Brian Hernandez Jr. is usually in the right spot, but on Kentucky Derby Day, through no fault of his own, he had a tough trip. Earlier in the week, his Derby mount, Art Collector, had to be scratched from the race with a minor hoof injury, depriving Hernandez of what would have been his best chance yet to win the Derby.
And then on Derby Day, desirous of leaving prior to the race after his riding assignments for the day were complete, Hernandez found exits temporarily blocked owing to protests outside Churchill Downs, so he had to sit in the stands and watch a race he hoped to be in.
It still almost worked out. Hernandez watched the race with trainer Bret Calhoun and his family, and they got a thrill when Mr. Big News ranged up menacingly before finishing third.
"We stopped watching the race and kind of started rooting for him," Hernandez said from his home in Louisville earlier this week.
It only figures that Hernandez was in a good spot. Known for studious preparation, Hernandez is one of the best positional riders in the sport, placing his horses ideally to give them their best chance to win, and supremely cognizant about saving ground. In the mornings, his insight is sought by trainers who have him help develop young horses and provide feedback as to their progress.
He'll bring that skill set to Pimlico on Saturday, when he's reunited with Art Collector in pursuit of the Preakness Stakes. Hernandez has been the regular race rider for Art Collector since last November, and his regular work rider since this spring. They are unbeaten in four starts this year, including the Blue Grass Stakes and Ellis Park Derby.
"I think Brian fits this horse like a glove," Art Collector's trainer, Tommy Drury, said earlier this week on a national teleconference. "He's been on him for most of his breezes in the mornings, you know, gosh, he even served as my exercise rider for a few days there at Churchill and was galloping him. And I can't think of anybody else on earth that I'd rather have on this horse."
Art Collector has worked three times since the Derby scratch, once at Skylight training center _ where Drury is based _ and twice at Churchill Downs.
"He seems like he didn't miss a whole lot," Hernandez said. "He's going the right way. I'm excited for Saturday, hoping he'll put up his best effort."
Art Collector is the second choice on the track morning line to Derby winner Authentic. His other rivals include Mr. Big News.
Hernandez, 34, is the son and brother of jockeys. Having grown up with them in the horse-crazy Cajun area of Lafayette, La., he never wanted to do anything else. Success came early _ he was the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice rider in 2004 _ and he has been a steady presence since, largely focusing on a circuit of New Orleans in the winter and Kentucky the rest of the year.
Going into Friday's card at Keeneland, he has won 2,082 races, the biggest the 2012 Breeders' Cup Classic with Fort Larned. His other major race wins include the Alcibiades, Kentucky Jockey Club, Louisiana Derby, Madison, Spinster, Stephen Foster, and Whitney.
He's still looking for his first Triple Crown race win. Hernandez had just two prior rides in the Derby, including the well-regarded McCraken in 2017, and two in the Preakness. This marks his best chance yet.
"McCraken, that was a tough one. I thought he was really legit, but the first jump out of the gate he got sideswiped and it took a little out of him," Hernandez said.
Hernandez is studious about his craft. As a newcomer, he said he learned most from watching veterans like Calvin Borel, Edgar Prado, and Shane Sellers.
"I like the way Prado rides. He never gets in a horse's way," Hernandez said. "He lets the horse do his thing, whether it's a million-dollar stake or a claiming race."
Hernandez is of similar mind when it comes to his approach.
"Try to ride a smart race, reading the race to put the horse in the best possible position," he said. "Then let the horse carry you along. Don't get in their way."
Well in advance of race time, he pores over video replays.
"Not just to learn about who you're riding, but who you're against," Hernandez said. "We want to go in with the most knowledge possible and know what to expect."
Hernandez and his wife, Jamie Radosevich-Hernandez, have three children, two daughters and a son, the oldest of whom is 6. Jamie, who was working for Steve Asmussen when she and Brian started dating 11 years ago, is the daughter of a trainer and sister of two jockeys, one of whom, Josh, was killed in a racing accident in 2005, so she's understanding of the demands and dangers of the profession.
"She's great support," Hernandez said. "She understands everything we go through, which makes going to work easier, and she's always there for us."
She, too, is an Eclipse Award winner, having won for photography in 2013 for a dramatic shot of Wise Dan in a driving rainstorm in a race at Churchill Downs.
They have a farm in Simpsonville, just outside Louisville, where Jamie oversees lay-ups. It's Brian's retreat, too. Even when racing was across the state at Ellis Park this summer, Hernandez would make the roundtrip for racing each day so he could be with his family each night.
As usual, he's in the right spot.
