2023 Eclipse Awards: Jaime A. Torres

Jaime A. Torres wrapped up his riding apprenticeship in October, and the $4,255,679 in mount earnings he won with the bug last year is one of the central reasons he is an Eclipse Award finalist for outstanding apprentice jockey of 2023.

The total ranked second among all North American-based apprentices in 2023, and it was achieved in less than a calendar year as Torres began riding as a journeyman on Oct. 15.

:: Full list of 2023 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories

During his time as an apprentice in 2023, he won 85 races from 667 starts. Torres ranked as the leading apprentice on the New York Racing Association circuit for 2023. The 24-year-old native of Puerto Rico was humbled by the title, he told NYRA.

“No one in my family is related to this sport,” Torres said. “I remember one day I was at my mom’s home just changing the channels and I saw the races in Puerto Rico and I had never seen anything like that – only in the movies. I went to the races the next day – that was December 15, 2019. I saw the races and fell in love with it. I decided then to ask for more information about how to get into it.”

Torres attended a jockey school in Puerto Rico and later worked as an exercise rider for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. in Florida. The rider’s first win came Sept. 17, 2022, at Gulfstream Park.

Torres has since made a smooth transition to journeyman status, winning the first two stakes races of his career on a single card Dec. 23 at Fair Grounds.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.