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As someone who has frequently been described as “freakishly tall,” there are plenty of ways I’d like to respond to people who go out of their way to let me know that I’m well above the height of a normal person as if I’ve never had the chance to process that information before. However, over the years, I’ve managed to restrain myself from spitting and saying “It’s raining” when someone asks me “How’s the weather up there?” and asking short people if they’re a horse jockey when they question whether or not I play basketball.
For a long time, I looked at jockeys the same way that I looked at NASCAR drivers. While public opinion seems to be the only requirement for the latter is to be really good at making left turns, I think most people believe the only prerequisite for riding a horse professionally is weighing as little as possible and hitting it a bunch.
As fans of either sport know, nothing could be further from the truth.
Business Insider sat down with legendary jockey Victor Espinoza ahead of the Kentucky Derby this weekend to get a glimpse into how he prepares for races (he’ll be on the back of Bolt d’Oro, who is currently listed at 8-1). He spends the majority of his week working out three times a day with a focus on balancing strength and flexibility (his legs are the primary focus):
Espinoza runs the same hill five days per week, going three miles up and three miles down. After about an hour of rest, he goes to the gym where he focuses on low-weight, high-rep weight training. Afterward, he’ll hit the pool for swimming workouts, which he says helps strength but keeps his muscles from getting too tight.
However, the most notable aspect of Espinoza’s training regimen is his diet, which consists of one meal a day consumed after he finishes his workouts in the evening. He’s not a huge drinker, but aside from that, he doesn’t focus as much on exactly what he eats as long as it doesn’t get in the way of him maintaining his ideal race-day weight of 113 pounds.