Willie Martinez (jockey)
Encyclopedia
Willie Martinez is a jockey
in North American
Thoroughbred horse racing
.
Martinez was born in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
, but emigrated to the United States in 1988 to work as a hotwalker and groom for his sister's godfather at Finger Lakes Race Track
in Farmington, New York
. He began riding professionally in 1989 and got his first win that year at Tampa Bay Downs
. Martinez is known in the business as "Chillie Willie," because of his "chill" demeanor in riding. In 1997, at Woodbine Racetrack
in Toronto
, he rode Cryptocloser
to victory in the Prince of Wales Stakes
, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown series.
During his career, Martinez has won riding titles at, Ellis Park Racecourse, Tampa Bay Downs
, Turfway Park
, Keeneland Race Course and Hialeah Park. His nine titles at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky
is more than any other jockey in the track's history. At the same track, he also rode seven winners on July 6, 1993. From 1992 through 2007, Martinez, along with William Henry, held the jockey's record at Tampa Bay Downs for the most wins in a single season with 123 victories to his credit.
Martinez holds the record for Turfway riding titles with nine and has won 36 stakes races at the track, second only to Pat Day as the track's all-time stakes leader. His nine titles at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky are more than any other jockey in the track's history; also at Turfway Park, Martinez rode seven winners on July 6, 1993.
Through May 2007 Martinez had more than 2,600 career wins, purse earnings nearing $60 million, and 150 stakes wins. Among his 33 graded stakes wins are the 2006 New Orleans Handicap (G2) and Donn Handicap (G1) with Brass Hat. He also has one Group I win, the 1998 Prince of Wales Stakes. Martinez celebrated a banner day at Turfway Park when he won three of the five Kentucky Cup races in 2006: the Classic
(G2) with Ball Four, the Kentucky Cup Distaff Stakes
(G3) with Beautiful Bets, and the Juvenile Fillies
with Cohiba Miss.
Martinez also partakes in helping bring awareness to the sport regarding issues such as jockey rights. Matters on the constant lapses over health insurance, and weight increase tolerance in the tracks (to just name a few). Martinez alongside other professional riders were interviewed for an HBO documentary Jockey: America Undercover, series back in 2004 for their opinion on the sport and its tolerance in supporting unhealthy lifestyles for jockeys to benefit horses performances during a race.
Martinez is best known as the jockey of Brass Hat
which his big break came in 2006. He rode the gelding
to victory in several important Graded stakes race
s, including the Grade 1 Donn Handicap
, and on July 8, 2007 broke a 36-year-old track record for 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs
, stopping the clock at 1:41.27.
On May 1, 2010, Martinez rode Noble's Promise to a 5th place finish in the Kentucky Derby
.
|-
!Chart (2000–present)
!Peak
position
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|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2000
| style="text-align:center;"|52
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2004
| style="text-align:center;"|64
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|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2006
| style="text-align:center;"|94
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
in North American
North American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
Thoroughbred horse racing
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
.
Martinez was born in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Santurce is a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Summary:Santurce is one of the top ten most populated areas of the island holding Miramar, Loíza, Isla Grande, Barrio Obrero, and Condado as main cultural hot spots for art, music, cuisine, fashion, hotels, technology, multimedia, film, textile and...
, but emigrated to the United States in 1988 to work as a hotwalker and groom for his sister's godfather at Finger Lakes Race Track
Finger Lakes Gaming and Race Track
Finger Lakes Gaming and Race Track is a thoroughbred horse-racing track and racino located in Farmington in western New York State, approximately 25 miles southeast of Rochester. The facility is about one mile south of New York State Thruway exit 44....
in Farmington, New York
Farmington, New York
Farmington is a town located in the northern part of Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 10,585 at the 2000 census. Farmington is about twenty-five miles southeast of Rochester, New York...
. He began riding professionally in 1989 and got his first win that year at Tampa Bay Downs
Tampa Bay Downs
Tampa Bay Downs is an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility located in Westchase in Hillsborough County, just outside Tampa, Florida. It opened in 1926 under the name Tampa Downs. The first of many names, the racetrack was well known as Sunshine Park and Florida Downs.-Season:The track races...
. Martinez is known in the business as "Chillie Willie," because of his "chill" demeanor in riding. In 1997, at Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack is a Canadian racetrack for Thoroughbred horse races located at 555 Rexdale Blvd. in the city of Toronto, Ontario. It is the only horseracing track in North America which stages, or is capable of staging, thoroughbred and standardbred horseracing programs on the same day...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, he rode Cryptocloser
Cryptocloser
Cryptocloser was a Canadian Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. He was sired by multiple Grade I winner Cryptoclearance, and his damsire was Northern Dancer's son, Vice Regent. The colt was owned in partnership by American businessman and future United States Ambassador to Finland Earle I. Mack, and...
to victory in the Prince of Wales Stakes
Prince of Wales Stakes
The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of a mile and three sixteenths . In 1959, the Prince of Wales Stakes became the...
, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown series.
During his career, Martinez has won riding titles at, Ellis Park Racecourse, Tampa Bay Downs
Tampa Bay Downs
Tampa Bay Downs is an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility located in Westchase in Hillsborough County, just outside Tampa, Florida. It opened in 1926 under the name Tampa Downs. The first of many names, the racetrack was well known as Sunshine Park and Florida Downs.-Season:The track races...
, Turfway Park
Turfway Park
Turfway Park is an American horse racing track located just outside the city limits to the north of Florence, Kentucky, about 10 miles south of the Ohio River at Cincinnati...
, Keeneland Race Course and Hialeah Park. His nine titles at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky
Florence, Kentucky
Florence is a city in Boone County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 29,951 at the 2010 census.-History:The Florence area was originally known as Crossroads, because of the convergence of several roads from Burlington and Union at Ridge Road...
is more than any other jockey in the track's history. At the same track, he also rode seven winners on July 6, 1993. From 1992 through 2007, Martinez, along with William Henry, held the jockey's record at Tampa Bay Downs for the most wins in a single season with 123 victories to his credit.
Martinez holds the record for Turfway riding titles with nine and has won 36 stakes races at the track, second only to Pat Day as the track's all-time stakes leader. His nine titles at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky are more than any other jockey in the track's history; also at Turfway Park, Martinez rode seven winners on July 6, 1993.
Through May 2007 Martinez had more than 2,600 career wins, purse earnings nearing $60 million, and 150 stakes wins. Among his 33 graded stakes wins are the 2006 New Orleans Handicap (G2) and Donn Handicap (G1) with Brass Hat. He also has one Group I win, the 1998 Prince of Wales Stakes. Martinez celebrated a banner day at Turfway Park when he won three of the five Kentucky Cup races in 2006: the Classic
Kentucky Cup Classic Handicap
The Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late September as part of Kentucky Cup Day at Turfway Park in the Cincinnati, Ohio suburb of Florence, Kentucky...
(G2) with Ball Four, the Kentucky Cup Distaff Stakes
Kentucky Cup Distaff Stakes
The Kentucky Cup Distaff Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky. The Grade III event is run near the end of the fall meet and is open to fillies and mares aged three and older...
(G3) with Beautiful Bets, and the Juvenile Fillies
Kentucky Cup Juvenile Fillies Stakes
The Kentucky Cup Juvenile Fillies Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky. A Listed race run near the end of September, it is open to two-year-old fillies and is contested on Polytrack synthetic dirt at a distance of one mile .The counterpart...
with Cohiba Miss.
Martinez also partakes in helping bring awareness to the sport regarding issues such as jockey rights. Matters on the constant lapses over health insurance, and weight increase tolerance in the tracks (to just name a few). Martinez alongside other professional riders were interviewed for an HBO documentary Jockey: America Undercover, series back in 2004 for their opinion on the sport and its tolerance in supporting unhealthy lifestyles for jockeys to benefit horses performances during a race.
Martinez is best known as the jockey of Brass Hat
Brass Hat
Brass Hat is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He is out of the mare Brassy and sired by Prized, winner of the 1989 Breeders' Cup Turf and a son of the highly successful sire Kris S....
which his big break came in 2006. He rode the gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
to victory in several important Graded stakes race
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
s, including the Grade 1 Donn Handicap
Donn Handicap
The Donn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late January/early February at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.The race is named after the Donn family, who for many years owned and operated the racetrack....
, and on July 8, 2007 broke a 36-year-old track record for 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
, stopping the clock at 1:41.27.
On May 1, 2010, Martinez rode Noble's Promise to a 5th place finish in the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
.
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable sortable"|-
!Chart (2000–present)
!Peak
position
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2000
| style="text-align:center;"|52
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2004
| style="text-align:center;"|64
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2006
| style="text-align:center;"|94