Espinoza gets first win back aboard St. Joe Bay in San Carlos

ARCADIA, Calif. – The first horse jockey Victor Espinoza worked when he returned to the track earlier this year at Santa Anita was the veteran 7-year-old gelding St. Joe Bay. So it was entirely appropriate that when Espinoza finally got back to the winner’s circle for the first time since July, since an awful morning-training accident at Del Mar that nearly ended his career, it was with the hard-knocking St. Joe Bay, who scored a 15-1 upset in the Grade 2, $200,702 San Carlos Stakes on Saturday.

There were many difficult moments along the way for Espinoza, who had to undergo extensive rehabilitation to even regain a livable range of motion, let alone climb aboard a half-ton animal going 35 miles per hour. And then in early March, after just two mounts, he had to put his comeback on hold anew owing to the suspension of racing at Santa Anita.

“It’s exciting, to be in the winner’s circle,” Espinoza said after receiving a heartfelt chorus of cheers from the crowd when track announcer Frank Mirahmadi said, “Let’s hear it for Victor Espinoza, everyone” when he arrived at the winner’s circle.

“I was happy to be back riding, working horses, but there’s nothing like winning, especially a big race,” Espinoza said. “It puts you at a different level, mentally and physically. There have been a lot of ups and downs, not knowing if I would ride again.”

St. Joe Bay took the lead in the opening quarter of the seven-furlong race and never looked back. He set fractions of 22.45 seconds for the opening quarter, 45.22 for the half, and six furlongs in 1:10.41 en route to a final time of 1:24.06 on the fast main track. He finished three lengths in front of runner-up Dr. Dorr.

Kanthaka was another 1 1/4 lengths back in third, then came, in order, Solid Wager, Ax Man, Zatter, and Touching Rainbows.

St. Joe Bay was claimed by trainer John Sadler for brothers Kosta and Pete Hronis for $62,500 last May. He had won once in six starts for them since then, and most recently had finished fifth of six in the Palos Verdes on Jan. 19.

Saturday’s win was the seventh in 36 starts for St. Joe Bay, who is by Saint Anddan. He had finished second in the San Carlos last year when it was run in June, beaten a head as a 42-1 shot in his first start off the claim.

Espinoza had worked St. Joe Bay recently, and said he noticed improvement from earlier in the year. Still, he admitted, “I never thought he’d win that easily.”

After what he’d been through the last eight months, Espinoza deserved to have something easily come to him.