‘Sonny day:’ 2022 Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Sonny Leon was an underdog, but also Northeast Ohio racing community favorite

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Over the previous few days, Sonny Leon has skyrocketed from being a northern Ohio racing favourite to a world sensation after guiding 80-1 longshot Wealthy Strike to an inconceivable win within the 148th Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

“I’ve gotten loads of calls from loads of associates and loads of interview (requests) from all over the world,” the Venezuelan-born Leon informed cleveland.com in a cellphone interview. “Folks from Peru, Chile, Ohio, in all places — they’re in search of Sonny Leon as a result of we gained the Kentucky Derby. … They’re very excited lots of people have known as me crying, saying that is unbelievable, that I made a ‘Sonny day’ within the Kentucky Derby.”

Whereas the racing world obtained to witness a “Sonny day” within the Derby, the slogan is one which native racing followers are already accustomed to.

Over latest years, it’s develop into a signature name by Matt Hook, the observe announcer at each the Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course in Austintown and on the JACK Thistledown Racino in North Randall. Hook is among the locals who’s had a front-row seat watching Leon race over the past 4 years, estimating he’s in all probability known as him in at the very least 3,000 races.

“He’s been the main rider on the market for the final 4 seasons,” Hook says, talking of Leon’s time at Mahoning Valley. “Successful two on a card shouldn’t be a uncommon prevalence for him, he can win three or 4 in a day simple, too. So I’ll say, ‘Today retains getting Sonny-er and Sonny-er’ when he wins his third. It’s simply the juxtaposition between the white, gray background and Sonny.”

Based on his profile on racingandsports.com, Leon has practically 300 wins at Mahoning Valley, his most up-to-date coming April 13 whereas using Ready on William. He has additionally raced practically 90 instances on the observe at JACK Thistledown, his racing profile states, tallying 5 wins on that observe. Leon can also be a daily at Belterra Park in Cincinnati, with over 200 wins there.

Belterra Park was the place Leon was final Friday, when he discovered he would journey Wealthy Strike within the Kentucky Derby the next day as a last-minute entry after one other horse was scratched from the race. Regardless of all his success regionally, nonetheless, Leon had by no means ridden in a graded stakes race earlier than the Derby. The stage had by no means been this large.

“Lots of people say, ‘Hey, you come from a smaller observe,’” Leon stated. “‘You rode yesterday at Belterra, and you then win the Kentucky Derby someday after, what do you concentrate on that?’ I say, ‘I simply journey the horse like you must do.’”

For racing regulars within the space, the power has been palpable within the days since Leon and Wealthy Strike’s large win.

“He’s only a phenomenal employee and an outstanding rider,” Hook stated. “He’s obtained elite energy. He’s an elite tactician, and I’m probably not shocked he gained the Derby. I’m form of shocked that horse gained the Derby, however it simply occurred.”

An underdog story

Mahoning Valley’s assistant director of racing Elizabeth Rogers initially thought final weekend could be a typical Derby weekend — a number of fanfare within the leadup, the massive race on Saturday, after which probably a couple of days off to relaxation up within the aftermath.

All of that modified when she obtained phrase that Leon had been using Wealthy Strike in Derby prep races. Anticipation grew even additional after the draw when Wealthy Strike was slated 21, set to be the alternate out there in case of any scratches.

“All week, we’re form of sweating it out, ready to see what’s going to occur,” Rogers stated. “Is he going to get in? Is that this going to occur? And once we obtained the information Friday morning that he was in, we had been shocked. We had been operating round attempting to get affirmation, is he in, is he in? Is that this occurring proper now, that he’s within the Kentucky Derby, of all races?

“And positive sufficient, he’s within the race and we had been simply so excited. And I reached out to our advertising and marketing staff and so they had been pumped up and shortly attempting to ship stuff out to let everyone know, let our locals know that Sonny Leon, our main jockey right here, is within the Derby, it’s occurring.”

The response was comparable at Thistledown, in keeping with director of racing Patrick Ellsworth, who stated they had been shocked to even see Wealthy Strike and Leon added to the sector within the first place since scratches that late are so unusual.

Wealthy Strike really successful is a feat that’s taken a couple of days to wrap their heads round.

“This was a horse that got here out of a $30,000 claiming race,” Ellsworth stated. “These horses don’t win the Kentucky Derby. They don’t win, for essentially the most half, graded stakes races. It’s an anomaly.”

Listening to locals within the racing neighborhood discuss Leon, it’s comprehensible why his ascendency has introduced such pleasure. They describe him as easygoing, quiet, an excellent man, pleasant, a household man. His persona, together with the best way he rides, has made him likeable and simple to root for.

It’s a part of the rationale he’s made an impression on fellow native jockey TD Houghton, who has 32 years of expertise.

“On a regular basis, very first thing once I see him he at all times says hello to me within the morning and at all times needs me luck within the jocks room,” Houghton stated. “I get together with him rather well. He’s an easygoing man, enjoyable to be round, not a troublemaker. He’s not a kind of riders who tries earlier than the races to get in your ear or intimidate you or something like that.”

Leon isn’t perceived as a troublemaker, however he’s aggressive. In a sport with strict guidelines, typically that aggressiveness can result in suspensions. He’s had 5 since final fall and at present Leon is serving out a four-day suspension handed down by Ohio racing stewards for careless using through the third race on April 27 at Thistledown. They decided he “intentionally and aggressively” steered One Glamorous Gal towards the rail to dam different horses within the stretch. His suspension ends Thursday.

Generally that aggressiveness results in suspensions. Different instances it results in the one of many largest underdog victories within the historical past of the game.

Certain, Wealthy Strike wanted no assist writing an underdog story. The numbers communicate for themselves: 80-1 odds make Wealthy Strike the second-longest odds to ever win the Derby, with 1913 winner Donerail (91-1 odds) the one longer shot within the race’s storied historical past.

However contemplating Leon had by no means been in a race of this caliber, it’s magnified the underdog enchantment of his story. So has the story of Wealthy Strike’s coach, Eric Reed. He races horses at Mahoning Valley throughout their winter season, which takes place October by April.

Reed has contended with lots adversity himself lately. Six years in the past, a fireplace attributable to a lightning strike killed 23 horses at Reed’s Mercury Equine Heart in Lexington, Ky.

“It’s an underdog story,” Rogers stated. “[Reed] wasn’t positive if he was going to get by it. And when issues like that occur within the horse racing business, it’s a really shut group. And I bear in mind everyone speaking about it and asking what’s going to occur? Is he going to have the ability to maintain going? They usually did, they managed to maintain going.

“After which he had this chance with this proprietor (Rick Dawson), who bought Wealthy Strike out of a claiming race for less than $30,000, and Eric had the chance to coach for him. Eric rides Sonny Leon always when he comes as much as Mahoning Valley, put Sonny on the horse after which they take their possibilities.”

‘The place within the heck did he go?’

Although Rogers, Ellsworth, Hook and Houghton are used to watching Leon journey, through the race as Leon deftly rode Wealthy Strike down the rail and into the lead, they didn’t even notice what was occurring in actual time.

“I’ve known as 30,000 races in my profession,” Hook stated. “I’ve in all probability watched hundreds of thousands. I had no thought. I didn’t know. I didn’t know who that was. I assumed like most individuals that Epicenter was going to win as a result of he was clear, he was operating robust, he wasn’t giving up. And if anyone was going to catch him, it was going to be Zandon.”

After a race that began very quick, Wealthy Strike was fifteenth on the 1-mile pole. However Leon had a sensible technique, guiding Wealthy Strike in direction of the rail early on. In direction of the ultimate stretch, the rail opened up much more and Leon took his shot. He stated he rode his hardest over the past 200 or so yards.

As Wealthy Strike raced alongside the within, he encountered Messier, and within the transfer that gained the race, Leon guided Wealthy Strike alongside the skin to make his manner as much as the entrance previous the favored Epicenter and Zandon.

“He was simply up there and I used to be like ‘The place within the heck did he go?’” Houghton stated. “After watching the replay of it and seeing the aerial shot, then I may see and was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ as a result of he form of disappeared as a result of the angle of the digicam modified. So we didn’t see an excellent shot from the pan view. In order he’s coming for residence, he’s coming between horses, shifting again to the rail, and that’s when he was shifting. Even the announcer actually, when he lastly sees him and calls it, he by no means obtained a name down by the stretch in any respect till he was within the lead.”

In 2:02.61, the inconceivable victory belonged to Wealthy Strike and Leon. It additionally belonged to the locals at Mahoning Valley, who know simply how Leon races, and sufficient about odds to know that typically, it’s definitely worth the danger to defy them.

“The entire constructing was wild,” Rogers stated. “Tons of individuals from different departments in our on line casino operating in asking, ‘That was him, proper? That was Sonny?’ All people, your complete property, all of our visitors, everyone that works there. We had been excited. It simply turned an enormous celebration at that time.

“They’re very accustomed to Sonny and so loads of them got here out to assist Sonny and so they backed him up even with their wagers. So we had loads of our locals that gained when Sonny gained, and it was simply so thrilling. The ambiance was unimaginable.”

Within the days since, the elation has remained at each Mahoning Valley and Thistledown as regulars have loved reveling within the native connection whereas attempting to place this feat into context.

“That is all about Sonny, that is all about Eric Reed, that is all about Wealthy Strike,” Ellsworth stated. “That’s what we’re most blissful for and most pleased with are the connections to the horse, after which how they hook up with our racetrack, it’s simply been such a enjoyable expertise.

“I’m speaking to some followers which have been on this enterprise for many years which might be calling that the perfect journey they’ve ever seen. It’s been an incredible debate all week to this point.”

“Sonny days” forward

Through the win, Leon confirmed off his largest strengths as a jockey — specifically his endurance and leisure, blended with an innate sense of figuring out when to be aggressive and easy methods to end robust.

Within the course of, Leon — no matter native suspensions — proved simply how good jockeys from small tracks could be.

“The Derby was a really perfect, excellent state of affairs for him,” Houghton stated. “As a result of that’s form of his fashion. That horse match him effectively and he ran an ideal race. All the things that might have went proper for him went proper. Each spot the place he was, it opened up.

“I used to be actually blissful for him as a result of he obtained to point out them that he’s not only a good rider at a small observe. He can go wherever and do effectively too, you’ve simply obtained have the horse.”

Leon could also be a world sensation proper now. However he hasn’t misplaced his small-track Ohio roots and plans to maintain it that manner. Leon says he’s excited to return to Cincinnati’s Belterra and race this Friday, as soon as his suspension concludes.

“That’s residence,” Leon stated. “I’ve gotta be residence, and I’ve gotta be with my folks.”

He’s additionally going to proceed to attempt to make historical past.

Wealthy Strike is not going to attempt to develop into the 14th horse to compete for a Triple Crown, as proprietor Rick Dawson introduced on Thursday that the horse could be rested till the June 11 Belmont Stakes.

That’s once we’ll discover out if there’s extra “Sonny days” forward for each Leon and Wealthy Strike.