It took two magical minutes in 2022 for Sonny Leon to become a household name, forever and always a Kentucky Derby winner. Nestled among names like Smith, Velazquez, and Castellano, his winning ride aboard 80-1 longshot Rich Strike will forever mark him in one of racing’s most precious record books. No one stumbles into a Derby mount. Far from the public eye the vast majority of his 11-year career, it has always been a march for the 35-year-old rider, a grinding search for recognition and respect in a sometimes unforgiving business. There’s always another rung on the ladder, and Leon is approaching one now. Soon enough, his triumph in the Derby will be one of 1,000 victories, a milestone he has been chasing since his days at Mahoning Valley. Moving from Tampa Bay Downs to Monmouth Park in May, he has picked up nine more wins, bringing him to 994 in his career. “It’s a big goal,” Leon said of the milestone. “For a jockey, it’s a big achievement. When I was coming here 10 years ago, I didn’t know if I was going to win 1,000 here. The opportunity came to me.” With four mounts so far this weekend, including 3-year-old colt National Law in the $200,000 Delaware Derby, Leon may not hit his four-digit goal in the immediate future. It’s still coming, however, and when it does, he said he wants to dedicate it to his parents. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Growing up in Venezuela, William Rolando Leon Mendoza wanted to be a jockey but was dissuaded by his father. He raised his son in a diametrically opposed fashion, insisting that Leon become a jockey and travel to the United States. Leon’s mother, Ana Magdalena Gutierrez Pirto, made sure that Leon claimed his father’s dream as his own and supported him unconditionally. Like his Derby victory, his 1,000th win will go back to them. “They’re the reason I’m here,” Leon said. “I feel grateful, because if it wasn’t for them, I don’t know what I would be doing. I don’t know if I would be here in this moment, or what in my life I would be doing. The way my dad pushed me, no one else would do it.” From the moment he arrived in the United States, Leon developed a profound appreciation for the industry here, observing a level of care for the horses that had previously been unknown to him. It took him several years to gain solid footing as a jockey, but he eventually found his niche in Ohio, where he became the leading rider at Mahoning Valley in 2020 and 2021. The day before the 2022 Kentucky Derby, he rode six horses at Belterra Park. Earlier that winter, he began looking for mounts at Turfway Park in Kentucky and landed on the horse of a lifetime. Rich Strike spent his winter in training there before sneaking off the also-eligible list on the first Saturday in May. National recognition meant more than a moment in 2022 for Leon, as his Derby victory also gave him new opportunities. He moved his base to Florida later that summer and slowly earned mounts at Tampa Bay Downs and Gulfstream Park. It was a homecoming of sorts, as he first began working there when he arrived in the United States in 2015. Last month, he and agent Steve Worsley agreed that the Mid-Atlantic region provided “something new.” His trip to Delaware this weekend will be his first significant venture outside Monmouth since he moved north. “I like the people and the people like me,” Leon said. “They gave me opportunities and everything’s going well. It’s all going well for me.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.