Luis Cardenas shows natural talent

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – In the summer of 2017, when he decided that he wanted pursue a career as a jockey, Luis Cardenas did what most people do when they’re interested in learning more about something.

He went to Google.

Cardenas, who had been working as a groom at Monmouth Park, googled “training centers near me.” He found one in Virginia, but when Cardenas called no one answered. Next on the list was the Webb Carroll Training Center in South Carolina. Cardenas called and inquired about working there. The next day he received a return call to come down.

Less than 2 1/2 years – and two injury setbacks – later Cardenas rode his first race. Six weeks into his career, Cardenas has seven wins from 68 mounts and has shown glimpses of being a supremely talented jockey with a bright future.

“This is kid is natural talent,” said Efraim “Pito” Rosa, a horseman-turned-security guard at the New York Racing Association who has worked with the likes of Jose and Irad Ortiz Jr. “Natural talent you cannot teach. Some of the guys have to work harder and they still don’t look like he does.”

Cardenas, 22, rode his first race on Dec. 12. He won his first race on Jan. 11. He won two races on Jan. 26 and in just 48 mounts went from a 10-pound apprentice to a seven-pound apprentice. He is up to seven wins now, all at Aqueduct. His victorious ride on Awillaway last Saturday for trainer Bob Klesaris was an example of his natural ability.

Initially instructed to go the lead, Cardenas sat chilly when longshot Ella’s Song streaked to the front. Cardenas stayed on the inside, and after Ella’s Song tired Cardenas guided Awillaway to the lead along the rail. Inside the eighth pole, jockey Kendrick Carmouche brought Trouble for Skylar right alongside Awillaway. Cardenas didn’t flinch, using his right hand on the reins and his left-handed stick to get the victory by three-quarters of a length.

“Kendrick goes from the three path right alongside the kid and he didn’t budge,” said P.J. Campo, the agent for Cardenas. “He kept getting down and riding. You don’t see that very often from a bug boy. It was kind of cool to watch.”

“This kid’s got a future,” Klesaris said. “He doesn’t have a lot of vices that a lot of them have. I think he’s got a shot. He has patience, and patience is the biggest thing in a rider.”

A native of Peru, where his grandfather was a jockey and his father an exercise rider, Luis Cardenas came to the U.S. in 2009. He lived in New Jersey, near The Meadowlands, where he would often go watch harness races and simulcasts of Thoroughbreds.

After graduating high school and trying college briefly, Cardenas began grooming horses at Monmouth for about a year. He would get on a pony in the afternoon, but wanted to learn more about riding.

He gained his first real riding experience at the Webb Carroll Training Center, getting on young horses. Travis Durr, a former Quarter Horse jockey, runs Webb Carroll. He remembered when Cardenas came to town.

“The kid had a really good work ethic. He wanted to learn,. He had a really good attitude,” Durr said. “You could tell how he sat on the horse. He had really good hands and listened to the stuff we taught him.”

Cardenas returned to the Northeast in January 2018. He got introduced to Randi Persaud and started getting on horses for him in the morning at Aqueduct. He was planning to return to Webb Carroll, but he dislocated his wrist when he slipped while running the bleachers at the local high school where he lived.

Cardenas became a freelance exercise rider before going to work for Bruce Levine in the fall of 2018. Cardenas worked for Levine for about eight months but suffered a fractured pelvis when a horse fell on him at Belmont in June 2019. He was out 10 weeks before returning to the saddle, working for several trainers including Leah Gyarmati, who has put him on two winners.

“He’s really good with horses that have issues; horses that get out, horses that are nervous, horses that are tough,” Gyarmati said. “He learned the right way. He’s bringing to the table a lot more experience with all kinds of situations than maybe young riders that are just starting.”

Cardenas had his first two-win day on Jan. 26, with his father and grandfather, who both live near him in New Jersey, in attendance.

“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to win so many races in a few weeks,” said Cardenas who makes the 60- to 80-minute commute daily from New Jersey where he lives with his fiancée. “A lot of people tell me, ‘You look good in the saddle.’ I just go out there and try to do the best that I can.”

According to Campo, Cardenas will now start riding at Parx on Mondays and Tuesdays. His opportunities in New York should only grow with his success plus the fact Declan Carroll, a popular five-pound apprentice, has left New York for New Orleans.

“If he has a real chance at an Eclipse, he can’t just ride three or four days in New York,” Campo said. “We’re going to make a big push. He’s got a ton of ability.”