How American Pharoah's jockey went from rags to riches
LOS ANGELES -- At 5 feet 2 inches tall, Victor Espinoza, 43, is a giant in the world of horse racing. In his 27 years as a jockey, he's competed more than 21,000 times -- a feat he never imagined as a child, growing up poor with 11 siblings on a farm in Mexico.
He didn't have much, but Espinoza dreamed big. One night he saw a program about Bill Gates on television and became fascinated with the idea of success. He read books written by millionaires in an attempt to learn how they became successful and wealthy.
He learned that to succeed, he needed to set goals. He was inspired to become a jockey after living with his brother, a horse trainer. Espinoza drove a bus in Mexico City to pay his way through jockey school. By the time he was 23, Espinoza had made his first million.
"I always think about goals and train myself to win," said Espinoza. "You know, like I go up there, and each race is always, in my mind, is just to win. That's it, nothing else."
Espinoza has used that strategy to win more than 3,000 races. He donates 10 percent of his winnings to charity. But one goal he has yet to achieve is the Triple Crown.
It's not for a lack of trying -- he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in 2002 and 2014, but both times he lost at Belmont. When asked what the highlight of his racing career has been, Espinoza told us it hasn't come yet.
"Waiting for Saturday," he said.
Espinoza has never been one to rest on his laurels. He told us he doesn't feel satisfied by his prior accomplishments because he thinks he can always raise the bar.
"I think I still need to do more," he said. "Doesn't matter how many years I have been riding, the next day I think I can do better."
He'll get his chance on Saturday at Belmont, where a win with American Pharaoh would put him in the history books as the first jockey to win the Triple Crown since 1978.
