep my weight good.

 TBP: Do you feel your riding has improved since you came to the US?

JJ: Yes for sure, there are some great riders here who I watched and learned from. When I came from riding races in Mexico I was a little green and they ride differently there, the jockeys in Mexico ride much more aggressively, it's a lot rougher style of racing than it is here and the stewards down there don't bring you in for incidents in a race like they do here. It took me a while to adapt to the style here and I got a lot of bans and days when I first started here but I improved a lot in that area.

TBP: Which riders did you follow early on and which riders do you respect the most?

JJ: David Flores is my favorite jockey, I think he is a great rider, very strong with a nice, unique style. He was also very good to me when I first started riding in Southern California and helped me out a lot with advice on things, like riding the sprint course down the hill.

TBP: You rode the great Shared Belief in his first ever race, tell us a little about that.

JJ: Yes I got the ride on him but I had never worked him before the race, I think Dennis Carr had been working him for his trainer at the time who was Jed Josephson. I remember Shared Belief as being very professional for a first time starter, even in the parade with the pony, a lot of horses first time they race are green and play around with the pony, but Shared Belief was all business. In the race we broke well and were sitting off the pace, and when I asked him he just took off and won easily. I was talking with my agent after the race and we knew he was a very good horse.

TBP: What is the biggest race you have won in your career so far?

JJ: My biggest race so far - I have won three Grade 3 Stakes, I won the San Francisco Mile on Hudson Landing, the Berkeley Handicap on Pepper Crown and the All American Stakes on Cigar Man and I am looking forward to riding more!

TBP: Do you have any horses who you ride regularly who you have got to know well or have become personal favorites?

JJ: It is always useful to ride horses several times in races because you get to know the horses style and habits, what they like and don't like, how they like to be handled and where they want to be placed early in a race, for example whether they like to be inside on the rail or outside and how they like to be ridden in general. I would say most horses are pretty straightforward but maybe 20 or 30% have quirks or preferences that are good to know about. 

TBP: What are your short term plans, are you looking to stay at Golden Gate Fields or do you think about moving to another track in the US?

JJ: I spent eight months riding down at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park and Del Mar and things went well there, but I am very happy here in Northern California. My family is here  and things are going well for me so I see no reason to change anything right now. In the future I would like to ride some nice horses and big winners and maybe get some experience riding abroad in place like Dubai.

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