The Week in Review: Racing Halts, Dreams Don't

As racing nationwide grinds to a halt in many jurisdictions, the focus–rightfully so–has been on the lifelong racetrackers who have had their Thoroughbred livelihoods upended by the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus.

But what about the up-and-comers who are just now breaking into the sport? Their perspectives are unique and important, too.
Take apprentice jockeys. When the game is going full-tilt, hardly a week goes by without news that a “bug” rider has achieved a maiden-breaking victory, complete with the ritualistic dousing of water, eggs, shaving cream, talcum powder, and anything else that celebrants in the jockeys' quarters can get their hands on to commemorate an apprentice's first career win.

Chel-c Bailey, who has competed as a mixed martial arts fighter, rode her first lifetime winner at Oaklawn Park Feb. 28. Three days later, Mario Fuentes, the son of a trainer, hit the winner's circle for the first time with a 26-1 upsetter at Gulfstream Park.
But Charlie Marquez, a newly turned 17-year-old, best epitomizes the hard-luck reality of an apprentice jockey's career arc getting stalled in mid-trajectory by the coronavirus.

On Mar. 15, for the second Sunday in a row, the deft-handed teenager with the big grin and braces closed out the racing week with a three-win day at Laurel Park. That triple gave Marquez 24 wins on the meet, good enough for third in a competitive riding colony.

Four days later, Maryland racing ceased until further notice because of a precautionary order from the governor related to COVID-19.

You won't find the upbeat apprentice complaining about beyond-his-control circumstances, though. Marquez has plenty of youthful ambition on his side, yet he manages to temper his strong desire to get back in the saddle with a cool-headed acceptance of the shutdown.

“It's a wild ride. It's been crazy,” Marquez told TDN via phone Saturday, referring broadly to the time between Jan. 9, when he earned his first career victory (and there were zero confirmed coronavirus cases in the country), through Mar. 15, when he won at an 18% clip with $513,254 in purse earnings (and the nation's economy was approaching a standstill because of COVID-19).
“I think the virus is a big deal. Hopefully it doesn't cancel racing for too long because a lot of people depend on it for their jobs and to pay their bills,” Marquez said.

He quickly added, without a hint of sheepishness, “But I'm only 17, so I'm probably not going to understand it like an older person would.”

His agent, Kevin Witte, pointed out in a separate interview that not having to view the pandemic through the prism of adulthood is probably a blessing in disguise for Marquez.

“Charlie's young and ambitious and having a great time doing what he's doing right now, and I don't know if he really comprehends everything that's going on,” Witte said. “He's like, 'When are we going to get back to work?' while the rest of the world doesn't know what tomorrow holds. But that's probably to his advantage–he's just looking to get back to doing what he loves.”

Witte is a 20-year veteran of agenting in the mid-Atlantic region. He has repped the likes of 2002 Eclipse Award-winning apprentice Ryan Fogelsonger, plus Horacio Karamanos, Abel Castellano and Daniel Centeno. He knows that for young jockeys, being able to ride a cresting wave of early success is crucial to how their careers can develop.

“With the momentum we had going, it's difficult to deal with the stoppage,” Witte admitted.

Witte had booked Marquez to ride one horse at Penn National Saturday night, believing it was worth the 220-mile round trip from the seven-pound apprentice's home in Columbia, Maryland, just to keep the kid in action. But that track also called off racing because of the virus

Asked if he was concerned about how to constructively fill up a teenage jockey's suddenly abundant free time, Witte replied, “Well, I am. But again, it's all new. We're adjusting as we go. He has a schedule where he studies in the evenings for his GED [General Educational Development] tests, and he's already passed several courses. But the mornings are pretty much the same as they've been the last three months. We're out there breezing horses on a regular schedule for now.”

Marquez said he recognizes the value of sticking to a routine while Laurel is dark for racing.

“I don't want to get into a rut where there's nothing for me to do,” Marquez said. “I go out and work horses in the mornings. I talk to as many people as I can at the track, just to make sure everyone knows that I'm there and willing to work. I try to study races on TVG, but there are barely any races going on. I study for my GED, and jog and try to maintain my fitness for when the races open back up. I try to keep everything the same with my morning routine, except instead of going to the jocks' room after training, I come home.”

Beyond his schooling–which Marquez said is important in case race-riding doesn't work out–he's also a student of watching race replays.

“Every horse I ride, I look up on Equibase before and I watch their replays to see what happened in the race, how it unfolded, and how the horse likes to run,” Marquez said. “I watch my own replays after every race I ride. I watch to see what I did wrong, or what I could have done better to win. I also watch to see what I did well, but I always criticize myself, even when I win races.”
Marquez grew up around Maryland backstretches. Prior to turning pro, he rode in and won point-to-point races on a horse he trained in partnership with his mom, and he also rode in amateur races last year at Parx and Laurel.

“He's just a great kid–energetic, willing, dedicated. That in itself, for somebody doing this as long as I have, is refreshing,” Witte said.

A number of the veteran Laurel jockeys rode with Marquez's father, Carlos Marquez Jr., a winner of more than 3,150 career races who is currently based in Puerto Rico. His grandfather, Carlos Marquez Sr., was also a jockey, and he taught at Puerto Rico's noted Escuela Vocacional Hipica riding academy.

“A lot of the riders help me,” Marquez said. “But you have to remember, they're competing for the same thing that I am–winning races while doing the best you can. So yes, they'll help me by telling me what I do right and what I do wrong. But they're not going to baby-sit me. They're worried about their own wins and I'm worried about mine.”

Asked to list his apprentice's best horsebacking attributes, Witte said, “He's very thought-out. He has an innate patience for being such a young rider. His patience is incredible. He shows a lot more poise than his riding experience suggests he should. He's got a great sense of timing and is very good from the gate. He's very good at pacing in a race. He's not afraid to wait.”

It will be up to Marquez to apply those waiting skills to riding out the racing shutdown. In the interim, his aspirations serve as his longer-term incentive.

“Every apprentice wants to win the Eclipse Award, and that's what I'm aiming for,” Marquez said. “My goals right now are to work as hard as I can, rack up as many winners as I can, and win the Eclipse. And who knows? I dream about being a Hall of Fame jockey. But that's a little far off right now.

“I'm just going to follow my dreams and make them happen,” Marquez said. “It's definitely hard work. But if you want it, you can achieve it.”