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that helped me a lot. I’m not very shy. If I feel like there’s something I’m missing on a horse, I’m not afraid to ask somebody. I’ve asked questions of many of the trainers I grew up watching and still compete against. The worse they can tell you is no. I like to ask questions if there’s something I’m not sure about. Trey Wood, my dad rode for his dad Blane for many years as a kid. I was around when they ran their program, and our families continue to be good friends. I’ve watched Trey do many things: the way he schools them in the gates, how he works them, how they bring their babies along. That’s what you want to shape your program around, is someone successful like them. I’m good friends with Sleepy Gilbreath’s granddaughters and his son and his daughter. I’ve sat around and picked his mind. It’s kind of a blessing. Those guys, they always help you. You can always learn something from them. Listening to people who have had good horses and been successful. You always learn something from them.”
You mentioned you were super competitive. Take me back to your first races as a trainer and first win.
“My first win was actually a Thoroughbred filly that my brother and myself owned. I wasn’t even present at the
race. One of my best friends, he was getting married, and I was part of the wedding party. ... As we were finishing up pictures, my phone was going off. My brother was yelling my filly had won. She was a longshot. I didn’t get to experience my first win as
a trainer. I was excited but I had so much going on I really didn’t get to experience it.”
Do you have a set method when it comes to training, or do you try to base it off the horse?
“I try to run everything kind of on a program, put every horse on the same kind
of program. But every horse is different. I try them all on the program that, probably, 85- 90% of the horses we have in training are on. If that doesn’t work for them, we try to do what’s best for them and we’ll tweak their program however we have to.”
What’s been the top moment for you so far as a trainer?
“There’ve been a couple. Me and Toby when we tied [at Lone Star], that was pretty cool. I look up to Toby. I watched his horses run for a long time. He had many good horses like that and when you get to see your name with people like Toby and Trey Wood and Rolando Almanza and Heath Taylor, that’s pretty cool. Those stakes races, Colby James and Bigg Dee winning, those have to be the highlight.”
What are some of your future goals?
“Short term for now is just win any kind of futurity, any kind of derby that we can. A stakes race, any of those races that are highly competitive. You want to win those. If you ask anybody in the industry, they’re going
to tell you the same thing: it’s to win the All American.” [Editor’s note: Gonzales II won the All American Futurity as a jockey and finished second as a trainer.]
What do you think needs to be done to attract more young people to the industry?
“I think we have to be as welcoming and enjoyable as we can. When people are having fun and you’re welcoming and they’re enjoying it, the best way for things to happen is word
of mouth. That travels fast. One person tells another person and another person and before you know it, if 10 people buy into one horse, that’s 10 new people to the industry. If we can figure out a way for the industry as a whole to make it welcoming for new people, I think our industry will be around forever. I’ve been very fortunate. People have made me feel welcome, the track people, the management at all the tracks, the opposing trainers, owners, jockeys. They’ve helped me a lot. They’ve welcomed me.”
Anything else you’d like to add?
“Thank you to our grooms, our jockey Mario Delgado, and all our owners.”
THE BACKSIDE
J.J. with his father and brothers.
“People have made me feel welcome, the track people, the management at all the tracks, the opposing trainers, owners, jockeys.
They’ve helped me a lot. They’ve welcomed me.”
SPEEDHORSE March 2022 139
J.J. in the winner’s circle (3rd from right) after Whirlaway Wagon won the 2021 Texas Classic Juvenile under Mario Delgado for owner Robert Chacon.
Dustin Orona Photography