LAFAYETTE, La. — Lafayette Parish, the parish where Kentucky Derby winner, Brian Hernandez, grew up.
We sat down for a one-on-one interview with Hernandez to talk about his big win, how he got there and where he intends to go from here. Follow that conversation below...
How many years have you been working towards racing (and winning) the Kentucky Derby?
"I started galloping horse back there in Scott, Louisiana when I was about 12 years old, and I did it every summer and every Saturday and Sunday up until my senior year of high school, I started getting on horses every day in the morning. I started riding races at Evangeline and Delta Downs down there in the Lafayette area, and I've just been doing it my whole life since then."
What attracted you to horse racing in the first place?
"I grew up in the backside of Evangeline Downs. My dad was a jockey for a long time there in Louisiana...My little brother, Colby Hernandez, he's a jockey, as well. We'd always just spend every Saturday and Sunday at the racetrack, and just about every night after school, we were there at the racetrack at Evangeline, watching the races and just watching him ride, so it was something that we always witnessed and always, kind of, looked up to and idolized my dad as a jockey, and it was just something that I always wanted to do."
Even at that time, did you have that dream of racing in the Kentucky Derby?
"I mean, you know, when you're a kid, you always idolize the Kentucky Derby and wanting to participate in it, but at the same time, you're living in Louisiana, 800 miles from Churchill Downs...You don't know how to go about achieving that kind of goal, but I was fortunate enough to where, when I was 18, I moved away, and I moved up here to Kentucky, and I've just been fortunate enough to get on the right horses and work my way into what transpired a couple of weeks ago."
I'm assuming you've raced in the Derby before, right?
"I think that was my seventh trip—seventh Derby."
Let's talk about Mystik Dan. How long have you had him?
"I've been riding Mystik Dan since last October as a two-year-old...The guy that trains him, Kenny McPeek, I ride a lot of horses for him, and we actually won the Kentucky Oaks the day before, so it's the first time since 1943 that a jockey and trainer won both the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby, so it was a special moment, you know. In Mystik Dan's case, I've been riding him—I rode him twice here in Kentucky last fall, and then I rode him—over the winter time, I went over to Arkansas, and I rode him twice at Oaklawn Park, and we won one of the big preps there, and then when he ran here Derby day, he ran a big race, and he won, and then we went back, and we were second on him last Saturday in Preakness up in Baltimore."
So, after winning some pretty big races riding Mystik Dan, did you think "Oh yeah, I definitely have a chance this year at the Kentucky Derby"?
"Yeah, Kenny and I had discussed it quite a bit, and we had gone over the race quite a bit...I think this was the third Derby that we participated in together—him, the trainer; me, the jockey—and we thought going into it, this was definitely our best chance, and we just needed to give him the right kind of trip and let the world see what kind of horse Mystik Dan is...The great thing about him is he did, he showed up for us the first Saturday in May, and he delivered for us."
Let's back up a little bit. You said you moved away to Kentucky when you were 18. What were things like once you got there?
"You know, I was an 18-year-old kid. I had just graduated high school, so it was a little scary. My mom and dad, they sent me along my way and put me up in a hotel here not far from the track...I think I spent the next eight weeks here in Kentucky, racing here at Churchill and working the horses in the mornings, and then the first part of the summer—the first part of July, Churchill always closes down. They move their meet away from here, so I went back to Louisiana for another six weeks, then I came back here in September of that year, and I've been going back and forth since. Nowadays—the last 15 years or so—I spend from March until December 1 here in Kentucky, and then the rest of the year—December 1 to the end of March—I spend down in New Orleans. I have a home there in New Orleans, as well, so it's fun. I'm able to get somewhat back home, and at the same time, enjoy the good horses we have here in Kentucky."
Do you still consider Louisiana to be your home, or are you really in Kentucky now?
"No, I mean, my wife and I and the kids, we're fortunate enough to where we have two homes. We have our farm here in Kentucky, and we still have our place there in Louisiana, and we love going down there. We love the people down there. We love everything about the area down there, so it's always a joy. My wife and I were able to go down to Louisiana a few weeks ago, and the governor—Governor Jeff Landry, he presented us with a proclamation from the state of Louisiana over at the governor's mansion, so that was a special moment. It was great to be recognized by everybody from Louisiana."
Tell me a little bit more about how it feels to race in the Kentucky Derby?
"It's an experience like no other, you know, and being a professional jockey, everytime you walk around and you tell someone you're a professional jockey, the first thing they ask is 'Have you ever ridden the Kentucky Derby?' and I've been able to say that, yes, I have, and then the next question is always 'Well, have you ever won the Kentucky Derby?' and now to be able to say 'Yes, we've won the Kentucky Derby,' that's—it's our Super Bowl of horse racing...When you come here to Churchill Downs on Oaks and Derby day, there's 150,000 to 200,000 people here, just for those two races, so to be able to bring in the best horse on those days and showcase them, it's an incredible feeling, and it's an unbelievable accomplishment for the horse and for all the connections with those horses."
Is there anything else left that you still have on your list of accomplishments to do?
"Yeah, there's a few other things, you know. I mean, once you win races like we've been fortunate enough to win, you want to do it again. It's almost like a drug. Once you have that high, you want to keep getting it, so you know now, we're at the point now, it's a Thursday afternoon, I'm back here at Churchill, and we're looking for that next Derby winner. I'm back at it everyday, just trying to find that next horse that will be the one on next Saturday in May—first Saturday in May."
You mentioned that your dad was a jockey. Did he ever run in big races, or did he stay more local?
"No, you know, when my dad became a jockey, he was a little older. I think he was 24 years old, and he had already started a family. He had myself and my little brother already, so him and my mom, they already had a family set up, and the life of a jockey's really, really hard. You do a lot of traveling. You're never home much of the time, so he did the responsible thing, and he decided the best thing for his family is to stay and stay local to Louisiana. We were fortunate enough to grow up in a very stable environment that was pretty normalized for racetrack purposes...In my family's case, my poor kids, I leave first of December, and I'm back end of March, and I see them maybe six or seven times all winter long."
Were they there at the Derby?
"The three kids were there Oaks day, but then they didn't make it there Derby day because it was just too much for them to go through, so they stayed home Derby day with my grandparents and my wife's parents, and my wife and my parents were there Derby day."
What was your parents' reaction to you winning?
"They were just overly excited, you know, I mean, to win Oaks day, we thought that was the top of the world, and then to follow it up on Saturday and win the Derby like we did, it was a special moment to spend that time in the Derby winner's circle here at Churchill with my parents and with my wife, you know. It was one of those surreal moments you always dreamed of it happening, but for it to finally become a reality, it was like 'Wow, this is going to take a long time for it to sink in.'"
Has it sank in yet?
"It's starting to somewhat, I think, but at the same time, it's still, like, we've been so busy with everything else going on, we haven't really had time to let it all sink in."
Going back, you said you don't get to see your kids a whole lot for a part of the year, and that's a huge sacrifice, but did this make it feel worth it?
"Yeah, you know, the fortunate thing in my case is my wife, she understands the whole racetrack lifestyle, and our three kids, they're getting old enough now to understand it, so when we're together, and I'm here all summer and spring, we spend as much time as we can together, and then when I travel for the winter time...they understand it, and they come visit me when they can, and we try to take them on as many trips as we can. It's the lifestyle that we've chosen, and it's the lifestyle that we've all just become accustomed to living."
Is there any notion from your kids that they might follow your footsteps?
"Yeah, I have two girls and a boy, and the little boy's the middle child. He's seven, and he's got a couple ponies out on our farm he rides all the time, and he tells me every day he's going to be a jockey, so we're going to have to wait and see in a few years."
Is there anything you want to say to the people from your hometown area?
"I'm just proud to be from the area and very, very thankful for all the support I got—we've gotten through the last few weeks from all our friends and our family from back home, and it's just been a lot of joy to represent Louisiana."
And then he was off to ride in another race.
