As Joe Ramos recovered from a near-fatal motorcycle accident in May of last year, he was dreaming of the places racing may lead him and hoping to resume his favorite job. A year later, this rising star is back in the saddle, daydreaming about roses, and awaiting his 151st Kentucky Derby (G1) ride on Flying Mohawk. With co-owner Jayson Werth and trainer Whit Beckman by his side, Ramos approaches this unforeseen opportunity with courage and gratitude, ready to turn his opportunity to compete in America’s largest race into a victory. Ramos, who grew up outside of San Juan, Puerto Rico, in Guaynabo and later Carolina, fell in love with horses at a young age, saying, “I’ve always loved horses.
One of my relatives purchased a property when I reached twelve and declared, “Your Christmas present will be a horse.” And that, in my opinion, is the greatest Christmas gift I have ever received. His grandfather introduced him to the racing at an early age. Ramos would arrive at his abuelo’s house after school to see the television broadcasting the day’s races. According to Ramos, his grandfather used to “say, ‘I don’t want you to grow because I want you to be my jockey,'” due of his diminutive size. After he had that thought in his head, Ramos started bringing a riding crop to school, which one of his teachers a jockey agent noticed. That incident sparked a crucial discussion on a career in the saddle.
“He said, ‘You tell your mom, I’ll take you there,'” Ramos recalled. “When I got home, I said, ‘Mom, my professor told me that he wants to take me to the jockey school because of my size, blah, blah, blah.'” ‘Oh, it doesn’t sound like a horrible idea,’ she says. I think your grandfather will adore that if you tell him. “Go for it,” he said when I told him. Ramos attended the Escuela Vocacional HÃpica, the jockey school at Hipódromo Camarero, which is close to San Juan, with the help of his family. After participating in the school’s jockey program until 3 p.m., Ramos attended school from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and then attended academic sessions for the last part of the school day. Sitting in a classroom that happens to be part of a racetrack definitely stirred something in this aspiring rider.
