Woodbine jockey Omar Moreno had plenty of wins in 2010, 146, to be exact. But the biggest victory of his young career might come away from the Toronto oval, Monday evening at the Eclipse Awards in Miami.
He rode into last year’s thoroughbred campaign with a full head of steam, armed with a 2009 Sovereign Award as Canada’s top apprentice rider and a growing reputation as an up and coming talent.
At season’s end, Moreno, who won his first race with his first mount, Fortress Mountain, on August 10, 2008, at Grand Prairie, Alberta, finished fifth in the Toronto oval standings, courtesy of 126 victories.
Now, he’ll look to add another big score, as he seeks to become the fourth Canadian-based rider (Mickey Walls, 1991; Neil Poznansky, 1996; Emma-Jayne Wilson, 2005) to take home the coveted Eclipse Award as North America’s champion apprentice.
“I really haven’t been nervous yet,” said Moreno, who won four stakes races in 2010, including his first with Invitation Only on September 6, in the Simcoe Stakes at Woodbine. “To be honest, I’m more nervous about the travelling part than the award itself. But I know that will change when I get to Miami.”
Moreno, who made the transition from apprentice to journeyman late in the campaign, has had time, however, to assess his outstanding 2010 season.
“I have thought about it a lot,” said Moreno, who recorded $5,468,354 in purse earnings and 425 top-three finishes last season. “When I look back, I always tend to think about what I could have done to make it better, how I could have won more races.
“But I was thrilled with how things went. You need to remind yourself that you are going to lose more races than you are going to win. I tried to handle losing better. Overall, though, we had a good year and I was able to stay healthy. And now, I’m a finalist for an Eclipse Award. You can’t ask for more than that.”
Moreno’s story, both on and off the racetrack, has been well-documented throughout the Canadian media.
At the age of five, Moreno lost his mother during the Salvadoran Civil War. He was sponsored to come to Canada with five of his six brothers in 1991, growing up in several foster homes in Alberta.
When he was 12, Moreno met the Hoeppners, a foster family that were involved in amateur boxing in Edmonton. Rick Hoeppner, a coach with the Cougar Boxing Club, introduced him to the sport.
Moreno’s initial interest in boxing wasn’t in winning accolades or awards, but rather in that it afforded him the opportunity to spend time with four of his brothers, all of whom were involved with the boxing club.
He learned the ropes quickly, eventually becoming Junior National Champion on three occasions in the 100-105-pound weight class. A shoulder injury ended his hopes of representing Canada at the Olympics and left Moreno looking for another career.
After working as a house painter for a short stint, Moreno spoke with Dennis Ejack, a man well-known in Alberta boxing circles, who also happened to be a thoroughbred owner and bloodstock agent.
Ejack eventually convinced Moreno to give horse racing a shot, leading the aspiring jockey to Northlands Park in Edmonton in 2006, where he cleaned stalls and took riding lessons, along with his house-painting job.
Moreno graduated from the OldsRider/Jockey program in the early part of 2007 and spent the winter of 2007-08 galloping horses in Florida.
After riding at two ‘B’ tracks (Evergreen in Grande Prairie and Rocky Mountain Turf Club in Lethbridge) in the summer and fall of 2008, Moreno headed to Florida once again, working horses over the winter.
Though he had some success in Alberta, he was convinced by local horsemen to take a shot at making inroads at Woodbine, a racetrack that has a reputation as one of the most competitive jockey colonies in North America.
A winning attitude helped Moreno win over his fellow riders.
“He’s a real gentleman,” said Robert King Jr., a former rider atrainer, who is now the National Secretary/Manager for the Jockeys’
Benefit Association of Canada. “It was a good situation for him to be in. There are so many respected riders that he can learn from and talk to.”
Moreno hooked up with Woodbine-based agent Jack Lauzon, who retired from a highly successful career in the saddle following the 2007 racing season, a pairing that has been ideal for both men.
“He wants to be the best he can be and he’s willing to listen to anything you have to say,” said Lauzon, a two-time Queen’s Plate winner (Regal Intention in 1988 and Basqueian in 1994), who recorded 1,619 career wins. “He wants to get better.”
Moreno is also willing to assess his own strengths and weaknesses.
“For me, the one thing I’ve learned, especially last year, was patience,” offered Moreno. “When you learn not to think too much and do things on instinct, it helps you a lot. When I start to overthink things, it doesn’t help me. Now, I’m more relaxed. I ride every race the same. I used to be nervous when I would ride in a stakes race, but not anymore.”
While the butterflies haven’t hit yet, Moreno knows he’ll battle the jitters when the time comes to announce the recipient of the 2010 Eclipse top apprentice.
But, just like he does when he’s gripping the reins, Moreno won’t let anything rattle him.
“Winning the Eclipse would be the icing on the cake,” he admitted. “It would be a great honour.”
And a most deserving one, too.
More from Canadian Thoroughbred:
