“Life is a movie for Torres after Preakness win”

It's been a meteoric rise to stardom for 25-year-old jockey Jaime Torres. Just four and a half years after deciding to become a jockey, the Puerto Rico native reached the pinnacle of his sport as a trainer Seize the Gray to a gate-to-wire victory in the Preakness Stakes (G1) on May 18 Pimlico Racecourse.

“I don't know how to explain it. It's like a movie, but in real life,” Torres said.

Torres only began riding after attending the races at the Camarero racetrack in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico in 2019. He fell in love immediately and discovered he had a new passion.

Torres decided he needed to pursue his passion and drop out of college. He enrolled at the Escuela Vocacional Hípica in Camarero to learn horse riding.

“When I quit college, I really thought, ‘If I quit, I have to make it,” Torres said.

Since that moment, Torres has shown an unwavering dedication to his craft.

“I haven’t rested since then,” Torres said. “I worked very hard. I didn’t think it would happen, I worked for it.”

After moving to the continental United States, Torres began riding training in Florida for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. He competed in his first race in August 2022 and celebrated his first winner just over a month later.

“I’m very blessed, I had a lot of people who taught me,” Torres said. “My advice to young people just starting out is to focus and listen, that's the best thing you can do. There are a lot of people who want to help, so you just have to listen and make an effort.”

Someone who has helped Coach Torres is the “Trainer” himself, Seize the Grey's Hall of Fame Coach D. Wayne Lukas.

“He rode a few horses for me at Churchill (Downs) and a few regular horses, nothing really special,” Lukas said. “I thought he had a lot of talent and I enjoyed working with him, but I feel really good about taking him to this level.”

Lukas received calls from about six jockey agents inquiring about riding Seize the Gray in the Preakness after Torres rode him to victory in the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G2) on May 4 Churchill Downs.

“They said, 'You're going to change the driver for the big one, aren't you?'” Lukas said. “I said, 'No way, he'll stay right there.'”

Lukas recalled that just weeks before the Preakness, Torres rode one of his horses in a way that Lukas didn't like. He followed Torres all the way back to the athlete's room and “finished him off.”

“I know when he turned around heading home (to the Preakness), it was echoing in his ears that he better lay down and scrub because I really think it hit him,” Lukas said.

Torres appreciates that a coach like Lukas gave him the opportunity to learn and develop.

“It means a lot, it means everything,” Torres said of Lukas’ support.

His parents were also grateful for surprising Torres by competing in the Preakness. At the press conference after the race, they thanked the connections that gave their son a chance.

“Thank you for trusting a jockey who only has two years of riding experience,” Torres' father, also named Jaime, said in translated remarks. “I would just like to thank trainer Wayne Lukas (MyRacehorse founder) Michael (Behrens) very much for his trust. We are blessed for this opportunity.”

All the coaching worked perfectly in the Preakness as Torres braked sharply and had the opportunity to steal the race from him as the leader.

“That was plan A, to go to the top,” said Torres. “I wondered what (Performance ) would be enough, I didn't want to go crazy quickly in the first part. When I saw (Imagination jockey Frankie Dettori) holding on, I just went for it.

Torres said Seize the Gray felt comfortable throughout the entire 1 3/16-mile distance. Although he felt the presence of another horse on his outside, which Torres later found out won the Kentucky Derby (G1). Mysticism Dan , he knew he had won the race at the quarter pole. According to Torres, it was a moment to dream of when Seize the Gray changed the lead and started toward the finish line.

The Preakness marked Torres' 147th career victory in 1,259 starts. Seize the Gray had given Torres his first graded stakes victory two weeks earlier and now gave him his first Grade 1 in one of the American classics.

“I have to give the horse credit,” Torres said. “He’s the one who deserves all the attention.”

Torres has developed a strong bond with Seize the Gray, which is evident in the love he showed the horse at the victory celebration. The Preakness was the fifth race in which he rode the colt and the third time the pair won together.

Winning with Seize the Gray was extra special for Torres because of the colt's owners, MyRacehorse. The first Kentucky Derby he saw after realizing his dream of becoming a jockey was the 2020 edition Authentic won with the black and white silks of MyRacehorse. Torres was in awe when he saw the silks in his locker the day he rode Seize the Grey for the first time on July 29 Saratoga Race Tracka maiden race in which he won start-to-finish by 1 3/4 lengths.

“I thought, 'Wow, I'm going to ride for MyRacehorse,'” Torres remembers. “I won this race with Seize the Gray, so I’m very emotional for them.”

Every time Torres looks back on the career-changing moment he won in his Triple Crown debut, he will see himself in those silks that meant so much to him and the 2,000-plus shareholders who own a piece of the late's son mean Arrogant.

Although he just had a moment that ranks as one of the highlights of his life, Torres is already looking ahead to what winning the Preakness will mean for his blossoming career.

“Hopefully people believe in me more and give me more chances,” Torres said. “I think I can do better.”