Trailblazing Puerto Rican jockey Eddie Belmonte dead at 83

Eddie Belmonte, the first Puerto Rican jockey to win an American Triple Crown race, passed away on Wednesday at age 83.

Born into a racing family in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Belmonte began riding professionally in the early 1960s and quickly became a leading jockey in Puerto Rico in 1963 and 1964. He later enjoyed successful stints in New York, Florida, and California before his retirement in 1976.

In 1966, Belmonte rode Exhibitionist to a ninth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, becoming the first Puerto Rican jockey to ride in a Triple Crown race.

Four years later, he rode Personality to victory in the Preakness, giving Belmonte his historic Triple Crown race victory. The 3-year-old went on to voted Horse of the Year by the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, with Belmonte also aboard for wins in the Wood Memorial and Woodward.

The well-traveled rider made the most ambitious trip of his career in 1973, when he traveled to France to ride El Famoso in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Belmonte was roommates with fellow Puerto Rican jockey Angel Cordero Jr. early in Cordero’s career. Both riders were born in Santurce, and Cordero has described Belmonte’s tough guidance as motivation for him to rise through the ranks in New York.

In 1969, the Puerto Rican musical group, Ismael Rivera Y Sus Cachimbos, released the song “Cordero Y Belmonte,” honoring the fierce, high-profile rivalry between the two native riders.

The New York Times reported that Belmonte attempted to come out of retirement in 1977, but shortly following a victory at Aqueduct, he collapsed due to intense dieting and rapid weight loss. He later worked as an agent, finish-line judge, and instructor at the Escuela Vocacional Hipica, the state-run jockey training academy in Puerto Rico.

Belmonte became the subject of controversy in 1980, when he was suspended and then barred from working at NYRA tracks due to allegations of race fixing. He was one of 11 jockeys implicated by former rider Jose Amy, whose 1979 testimony eventually led to the conviction of jockey Con Errico. The New York State Racing and Wagering Board ultimately refused to renew Belmonte’s license in 1981.

Of the 10 highest earning jockeys in North America last year, four of them - Irad Ortiz Jr., Jose Ortiz, John Velazquez, and Manny Franco - were born in Puerto Rico.

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