Jockey Jose Luis Rodriguez taking Louisiana by storm

A glance at the Fair Grounds jockey standings the morning of Dec. 9 makes you look twice. Deshawn Parker, Alexander Castillo, and Jareth Loveberry occupy positions in the top five.

James Graham, winner of multiple Fair Grounds riding titles, is a modest 6 for 41. Adam Beschizza, leading rider at the 2018-19 meet and a stalwart in seasons since, is 1 one 37. Mitchell Murrill, who rode 135 winners the last two full Fair Grounds meets combined, is winless from 17 mounts. Reylu Gutierrez started the 2021-22 season hot, and his 11 winners place him in a tie atop the standings with . . . Jose Luis Rodriguez?

You’re forgiven for drawing a blank. Rodriguez is 11-8-11 from 46 mounts at the meet, a remarkable start for a jockey who only began riding in the United States a couple months ago and through Thursday had mounts in a mere 57 American races.

Rodriguez, 31, was born and raised in Venezuela and rode there professionally before settling into a successful career in Panama. Early this summer, Rodriguez decided to make the move to North America, and with an assist from trainer Jose Camejo, also a Venezuelan, he obtained a jockey’s license in August. Camejo hooked him up with a little-known Louisiana agent, Jonathan Koury, and when Rodriguez won with five of his first 13 mounts at Louisiana Downs and Delta Downs, he was on his way.

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The trainer Shane Wilson, who has a full barn at Fair Grounds and already has compiled a 7-6-8 record from 46 runners at the meet, contacted Koury after Rodriguez had a four-win night at Delta. Wilson and Camejo have given Rodriguez steady business at Fair Grounds as have other Louisiana outfits, and since Rodriguez clearly has talent, his business base figures to expand in coming weeks.

“I know it seems crazy but looking at the condition book before the meet started, I thought he could be where he is,” said Koury, 40, a one-time bar manager who began representing jockeys when he took Erica Murray’s book in 2018.

Rodriguez is the son of Jose Luis Rodriguez, a well-known Venezuelan jockey widely known as “El Pumita.” Rodriguez Sr. rode 17 winners riding in America for one year, 1995, and now works as an exercise rider for trainer Michelle Lovell.

“His dad was one of the best – really one of the best,” said Camejo. “He got schooled form his dad and he rode with some of the best riders in Panama. He’s a good jockey.”

It’s not just words of praise from Camejo, who named Rodriguez to ride his two main hopes on the Dec. 10 Louisiana Champions Day card, odds-on favorite Ova Charged in the Ladies Sprint and Behemah Star in the Classic.

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