Apprentice jockey Joseph Bealmear earned the first win of his career when guiding We Miss Arlington to victory in the second race at Oaklawn Park Saturday.
We Miss Arlington was the 11th career mount for Bealmear, according to Equibase, and came almost 44 years after his father, retired jockey Ben Bealmear, recorded his first career victory at Oaklawn.
The 19-year-old, who rode his first race Nov. 30 at Turfway Park, celebrated his first victory by pumping his right arm twice after crossing the finish line.
“I just couldn't contain it,” Bealmear said Sunday morning. “I just let it out. A lot of people asked me if I was nervous. But honestly, from the post parade, to the gate, to the finish line, that's the most confident I've ever been in a race. I think the horse felt that. I felt it and it all just worked out great.”
Bealmear grew up near Lexington and said he's been around horses his entire life. Bealmear's father won 66 races as a jockey in 1979-1982 and his mother, Laura, saddled 50 winners as a trainer during her career (2007-2020), according to Equibase.
Before becoming a jockey, Joseph Bealmear said he regularly galloped horses for trainer Wesley Ward. Bealmear began laying the groundwork for his riding career approximately 18 months ago when he met retired jockey Robby Albarado, Oaklawn's leading rider in 1996 and 1997. Albarado, who won more than 5,000 career races, is an exercise rider at Oaklawn for trainer Kenny McPeek and is also Bealmear's agent.
“Hopefully, everything goes well here and kind of piggyback on to Kentucky,” Albarado said. “That's the hope. I think he's going to be that kind of rider.”
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