Angel’s Back In The Saddle Cordero Hopes Breeders’ Cup Sends Him Off With A Victory
Down in the hollow at Belmont Park, tucked away and down the hill, you can hear voices at the barn of Angel Cordero Jr.
The conversation is in Spanish, but it quickly becomes clear what everyone’s talking about: Cordero is getting back in the saddle, one more time.
And this time, Cordero will ride Classy Mirage in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint Saturday at Belmont Park. The 52-year-old Hall of Famer promises this will be his last ride in the United States.
“This is it,” Cordero said, “unless I hit the lottery and buy 100 horses.”
Cordero, always the prankster, is thrilled to have a chance to leave the race track on his own terms - perhaps as a winner on racing’s biggest day. No stranger to the Breeders’ Cup, Cordero won the Sprint aboard Gulch in 1988 and Dancing Spree in 1989 and won two other Breeders’ Cup races.
“After 32 years of racing, butterflies aren’t butterflies for me,” Cordero said Thursday. “As a jockey, I’m not nervous about riding. As a trainer, that’s when I’m nervous.”
Cordero, who nearly died in a horrific spill at Aqueduct Jan. 12, 1992, retired from riding and became a trainer after recovering from his injuries, which included a ruptured spleen that was removed.
On Oct. 1, he returned to riding - against the wishes of his family - and won aboard Bandit Bomber at El Commandante in San Juan, Puerto Rico. On Oct. 14, he rode again at Belmont and was winless in five races.
For months, he campaigned for a mount on Breeders’ Cup day before his longtime friend, Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens, came through with Classy Mirage, a 20-1 shot in the 14-horse field. Julie Krone, who usually rides the 5-year-old mare, chose Mr. Greeley in the Sprint.
Asked why he gave Cordero, winner of more than 7,000 races, the ride, Jerkens replied: “He’s just Angel … a little more settled.”
For his part, Cordero was overflowing with enthusiasm.
“Being back at the Breeders’ Cup, is great,” said Cordero, who added he will ride one more race in Puerto Rico before completely ending his riding career. “I even picked up a mount with a chance. This will be the end for me, but it’s good to know that I could come back.”
He warmed up for Saturday with two races on Thursday, finishing sixth aboard Coxes Fastest in the seventh race and fourth on Gallant Guest in the ninth race. He is scheduled to ride in three races Friday.
The Sprint, at six furlongs, is a perfect fit for Cordero. The race is the most unpredictable of all the seven Breeders’ Cup races, and Cordero has a way of adding even more flair to the event with his aggressive style.
“The start is the most important thing because of the big field,” Cordero said. “There’s a lot of commotion going on and there are a lot of good horses really trying. If you’re in trouble at the start, you can’t make it up.”