Page 114 - December 2021

THE BACKSIDE
RICARDO MORENO
A Jockey’s Perspective
by John Moorehouse
“If you have a passion for horses and being a jockey is what you want to do, then try your hardest and remember you can never stop learning.”
HOME BASE: “My home base is south of Lethbridge, Alberta, with my wife and 19-month-old daughter.”
YEARS EXPERIENCE: 8
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS: In 2019, he was named both Wrangler Challenge Champion Jockey and Nutrena Challenge Champion Jockey. Leading rider in Alberta in 2015-18, and from 2019-21. (Moreno’s 2017 season was disrupted by a broken arm).
HOBBIES:“I really enjoy soccer, boxing, and hanging out with friends and family.”
T
from his home in Guadalajara, Mexico, to the Alberta province of Canada, looking to make a name for himself as a professional jockey.
“I saw big riding opportunities for me here,” Moreno said.
That said, the move was a major challenge. Moreno wasn’t just moving away from home, or to
wo thousand, five hundred and fifty-one miles.
That’s the distance Ricardo Moreno traveled
another country, but did so speaking zero English. Taking that chance has paid off for Moreno,
both on and off the track. Heading into the
final month of 2021, Moreno had 25 wins and more than $222,000 in earnings in Quarter Horse races for the year. His winning percentage, 32.05%, tops all Quarter Horse jockeys for 2021, according to AQHA standings. He’s had 170 victories and nearly $1.2 million in prize money
Ricardo and Hailey Moreno are pictured in 2017. Speedhorse Archive Photo/Susan Bachelor
Ricardo Moreno is pictured, from left, with Deborah, Ashley, and Jack Williams in 2019 at the Bank of America Challenge Championship Weekend in Albuquerque. Speedhorse Archive Photo/Susan Bachelor
112 SPEEDHORSE December 2021