Lopez brings riding skills, class to Hastings

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – David Lopez has been a welcome addition to the jockey colony at Hastings this year. The veteran rider has won 1,160 races since he arrived in North America in 2001. His first win came at Hialeah Park.

“I think it was the last year they ran there,” Lopez said. “It was a shame because it was a beautiful track.”

Lopez is originally from Peru, where he grew up in a racing family. He was the leading apprentice in his home country before moving to the United States. He started his riding career in 1996.

“I grew up around horses,” he said. “My dad was a jockey, my uncle is a trainer, and my sister Mary is also a jockey. I was doing well riding in Peru, but all the riders in Peru want to come to the United States and ride with the best jockeys in the world.”

Lopez eventually headed west and became a fixture in Northern California in 2002. His best year riding there was in 2005, when he won 177 races and his mounts earned nearly $3.1 million. In total, his mounts in North America have earned $19.5 million.

In typical Northern California fashion, he won the $150,000 California Derby with Bwana Bull in 2007, only to be replaced by Russell Baze in the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby, which he won, and the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, in which he finished fifth.

He will be riding first call for owner Glen Todd and trainer Troy Taylor at Hastings.

“I’ve been lucky to ride a lot of nice horses in my career,” Lopez said. “One of the reasons I came to Hastings was being able to ride for Glen and Troy. It is a great team, and they have a lot of good horses in their barn.”

Prior to coming to Hastings, Lopez had never ridden on a bullring. He is a quick study, though, and has learned what it takes to be a successful rider here.

“The first thing is to be on the best horse,” he said. “Saving ground is critical. Everyone sends pretty hard leaving the starting gate, so getting good position early is also important. I am starting to feel pretty comfortable here now.”

Todd is very happy with how Lopez has adapted to his new surroundings.

“First off, you couldn’t ask for a nicer person,” he said. “He’s a real gentleman, and everyone that has met him here has been very impressed. He’s also an excellent rider. He’s a very strong finisher and can really get a horse to relax. I know he will be limited because he rides first call for us, but anyone that doesn’t want to ride him here is crazy.”

Lopez is just starting to take advantage of the many outdoor recreational activities in the Vancouver area. His first “mountain climbing” experience was an eye opener to him. In reality, it was just a walk up the Stawamus Chief, a popular hiking destination near Squamish, about an hour outside Vancouver on the way to Whistler.

“I had the wrong shoes on, and when I slipped a few times I thought I was done for,” Lopez said. “I’ll be better prepared next time. It was pretty spectacular with waterfalls in the mountains and the ocean just below.”

Lopez plans to bring his wife, Caroline, and their two daughters, Alondra, 7, and Cassandra, 2, to Vancouver soon.

“I really like it here, and it will be nice to have the whole family join me,” he said. “It’s really a great opportunity for me.”