Page 208 - September 2022

THE BACKSIDE
JESUS VALENZUELA
“Work hard and be really responsible and be patient for your time.”
WHAT’S YOUR ROUTINE ON RACE DAY?
“Pray for good luck and safety.”
YOU’VE FINISHED IN THE TOP 20 IN THE NATION IN QUARTER HORSE WINS IN EACH OF THE LAST FOUR YEARS. ANY SPECIAL REASON FOR YOUR SUCCESS?
“Working hard and being responsible.”
WHAT’S THE BEST OR FAVORITE HORSE YOU’VE RIDDEN, AND WHY? “JR Prissys Blood because she was a nice filly, and she gave me my first stakes win in Los Alamitos and second in the Distaff Challenge Championship.”
WHAT KIND OF EXERCISE AND DIET ROUTINE DO YOU KEEP TO MAINTAIN YOUR WEIGHT FOR RACING?
“I have been lucky and never had to stay on a diet to make weight. I eat whatever I want and as much as I want. Early on I learned to not cut weight. I got down to 106 and was too weak to ride. No specific exercise to stay in shape, just a lot of hard work.”
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE GOALS?
“Keep winning races.”
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A YOUNG PERSON WHO WANTED TO BECOME A JOCKEY?
“Work hard and be really responsible and be patient for your time.”
by John Moorehouse
HOME BASE: Ogden, Utah YEARS EXPERIENCE:
“I started riding in 2010.”
ACHIEVEMENTS OR PROFESSIONAL ASSOCATIONS:
2020 Leading Challenge jockey and leading jockey at Wyoming Downs for the last three consecutive years. Ranked third in the AQHA by wins in 2021.
HOBBIES: “I don’t have a lot of spare time because I am always racing.”
The winding road of life led Jesus Valenzuela from childhood in Mexico to northern Utah, where his record of accomplishments in the world of horse racing continues to grow.
“I grew up in Chihuahua, Mexico, and moved to California when I was 14,” Valenzuela said. “I lived on a ranch raising cows.”
Valenzuela was raised around livestock— cows and horses—his entire life. It wasn’t until he met trainer Rodolfo Viramontes that Valenzuela made his first inroads in the world of racing.
“I galloped and gated my first horses
in Acton, California, for him,” Valenzuela recalled. “One day I was with him and told him I wanted to start galloping. So, he put me on. I was wearing shorts and Converse tennis shoes. It just came naturally to me because I rode horses on the ranch my whole life.”
Now based out of Ogden, Utah, Valenzuela has built an impressive career as a jockey. He’s ranked in the top 20 in the AQHA by wins in each of the past four years—finishing in a tie for third, an all- time best, in 2021 with 89 victories.
Valenzuela has formed quite the combination in the Intermountain region with trainer Riley Moosman. Both Valenzuela and Moosman are based in Ogden, and Moosman ranked fourth in the AQHA in trainer wins last season.
“What’s neat about our deal is, being the trainer and the relationship with the rider, the whole barn is run between me and him a lot of times,” Moosman said. “That guy’s there every single day. If we need to gallop 10 head or 16 head, he’ll do it.”
“We work really hard during the winter,” Valenzuela said. “Winters are hard in Utah, and we don’t take any days off. We not only work together, but we are also friends—so we work hard to see each other do good.”
“If I didn’t have him, I couldn’t do it,” Moosman added. “We’re good friends.”
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BECOME A JOCKEY?
“I was raised around horses my whole life. I had friends with racehorses, so I got interested.”
YOU MENTIONED RODOLFO AS
A MENTOR. ANY SPECIFIC
LESSONS LEARNED?
“He taught me how to gallop and gave me
my first ride. Rodolfo taught me how to do everything, like galloping and breaking from the gates. He gave me the opportunity to ride.”
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TRACK TO RACE AT, AND WHY?
“I don’t have a favorite track. Just wherever I’m winning.”
206 SPEEDHORSE September 2022
Jesus Valenzuela’s most recent victory came in the Wyoming Downs Futurity on August 7 aboard JR Dash Of Coronado, owned & bred by JR Stables & trained by Riley Moosman.
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