From Shetland Ponies To Graded Stakes Winners: Brian, Colby Hernandez On Continuing Family’s Racing Legacy

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Colby Hernandez (left) and Brian Hernandez Jr. (right)

Thanks to a successful year for both Brian and Colby, the Hernandez brothers are quickly ascending up the ranks of jockey sibling duos.

Brian Hernandez Jr., 36, began galloping horses at the age of 12, growing up on the backside of Evangeline Downs in Louisiana. He began his career as a professional jockey in 2003 at Delta Downs and began going back and forth between the Louisiana and Kentucky circuits the following year. Brian currently has lifetime earnings of $99,790,140 and has won 2,271 races, as well as an Eclipse Award in 2004 as outstanding apprentice jockey.

Colby Hernandez, 31, followed quickly in his older brother’s footsteps with his first start as a professional jockey coming in 2006 at Evangeline Downs. Colby rode primarily on the Louisiana circuit until 2020 when the pandemic-related track closures prompted him to give the Kentucky circuit a try. He has gone back and forth between the two states ever since. Colby has current lifetime earnings of $51,375,010 and has won 2,334 races.

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Brian Hernandez Jr. 12th Jockey To Ride 700 Churchill Downs Winners

Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.

Brian Hernandez Jr. became only the 12th jockey in Churchill Downs history to ride 700 winners at the Louisville, Ky., home of the Kentucky Derby when the 35-year-old won Thursday’s third race aboard Dream On It for trainer Dallas Stewart.

Hernandez Jr., who began riding professionally in 2003, won his first race at Churchill Downs aboard Machine to Tower on May 27, 2004. Overall, the native of Lafayette, La., has won 2,233 races and his mounts have amassed more than $95.7 million from 16,164 starts during an 18-year riding career.

He won the Eclipse Award in 2004 as the nation’s champion apprentice jockey. In 2012, Hernandez Jr. won the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita aboard Fort Larned for his biggest career win.

The top 12 jockeys in races won at Churchill Downs: 1. Pat Day (2,482), 2. Calvin Borel (1,232), 3. Robby Albarado (1,192), 4. Corey Lanerie (1,151), 5. Julien Leparoux (982), 6. Don Brumfield (925), 7. Larry Melancon (914), 8. Jim McKnight (883), 9. Charlie Woods Jr. (757), 10. Shane Sellers (738), 11. Shaun Bridgmohan (728) and 12. Brian Hernandez Jr. (700).

Hernandez Brothers Both Win Stakes at Keeneland

Change of Control provided Colby Hernandez with his first Keeneland stakes victory.

 

When two siblings ride stakes winners at a track on the same card, more often than not it is the dynamic duo of Irad Ortiz Jr. and his brother, Jose—both Eclipse Award-winning jockeys.

But they aren’t the ones. On April 10 at Keeneland, brothers Brian Hernandez Jr. and younger brother, Colby, managed the unique accomplishment. Colby notched his first Keeneland stakes win on Change of Control  in the $100,000 Giant’s Causeway Stakes, a half-hour before Brian recorded his 12th Keeneland stakes triumph when he rode King Fury  to victory in the $200,000 Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G3).

It wasn’t the first time the two won stakes on a specific card, suspects Brian, the elder of the two.

 

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Jockey Brian Hernandez Cleared To Resume Riding Thursday At Churchill

Just after hearing that his Kentucky Derby mount, Art Collector, wouldn’t be entered in the race due to a minor foot injury, jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. found out that he had tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. He was subsequently taken off all mounts at Churchill on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The 34-year-old rider then took an antibody test on Tuesday, which was also positive.

According to the Daily Racing Form, Hernandez consulted with both local health officials and Churchill representatives, and eventually it was decided to allow him to resume riding on Thursday, “on the basis that he is not an infectious danger to others.”

Jockey Hernandez Tests Positive for COVID-19

Rider off Churchill Downs mounts Sept 1.

 

Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. reported Sept. 1 that he had tested positive for COVID-19, but that he is no longer contagious since he is also positive for the virus antibodies.

Hernandez was taken off the four mounts on which he was named for the Tuesday card at Churchill Downs that kicks off the week leading up to the rescheduled Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), and it was unclear when he would be able to resume riding. He had 25 mounts lined up for Sept. 1-4.

“We got the antibody results back,” Hernandez wrote in a text message. “I am positive for the virus but positive for the antibodies as well, which means I am no longer contagious. Now we are waiting for Churchill and the health department to tell us when we can go back to riding.”

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BRIAN HERANDEZ JR. SCORES CAREER WIN 2,000 THURSDAY AT FAIR GROUNDS

Afleet Roger_F_2019
Brian Hernandez, Jr, aboard Afleet Roger, wins his 2000th win at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, LA. Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir

New Orleans (December 19, 2019) – In 2004, Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. earned the Eclipse Award for outstanding apprentice jockey. A mere 15-years later in Thursday’s fifth race at Fair Grounds, the Lafayette, Louisiana native captured career win number 2,000 aboard Afleet Roger for trainer James Baker.

The 3-year-old gelding Afleet Roger broke alertly and was well-placed early, sitting just off the pace as the first flight of leaders went a quarter in: 23.99. Down the backstretch, Hernandez made a middle move down on the inside, took the lead at the half-mile pole and opened up down the stretch, running away from the field to win the $12,500 maiden claimer by 9 1/4thlengths in a final time of 1:46.98 for the 1 1/16 miles journey.

“When I first started, I never really thought I’d get to 2,000,” Hernandez said after the race. “It just started to get brought up and all of a sudden they were counting it down and I was getting closer and closer. To get to 2,000 is a cool milestone to have on a resume, now I just want to keep working hard and reaching for more.”

Brian Hernandez Jr. rode his first winner in 2003 at Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana. Just three  later, Hernandez was aboard Cielo Gold when winning the 2006 edition of the Indiana Derby (G2) giving the young jockey his first of 51 career graded stakes wins.

The highlight of Hernandez’s career came in 2012 when he guided the Ian Wilkes-trained Fort Larned to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). Locally, he is best known for his work with Girvin, winner of both the 2017 Risen Star (G2) and Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) for trainer Joe Sharp.

“As a young rider you are just excited to go out there and win as many races as you can,” Hernandez said. “Even to this day, years later, it’s fun to go out and win. We just try to win as many races as possible and we’re always looking for the next top level horse.”

 

Hernandez: Lanerie’s Presentation Of Churchill Leading Rider Trophy ‘Really Special’

by | 07.01.2018 | 7:26pm

Corey Lanerie presents the leading rider trophy to his friend, Brian Hernandez

Brian Hernandez Jr., winner of the 2012 Ellis Park riding crown, didn’t waste any time taking the first steps toward potentially another riding title, winning Sunday’s second race aboard Menacing on opening day of Ellis’ 2018 meet.

The Louisiana native was at Ellis the day after wrapping up his first riding title at Churchill Downs in his adopted hometown of Louisville, 43 wins to 38 for runner-up Florent Geroux. But the sheer joy that the accomplishment should have brought was countered by the anguish when the tight title tilt with his close friend and 15-time Churchill riding champ Corey Lanerie ended with the sudden death of Lanerie’s wife, Shantel.

Lanerie, who won the last two Ellis Park jockey titles, hasn’t ridden since June 21, when Shantel, who was undergoing treatment for Stage 1 breast cancer, had emergency surgery after an infected colon led to sepsis and cardiac arrest. She died the next day.

“It was a bittersweet moment,” Hernandez, who held a 36-35 lead over Lanerie on June 21, said of winning the title. “As everyone knows, Corey Lanerie and I were close in the standings, and his wife fell ill the last nine days of the meet and she succumbed to it. Our heart goes out to their family. It’s bittersweet to be able to win the title. But I wish we’d had Shantel here with us.”

Lanerie and their 10-year-old daughter, Brittlyn, came to Churchill’s closing day Saturday to be part of the presentation for the meet’s leading jockey.

“That was really special,” said the 32-year-old Hernandez, who in 2004 won the Eclipse Award as America’s outstanding apprentice jockey and in 2012 captured the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Fort Larned. “That was one of the requests Corey asked of me, to go ahead and try to win the title in Shantel’s memory. Like he said, if he couldn’t do it, she’d have loved for me to go ahead and do it. It was really special for him and Brittlyn to come down and get in the winner’s circle presentation and photo. It was just a special family moment.”

Hernandez spent one summer riding at Saratoga’s elite in upstate New York before deciding it made more business sense to stay at home in Kentucky with wife Jamie and their two young kids, riding at Ellis and shipping out for stakes for his clientele as needed.

“Especially the last couple of years, the 2-year-old program at Ellis has really gotten strong,” Hernandez said. “This is a great place to get young horses going in the summertime, and the track is always in great shape.”

Hernandez won 13 races at the 2017 Ellis meet, good for sixth place, while missing a lot of days to ride in stakes out of state.

“That will kind of be the same deal this summer,” he said. “We do emphasize the stakes program, then try to go around the country to ride the better horses. That’s really what it’s all about. You want to be able to pick up better horses and keep moving forward with them.

“And that’s one reason we do come to Ellis, because we pick up some nice 2-year-olds to go with the rest of the year and beyond. It makes it nice because you can come here and ride and then go home at night and spend quality time with the family. And with racing here only three days a week, it’s almost like a little summer vacation.”

Brian Hernandez Jr. Hits Churchill Downs Milestone

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Brian Hernandez Jr. registered his 500th Churchill Downs win on Thanksgiving Day

 

Louisiana native, Brian Hernandez Jr. became the 14th jockey in Churchill Downs history to ride 500 winners at the home of the Kentucky Derby when the 32-year-old won the seventh race on Thanksgiving Day aboard Rock Shandy for trainer Jordan Blair.

“It’s great to have my family here with me for this,” Hernandez said. “I’m thankful for all of the trainers and owners who have supported me throughout my career so far.”

Hernandez, who began riding professionally in 2003, won his first race at Churchill Downs aboard Machine to Tower on May 27, 2004. Overall, the native of Lafayette, La., has won 1,729 races and his mounts have amassed more than $63.8 million from 12,629 starts during a 15-year riding career.

He won the Eclipse Award in 2004 as the nation’s champion apprentice jockey. In 2012, Hernandez won the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita aboard Fort Larned for his biggest career win.