Breeders' Cup Rookie Escobedo Hitting the Right Notes

At some point during the running of the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), most likely somewhere around the head of the Keeneland stretch, riders fighting for the lead might suddenly imagine they are hearing the bouncy crooning of a song such as "Choosin' Texas" or a piece of a ballad by Jose Jose in a resonant tenor coming from somewhere off toward the middle of the track. Spooky, right? Of the many things that could happen during the running of a championship horse race, auditory hallucination usually ranks pretty low. Then again, neither Jose Ortiz, Flavien Prat, nor any of the other blue-ribbon jockeys in the 43rd running of the Juvenile Fillies Oct. 30 have ever competed against Adrian Escobedo—Breeders' Cup rookie and former singer with Banda Alterada—and his special partner, the Oak Leaf Stakes (G2) winner Domain Expansion. She is 2, of course, and he is 39. No big deal there, except for the fact that Escobedo has been a professional jockey for barely four years and, a few months ago, the idea of winning a race such as the Oak Leaf was preposterous, let alone going postward in one of the sport's most important events on a day the whole racing world would be watching. Friday's Day 1 of the Breeders' Cup, once again, will focus on the youngsters, with five stakes at the end of a 10-race Keeneland program. The first of the five is the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) and the last is the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T), but only the Juvenile Fillies and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) offer serious championship implications, at least on this side of the Atlantic. Domain Expansion is owned in part by the same people who took the Juvenile Fillies in 2016 with Champagne Room. The daughter of Speaker's Corner cost $130,000 as a yearling and was turned over to Leonard Powell, whose growing Southern California stable is on its way to the Frenchman's best season, in large part tethered to their from-out-of-nowhere rider and the promise of a filly whose speed figures stack up well. A happy ending to Escobedo's Cinderella story faces stern challenges from several of the other 11 fillies in his race. Miss Monica, Manuka Honey, Emphatic, and Voyager have won graded events, while Lexi's Charm put up a big number sprinting to a 12-length starter allowance win at Keeneland. As for Domain Expansion, she was little more than a one-race maiden when the gate opened for the mile-and-one-sixteenth Oak Leaf Oct. 3 at Santa Anita Park. It took Escobedo and his filly 1:44.44 to rudely dismiss five opponents—including three trained by Bob Baffert—by a 7-length margin that was growing with every stride. "In her first race she was kind of chill, but then for the Oak Leaf she was more on her toes, excited and pushing the pony," Escobedo said. "Then in the race she was all business. On the backstretch she relaxed, and I knew I was loaded. As soon as she got to the front, she put her ears up, waiting for horses. I whipped her once and she responded, then again when I felt her pulling herself up near the wire. But she was just galloping." Escobedo was born in Zacatecas, a city of considerable size smack in the middle of the high plateau of central Mexico. He was but a babe in arms when his family moved to the San Fernando Valley, north of Los Angeles, and then later, when he was a teen, to Arizona and the Paradise Valley of Phoenix. He led a fairly sheltered life when it came to horse racing, but not horses. On summer visits to Mexico, he would head to a local ranchero with his grandfather to take in the reining and rodeo events. He has a vivid recollection of his father, Inocencio Escobedo, stepping up to ride a race on a horse Adrian knew well. "I asked my father if I could ride her instead," Escobedo said. "He said, 'No,' and I guess he was trying to protect me. I was 9." By the time the family resettled in Arizona, Adrian was commencing a career in music and his father was establishing himself as a sushi chef. Escobedo and his bandmates played all manner of gigs—weddings, quinceaneras, night clubs, even memorial services during a tragically busy era of COVID-19. Friends kept pushing him toward the racetrack, however, and after a brief stretch as an exercise rider—especially in California for trainer Ryan Hansen—he made the leap as a 35-year-old apprentice in 2021. "It was tough starting so late, and my family thought I was wasting my time," Escobedo said. "It was something I had to prove to myself." Escobedo was riding nights at Los Alamitos Race Course—Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds in mixed events as well on the lower end of the class ladder—when he approached Baffert's Los Alamitos assistant, Mike Marlow, for a morning job. "I wanted to find out what it was like to ride good horses, because those were the kind of horses I wanted to ride in the future," Escobedo said. "You can feel the difference in a good horse in the way they move. They never struggle. They do everything really smooth, with no effort at all. And they have an intelligence that makes them more aware of things without being anxious." By now the story of Escobedo landing the mount on Domain Expansion has become local legend. He was scheduled to perform with fellow riders Juan Hernandez and Ricky Gonzalez at the Del Mar version of the Jockey Karaoke evening July 26 in support of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. Through a guest list mix-up and his late arrival, Escobedo figured he owed an apology to Hanson and two of his patrons, veteran bloodstock investor Larry Zap and Matt Dohman, a data services entrepreneur more recently involved in the game. So he bought them a beer. "Two months later, I looked at the overnight and saw I was named on a horse for Leonard Powell," Escobedo said. "I told my agent it must be a mistake. I don't ride for Leonard Powell." His agent assured Escobedo it was not a mistake. "Do you remember that beer you bought Matt?" he explained. From such favors great opportunities can grow. In short order, Escobedo presented himself at Powell's barn to gallop Domain Expansion prior to her debut. "Leonard told me he really liked her," Escobedo said. "Then he told me again, and then again, about three times. When I rode her that first time, I knew what he was talking about." Domain Expansion overcame a spot of trouble to finish a close second in her maiden race at a mile on the grass, Sept. 5. Powell tried to get Hall of Famer Joel Rosario for the Oak Leaf, but his seat was taken, so Escobedo retained the mount and made life-changing headlines. Powell has been through the Breeders' Cup experience several times and knows there is no room for chance. Still, the trainer was unwilling to challenge karma, so he had no objection to Dohman and the other owners sticking with Escobedo for the Juvenile Fillies. "There are famous trainers who will use lesser known jockeys all the time," said Powell, a native of France. "Andre Fabre among them. The thinking is, if the horse is successful it reflects more to the credit of the trainer than the jockey." Powell said this with just enough of a wink to get the point across. Rookies do win Breeders' Cup races, but none with a backstory quite like Escobedo's. "I think I'm too naïve to be nervous," Escobedo said. "I do feel sometimes like a fish out of water. But I also think being in music helps. I've been in big crowds, performing for a lot of people. And I like to sing to my horses."