Jockey Pino ages like fine wine, finally gets Derby chance at 45

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – His birth certificate says 45. Jockey Mario Pino feels like he’s 35 and rides as many full cards as he did when he was 25.

At an age when most riders are preparing for life away from the barn, Pino finally nabbed his first Kentucky Derby mount.

One of the best jockeys you’ve never heard of also happens to be the winningest rider in Maryland racing history. Come Saturday, Pino will be aboard 3-year-old colt Hard Spun, fulfilling a dream he’d nearly given up on.

“About 10 years or so ago, it’s like, ‘Well it might never happen,’ ” said Pino, who has won nearly 6,000 races during a 28-year career. “But you can’t be mad about it.”

His break came, in part, because a few of the jockeys who became household names at the Kentucky Derby are gone. Hall of Fame riders Pat Day, Gary Stevens and Jerry Bailey – winners of a combined six Derbys between them – waved their final goodbyes to the paddock at Churchill Downs, opening the door for young hot shots like Julien Leparoux, Fernando Jara and Juan Leyva to pilot their way into Derby lore.

The three riders – all younger than 24 – are considered the crest of the next wave of great jockeys. But on Saturday they’ll share the spotlight with a 45-year-old “rookie” who was making regular trips to the winner’s circle before they were born.

But Pino is not one to complain. Even as the years passed, the wins piled up and his reputation as one of the most gentlemanly riders in the country grew, Pino remained at home each May as Derby-caliber mounts went to less accomplished riders.

“You never look at it like, ‘When is it going to be my turn?’ ” Pino said. “It just doesn’t work like that in horse racing. You keep trying and keep working and hope people have confidence to ride you on good horses.”

Pino is considered a throwback in what is increasingly a young man’s game. Humble almost to a fault, he credits his considerable success to a mix of good health and good luck rather than a steady hand. But his peers know it’s not that simple.

“He’s the most professional rider in the country,” said Kent Desormeaux, a regular at Pino’s dinner table during his apprenticeship in Maryland in the late-1980s. “The only reason he doesn’t win is because you beat him. He’s never going to beat himself.”

Pino thought his last, best chance came last year, when he hooked up with Sweetnorthernsaint. Then a hernia forced him to give up the mount, leaving him looking on from home.

Desormeaux likens Pino to jockey Stewart Elliott, who guided Smarty Jones to a Derby win in 2004 and is back this year with Teuflesberg.

“Once he gets one, he’s going to get a lot,” said Desormeaux, who will be riding Teuflesberg and keeping a close on his old friend.