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'You can't beat this' Jockey Velez cherishes new lease on life
Posted: Wednesday May 03, 2000 05:38 PM
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Roger Velez could be forgiven if he feels like washing cars before riding in the biggest race of his life. In the old days, Velez eased his anxiety by downing a few drinks. It wasn't long before he was an alcoholic, wrecking his career for much of the 1980s and early '90s. Finally, he made a pledge to his dying girlfriend that he would stop drinking and return to riding -- and now he's riding where every jockey wants to be. On Saturday, Velez will be aboard Hal's Hope in the 126th running of the Kentucky Derby. "I find myself the luckiest guy in the world," Velez said, tears welling in his eyes. "You can't beat this." At 43, Velez is enjoying another chance with the unlikeliest of allies, 88-year-old trainer Harold Rose, who made a comeback of his own after having a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery last year. "I had burned so many bridges and done the wrong thing in life, a lot of people were sour. Nobody opened the doors," Velez said. "He was kind enough to let me ride for him." Velez' first mount for Rose finished second, resulting in more opportunities that Velez turned into victories for the man he affectionately nicknamed "Papa Rose." "I liked the way he rode a couple horses. He followed instructions, we did well and got to know each other better," Rose said. "He was able to get more out of my horses than some other riders." The two have developed a father-son relationship that taught Velez the kind of humility he rarely showed as a successful apprentice rider who won the Whitney Handicap in 1976. "When you talk to Papa Rose, he's so humble. He doesn't have a bad thing to say about nobody. His wife is the same way. Those are qualities that you have to admire," Velez said. "I've managed to learn what it is to be humble and be down and get back on my feet again. That's what makes being here so special." The morning of the Florida Derby, Velez washed two cars as a way to combat his nerves. Hal's Hope was a 40-1 long shot and beat High Yield by a head, paying $82 to win. Velez figures the same thing can happen Saturday. "The best thing about it is he's going to be 40-1 and he's going to make us a lot of money," he said. "Don't give up on Hal because when he shows up he's as dangerous as can be. If he's in front at the quarter pole they're going to really have to run hard to get by this guy." Velez was washing dishes in a Hallandale, Fla., hotel where his father worked as a chef when the restaurant owner spotted him. The owner told Velez he looked like a rider and he took the teenager to Gulfstream Park on Florida Derby day. Velez was hooked and began his career as a hotwalker, then moved to groom and finally exercise rider in his native Miami. He spent hours studying race films in the jockeys' room at Hialeah before becoming an apprentice. But drinking eventually consumed him. It wasn't until his girlfriend died that Velez got the help he needed to resume riding. Still, he struggled until he met his future wife, Patti, in 1996. She managed a beauty salon to pay the bills while encouraging Velez to try riding again. He rode Hal's Hope for the first time at Calder last July. By January, Patti felt secure enough about the future to quit her job. "Go right ahead, honey," he replied. From the time he enters the jockey's room Saturday and prays for a safe ride, Velez plans on enjoying every moment of Derby hoopla. "I couldn't even get on a $10,000 claimer four years ago, never mind me riding Hal's Hope. That's why I get choked up sometimes," he said. "I took the wrong path and I was lucky enough to come back and find the blessing of life. Never give up on your dreams."
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