Hall of Famer Vasquez ends 14-year layoff as trainer
Jacinto Vasquez was accustomed to a strict diet as a Hall of Fame jockey. But even now, at 74, the retired reinsman watches very closely what he eats.
“I was sick for 10 years” with ulcerative colitis, Vasquez said recently from his Ocala, Fla., base. “But I’m finally feeling good again.”
In celebration, Vasquez would like to win the sixth race Wednesday at Gulfstream Park in South Florida, where he will be represented by his first starter as a trainer in nearly 14 years by the filly Mortal Storm in a $40,000 maiden-claiming race.
Vasquez retired from riding in 1996 after a sensational career in which he won the Kentucky Derby twice, with Foolish Pleasure (1975) and Genuine Risk (1980), and was the regular rider of the legendary Ruffian. He trained off and on from 1996 to 2004, winning with 19 of 127 starters, but his illness eventually sidelined him.
:: Wager on racing at Gulfstream Park with DRF Bets
About two years ago, he said, a doctor befriended him and steered him into a more rigid lifestyle that greatly eased the symptoms of his colitis. He began exercising horses in Ocala again, including for his late friend and fellow Hall of Famer, LeRoy Jolley, and he gets on the two horses he currently trains at the Classic Mile, including Mortal Storm.
“I drink coconut water and probiotics,” Vasquez said. “I can eat fried chicken, fried fish, but no dairy and no sugar. I got up to 170 pounds taking prednisone and steroids, but I’m back down to 130. I’m doing real good.”
Mortal Storm, a 3-year-old daughter of Tale of Ekati, was a mere $1,000 yearling purchase whose original owner, Cesar Nieves of La Surestada Stable, has died since the filly finished a fast-closing second at 53-1 when in for a $16,000 tag in her July 22 debut at Gulfstream. Henry Collazo was listed as trainer because Vasquez said he was unable to secure the required workmen’s compensation at the time. In the interim, Tommy Roberts privately bought Mortal Storm, and now she’s in Wednesday with Vasquez as trainer.
“She should have won first out,” Vasquez said. “She’s not a bad filly. Hopefully, she will win.”
Vasquez, a native of Panama who rode 5,231 winners, said his life in racing has been a blessed one.
“I enjoy getting up and being around them,” he said. “I’ve got to do something, and this is it. I’m just thankful to feel good again.”
◗ Wednesday is normally dark at Gulfstream, but this nine-race Wednesday card was slotted to meet a specified number of dates as required under the track’s licensing agreement with the state. First post is 1:15 p.m. Eastern, and the jackpot for the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (races 4-9) stands at $73,061.
