Winning four races on one card is an incredible feat for any jockey, but for a 23-year-old female apprentice from Venezuela, it's truly astounding. Johanis Aranguren's success to start the season has been the culmination of hard work, passion and self-belief.
Aranguren took four trips to the Winner's Circle at Fairmount Park Casino & Racing on Opening Day this April, including winning the final race on the card with the largest purse of the day at $28,000. In just 97 starts in her young career, Aranguren, who is an apprentice jockey in training, already boasts earnings of $186,306 and 32 top-three finishes, including 10 wins as an apprentice.
"After winning four races on opening day, I was excited, happy and proud," Aranguren said through translator and fellow jockey Ademar Santos. "It was an unbelievable thing to happen. I had a feeling I was going to do well, and I got good luck on the trips. It wasn't easy, but I did it."
Aranguren started as a jockey in the United States in July 2025 at Gulfstream Park, and she captured her first win at Tampa Bay Downs in January 2026. Despite her greenness on the saddle in the U.S., Aranguren is no stranger to the sport. Her entire family is involved with horse racing, with her dad and grandfather both being jockeys, too.
Apprentice jockey Johanis Aranguren gets the “royal treatment” from fellow riders after she scores her first career win in the 1st aboard trainer Alex Mendieta’s gelding Bourbon State. Aranguren enjoyed every second of her initiation — even the late dunking from Joseph Trejos. pic.twitter.com/rioNcjaJRn
— Tampa Bay Downs Official Account (@TampaBayDownsFL) January 10, 2026
"This is not just my job, it's my life," Aranguren said. "It's something I truly love, and I was born to do this. I plan on doing it for my whole life. My dad and I made an agreement when I got into this sport that I would reach higher levels than him and be better than him. Respectfully, that's what I'm aiming for."
For Aranguren, being a female in a male-dominated sport doesn't really matter to her. She does hold an immense amount of pride for her home country of Venezuela and never shies away from showing where she's from.
"I mean, it doesn't matter if I'm a woman or a man," Aranguren said. "You just have to strive to be better every day. When it comes to Venezuela, I'm super proud to make my country proud, and I'm glad to represent them as a Venezuelan woman doing good here as a jockey."
Being a young apprentice doesn't come without its challenges. Before her debut in the U.S., Aranguren faced the uphill battle of securing mounts at Gulfstream Park without an agent. Today, with the support of her agents, Rose and Lucas, that path has smoothed significantly, allowing her talent to take center stage.
Aranguren still has the whole race meet ahead at Fairmount Park, where she's already earned six wins just a few weeks into the meet. So far, the 23-year-old has enjoyed her time in Illinois, especially because of her success. With less than a hundred starts under her belt, she's already living up to the family name.
"I would like to dedicate all of this to my father," Aranguren said. "I want to tell him that all of this is for him and that I miss him very much."
