Page 153 - Speedhorse April 2019

“If you really love it, you’re going to do everything possible to make the dream come true and continue the success that you get.”
Q: You mentioned the family tradi- tion in racing. Is that what made you decide to become a jockey?
A: “Yeah. I’d always been around the track. I worked the gates when I was in high school.
I galloped. I groomed. I did it all from the bottom: grooming horses, cleaning stalls, hand walking them, then becoming a rider.”
Q: Were there some veteran jockeys who gave you advice along the way, and if so who were they?
A: “A lot of people. I can’t just list everybody. It took everybody. Just a lot of people. I asked everybody I could [for advice].”
Q: Any particular lessons or advice that stand out to you?
A: “Pretty much, they all said to just keep trying. Just keep fighting for what you like and it’ll come within time. My dad, Gilbert Silva, and Larry Payne, Rodrigo Vallejo, all those veteran riders helped me a bunch. Gave me tips here and there. Also there was a Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse rider, Brian Theriot from Louisiana.”
Q: What do you think needs to hap- pen to keep Quarter Horse racing growing?
A: “I guess it comes back to that passion. If you really love it, you’re going to do every- thing possible to make the dream come true and continue the success that you get. If you don’t love it and don’t have the dedication for it, it’s hard to succeed. The easiest part
is to get to the top, but the toughest part is to maintain.”
Q: What’s your routine on race day?
A: “Race day is just drink coffee, work horses in the morning and then just staying positive about the races. You stay positive, you stay straight and everything goes good.”
Q: What’s something about being a jockey that most people don’t know or don’t realize?
A: “There’s a lot of it. The dieting. The travel- ing. The time away from your family. All that dedication that goes into the work, to live your whole life. There are no days off, there are no
hours off, you get phone calls all times of the day. When you get a day off and they call you, you’ve got to travel somewhere.”
Q: What’s the best horse that you’ve ridden and why?
A: “There’s a lot of them. I wouldn’t be able to tell you which one. There are some that were stakes horses and some that were claim- ers that stand out. They’re all special in their own little way.”
Q: What advice would you give
to anyone else looking to enter
the field?
A: “Pretty much forget about your free time
in life. If you really want to make it to the top, you’ve got to love it. You’ve got to have the pas- sion for it. You’ve got to dedicate yourself 24/7 and pretty much forget about all the weekends and holidays and family and everything. You’ve got to dedicate yourself to the horses. And don’t ever give up. Just keep trying. Before
you know it, you’ll be at the top, without even expecting it.”
Agustin Silva pilots Jess Move You to victory in the 2018 $759,197 Ruidoso Derby-G1
SPEEDHORSE, April 2019 151
THE BACKSIDE