When the sun rose on barn 41 at Churchill Downs April 26, it met jockey Edwin Maldonado. The veteran rider was already there and prepared, fresh in from California, to climb aboard Pavlovian for his morning workout.
This was no ordinary workout, but the final one before the biggest race of the 3-year-old Pavel colt's career—and of Maldonado's.
It was 2002 when Maldonado broke into the sport as a 19-year-old kid, winning his first ride aboard Starr's Image at Assiniboia Downs in Canada. Now 43 and in his 25th year of riding, Maldonado will have his first Kentucky Derby (G1) mount.
"It's a dream come true," Maldonado said. "I've seen a lot of jockeys who never even got the opportunity. For me being here, it's a win. It's a win already. I'm very thankful. I thank God for it, I thank (trainer) Doug O'Neill, (owner) Paul Reddam for giving me this opportunity. It's been a blessing. I'm just trying to take it all in."
A winner of 1,679 races in North America, Maldonado's career has displayed patience and a work ethic designed to keep getting better. It wasn't until 2012 that that he earned his first graded win, and 10 years later in the 2022 Awesome Again Stakes (G1) that he earned his first grade 1 aboard Defunded.
Surely, a 19-year-old kid winning his very first ride would be dreaming big, but the wiser Maldonado said he is thankful for his first Derby ride to come at this stage.
"I'm glad I got the opportunity at this stage of my career. I am more seasoned, a better rider than I was 25 years ago," he said. "I'm glad that I've got a chance, an opportunity to ride in the Derby. Hopefully there's many more to come after this one."
He's on a live shot, with Pavlovian exiting a tremendous runner-up finish to unbeaten Emerging Market by just a nose in the March 21 Louisiana Derby (G2).
It was the prior start, another hard battle that instead ended in a narrow victory in the Sunland Derby, in which Maldonado was first called by O'Neill to pair with Pavlovian. Prior to that, although grade 3 placed in the summer, he'd been coming up short against California-bred company. He had shown bad habits out of the gate, losing jockey Juan Hernandez at the start of the Golden State Juvenile at Del Mar Oct. 31.
O'Neill felt like Maldonado's gate skills could prove beneficial, and now that he's broken from the gate smoothly in his last two starts and been present in the race early, the success has come.
"Putting the blinkers back on him and giving Edwin a chance with him," O'Neill said on what has turned Pavlovian around. "Edwin is such a good gate rider, and it's really worked wonders with him teaming up with Pavlovian."
Maldonado worked Pavlovian from the gate Sunday morning, a new tradition for the colt when it comes to his final pre-race breeze. Going 5 furlongs in 1:03 2/5, the feeling of how he got over the track gives Maldonado confidence.
"He felt great, he skipped through it," Maldonado said. "He likes the track, and that's a plus. Everything's perfect. Everything we asked for, he gave us. We're very happy, doing everything he's supposed to.
"I love him. The sky's the limit with him."
