Joe Talamo, a 22-year-old native of Marrero, Louisiana, notched his 1,000th career victory on Thursday at Santa Anita, winning the 4TH race aboard heavily favored Splendid Fortune, who is conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and is owned by her breeder, Arnold Zetcher. Making her second career start, the daughter of Giant's Causeway was sent off at odds of 2-5 and won by 7 1/4 lengths.
"That was fun. It's nice to get it out of the way early," Talamo said.
"My mom was the one who gave me permission to ride at a young age but I had to tow the line," Talamo continued in an interview with HRTV's Kurt Hoover. "It was 'Yes ma'am, no ma'am,' or I got a whipping. I really have to give all the credit to my parents for letting me start at such a young age to do what I wanted to do, and it paid off. I left school when I was in the 10th grade and they've always supported me."
Talamo jokingly acknowledged that his original plan was to only ride temporarily in Southern California five years ago, "but the weather's so good out here I decided to stay."
Currently fourth in the Santa Anita jockey standings with 39 wins, Talamo has clearly established himself as one of the premier young riders in the country.
"He never says 'no,'" said Scott McClellan, his agent for the past five years. "He'll work any horse I ask him to, anytime and anywhere. He's got a great work ethic and a great sense of humour. He's fun to be around and always kidding. He's really a pleasure to work for.
"Leaving home at age 16 and then coming out here like he did, he must've had a great upbringing. His parents did a great job with him."
McClellan also pointed out Talamo's willingness to avail himself to all kinds of media.
"He's a great ambassador for the game. He's always sending out stuff on Twitter or Facebook or email. He's always there for the press."
Two of Talamo's biggest career wins have come in prestigious Kentucky Derby preps. He won the 2009 Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct with I Want Revenge and the 2010 Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby with Sidney's Candy.
Talamo has been named to ride longshot Blueskiesnrainbows in this Saturday's Santa Anita Derby. A Virginia-bred colt by English Channel, Blueskienrainbows is trained by Baffert and is 20-1 on the morning-line.