The jockey who is a perfectionist in the saddle, who never makes a wrong move in a race, Ismael Valenzuela, rode Tim Tam to victory in the 84th Kentucky Derby in Churchill Downs, on May 1958 before 118,000 fans. Winning on the big dark bay, carrying the silks on Calumet Farms in the “Run for Roses,” elevated Valenzuela into the upper ranks of jockeydom. He was 24 years old, but since his father had put him on a horse when he was three, he had liked horses, and he had always liked racing and competing. In 1968 he ode Forward Pass to victory on the 94th Kentucky Derby in Churchill Downs before all his racing fans. He then went on to ride in the Preakness and won with Tim Tam in 1958 and Forward Pass in 1968, continued on to the Belmont Stakes when Tim Tam broke down 660 yards from the wire & finished second and Forward Pass finished second also.

Born on December 25, 1934, McNary, Texas, Ismael Valenzuela is one of 22 children of Angel Valenzuela and Mari de Jesus (Rios) Valenzuela, both natives of Mexico. Mr. Valenzuela Senior moved the family back to Mexico when his son was a baby, and Ismael went to school there up to the second grade. When he was eight years old, he worked on his father’s cotton and hay farm, and when he was ten, he herded sheep and cattle. He came to El Paso, Texas in 1947, exercising horses, cleaning stalls and polishing equipment for $40 a month, attending Ascarate School Near El Paso at the same time. He sent most of his money to help his family on the farm in the Mexican town of Porvenir below the Rio Grande where he had been raised.

After a period of traveling and racing quarter horses, one against another, until he was 15 years old, he began riding as a jockey at Rillito Park in Tucson Arizona, on the recognized race track, open to him at 16 years old of age. He won three out of five races. He went Centennial Park Near Denver Colorado in 1951 to take a crack at the bigger racing circuits, rode the last four weeks of the racing season, and won twelve races. He started in Tanforan near San Francisco in 1951, and went to Golden Gate, California for the full season during that same year, riding against other top jockeys and doing well.

In 1952 he came to Santa Anita Race Track in Arcadia and was considered top jockey there. He went back East in 1956, racing at all big tracks, and riding Porterhouse, Mister Gus, and Nashville, he beat Swaps. Nashua an Bold Ruler, the three bug horses of that year. As leading rider in Jamaica, New York, in 1958 Milo got the chance to ride in the Kentucky Derby. In 1959 he rode Warfare for a purse of $283,075 at Golden State in New Jersey, and won the biggest race of the year.

While riding On and On, he beat Boldeagle, Sword Dancer and many good horses in the Brooklyn handicap in 1960. In 1961 he rode Meadow Stables’ champion filly Cicada and Sir Gaylord, and won many stakes races with both horses. Valenzuela was to ride Sir Gaylord, the favorite horse for the Kentucky Derby in 1962, but the horse broke down two days before the race. He rode Kelso, Champion for Five Years.

In spite of many spills in his racing career, Ismael Valenzuela has won over 21,203 races. Among the awards won by him are: the George Woolf Memorial Award for Outstanding Jockey in 1963; Turf Writers Award at Santa Anita; The Race Jockey Champions at Garden Stake Park May 18th, 1962; International Citation at Laurel Race Course in 1956 with Mister Gus, 1958 with Renoque, and 1962 with Kelso; Boston Sports Lodge B’nai B’rith Sixth Annual Award May 1958, High Principle and Achievement in Sports and the latter award again on January 28th, 1959 and 1964 win the International with Kelso, Ismael Valenzuela has also won many trophies with great horses. He was won numerous stakes which we can continue but there are too many to be listed.

In December 5th, 1954, Ismael Valenzuela married Rose Delia Mendoza in her home town of El Paso Texas, Mr. And Mrs. Ismael Valenzuela are parents of five children, Ismael Jr; Patricia; Diana; Johnny; and Richard. They have 13 grandchildren: Thomas, Marlena, Amanda, Dominic, Felicia, Adriana, Joaquin, Jonathan, Jessica, Monique, Michael John, David, Nicholas. And 4 great grandchildren: Elias, Gavin, Christopher Ethan, Andrew and Yvette Rose.

Ismael enjoys hunting, fishing, swimming, golfing, and bowling. He advocates hard work, believing in one’s own ability and spending time as a father, grandfather and great grandfather.

Career Highlights

21,203 Mounts

2,545 Wins

2,494 Seconds

2,346 Thirds

Lifetime Money 20,122,760

1959-1966 Kelso (Horse Five Consecutive Years)

1956 Porterhouse Beats Swaps

1958 Wins Kentucky Derby "Tim Tam"
Win the Preakness & Second in Belmonte

1963 George Wolf Memorial Award