FERRER DRAWS ON FAMILY INSPIRATION TO WIN BOOT BARN JOCKEY OF MONTH

By Mike Henry —-

FERRER DRAWS ON FAMILY INSPIRATION TO WIN BOOT BARN JOCKEY OF MONTH

OLDSMAR, FL. – As Omega Ms widened her lead with every stride in Sunday’s third race, jockey Jose Ferrer heard shouts of encouragement from his biggest fans above the muffled hoofbeats on the Tampa Bay Downs turf course.

“Ferr-err!”

Neither the 3-year-old filly nor her 60-year-old pilot needed further motivation to complete their 4 ¼-length victory in the maiden claiming event, but the cheering from his wife Steffi and sons Derek, 9, and Joey, 8, was another magical moment to be filed in Ferrer’s memory bank.

“I could see them (along the grandstand rail) coming down the lane, and I could hear Steffi screaming and hollering,” said Ferrer, whose mind’s eye might have jumped to the boys leaping in delight. “To see how much joy I’m able to bring to my family – that’s what keeps me going.”

Ferrer, whose physical condition approaches legendary status in the Oldsmar jockeys’ room, needs no extra incentive to adhere to a workout regimen that enables him to compete successfully against riders half his age. But his sons’ love of racing makes it easy to pretend it’s still 2018, when he stunned the Thoroughbred racing world by capturing 95 races at Monmouth Park to win the title, one of several in his career.

Earlier that year, Ferrer was recognized for a lifetime of achievement by his fellow jockeys around the country, who voted him the winner of the George Woolf Award, honoring the racing legend who died following a spill in 1946 at Santa Anita. The Woolf Award, which most recipients consider their career highlight, is given to a jockey whose career and personal character reflect positively on the sport.

Ferrer was feeling too good to stop riding then, and finishing second last season at Tampa Bay Downs with 56 triumphs – and riding Whelen Springs to victory at Monmouth Park in the Grade III Philip H. Iselin Stakes, a race he’d won 23 years earlier – stoked the fires hotter, just as his emotional 2021 Grade II Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby victory with Helium kept things flying high.

And this season, in the “what have you done for us lately?’ category, Ferrer has earned the Boot Barn Jockey of the Month Award for riding 11 winners from 36 starters to climb to 11th in the Tampa Bay Downs standings with 27 winners.

The Santurce, Puerto Rico product says he was not surprised to start slowly at the current meet, not with an influx of mid-Atlantic journeymen that led many longtime observers to declare the jockeys’ colony the deepest in track history.

So he began the meet, and each day, the way he always does, with coffee followed by a 1-hour workout in his Oldsmar garage he has converted into a workout haven. Steffi is a personal trainer also dedicated to fitness, making the couple a literal “feel(ing)-good” story.

“I have a big gym with all kinds of weighted machines, so I work out from 6-7 a.m. every day, seven days a week. Steffi is there to give me tips – ‘put your leg straight, put your arm over here, stretch, stretch’ – and she’s helped me develop a routine I can follow.”

Ferrer may have brought an extra measure of intensity, and joy, to his Easter morning workout on March 31, the day he turned 60. He’ll pit his fitness against that of any jockey here, and to date there does not appear to be any takers.

“You have to dedicate yourself if you want to compete with the younger generation. That’s why I stick to my routine. I don’t drink or smoke or take any drugs and I don’t take any pills, even aspirin. And I’m probably one of the lighter jocks in the room, 112 pounds, so I don’t have to go in the hotbox to pull weight,” Ferrer said. “I’m able to go out there real strong.”

Ferrer even rides a Ninebot electric scooter to get to and from the track and tool around the Tampa Bay Downs backside, which might not qualify as extreme exercise but can’t hurt and is also setting an example by keeping the environment a little healthier.

“Feeling good is huge in this business. I have to be on top of my game every day and I have to be better mentally and physically to compete against the 30 and 25-year-old jockeys going (6 furlongs) in a minute and 12 seconds,” he said. “But the main thing that keeps me going is my family, seeing how much pleasure it brings to them.”

Ferrer is happy to mentor any jockey who comes by his space. From how to strategize before a race to breaking from the gate, to trying to outthink their rivals and finishing strong, they know they can rely on his approachability, insights and advice.

His door is always open.

“If they are willing to listen to me, I’m happy to help them. I tell them to listen to what I say and grab the knowledge, and when I’m done to tell me what they think so we can have a good conversation,” Ferrer said. “Not everybody wants to listen. But I always believed you learn every single day in this game. These animals are not all the same – they are different individuals with different minds and different ways to run. So you learn with different horses every single day, and you never stop learning.”

Ferrer is unsure what’s next on his list of riding ambitions. With 4,763 career victories, he’s a longshot to get to 5,000. His 29 career graded-stakes victories, including last year’s Iselin, suggest it’s possible he’ll get another crack, or several, to ride a “big” horse – but who knows?

Regardless, he still approaches every race as if it were a big-money stakes.

“He still has his passion for the game, and you have to have that,” said trainer Kathleen O’Connell. “Jose is fit and stays active, and I think his kids help him stay super-active.”

But he’s 60 with two boys who maybe love soccer as much (or more) than racing, and he knows he’s playing catchup to talk the beautiful-game lingo with them and Steffi, who coaches their team.

Like a lot of guys beginning their seventh decade, it’s the little things that seem to take on more importance. That’s why Ferrer is headed to Gulfstream Park after the current Oldsmar meet, rather than his customary destination of Monmouth.

“I’m going to ride at Gulfstream on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and stay home the rest of the week,” he said. “My kids have their own friends here, and I don’t want to be pulling them out of school. Right now, I want to look out for the best interests of my wife and boys.”

Ferrer says the first thing most folks ask him is when, indeed, he is going to retire, and he hints the time might not be that far off. But like so many jockeys who keep going beyond 50, there is that gnawing question of what comes next.

He thinks he’d like to utilize the knowledge he’s acquired, and his ability to communicate with other riders and people of all descriptions, to work as a steward, continuing to contribute to the sport that has elevated him to such personal and professional heights.

“For 42 years I’ve made this business my life. I love to be on horses, I love to be around people and I enjoy teaching new kids,” he said. “So maybe in 2025 or 2026, I’ll go to the (steward) school and study for the test. A big part of it is watching races and talking to the riders, and I think I can be a very good influence.”

Around the oval. Apprentice jockey Gabriel Maldonado rode back-to-back winners today. He captured the second race on Tiz Herself, a 6-year-old Florida-bred mare owned by Barry and Manfred Roos and trained by John Rigattieri. Maldonado added the third race with Escape Key, a 4-year-old gelding owned by Backwards Stable and trained by Ramon Davila Aguayo.

Thoroughbred racing continues Saturday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:18 p.m. Tampa Bay Downs is open every day for simulcast wagering, no-limits action and tournament play in The Silks Poker Room and golf fun and instruction at The Downs Golf Practice Facility.