For a moment, it felt like the story was over. A 58-year-old jockey, whose career had weathered setbacks including a trainer’s license revocation in 2018, was written off after a fall at Saratoga on August 15. The kind of fall that makes everyone wonder: Is this the end? Well, not for him. With a father, Luis Raul Rivera, and a godfather, Luis Perez, both seasoned jockeys, horse racing runs in his blood. So, one fall couldn’t stop Luis Rivera Jr. The very next day, we saw him back in action.
Just the next day, on the 16th of August, after Luis Rivera Jr.’s hospital visit, we saw him back in the saddle on Thorpedo Anna. Yes, with a multiple Grade 1-winning American Thoroughbred. He put on a clinic: half a mile in 48.19 seconds, the last quarter in 23.75, five furlongs in 1:00.92, and six furlongs in 1:14.33 at Oklahoma. Insiders called it the best workout of her summer. One night in the hospital couldn’t stop him. But Thorpedo Anna herself needs little introduction.
By the way, that was Luis Rivera Jr. aboard Anna. The same Rivera who was in the hospital til about 8 last night getting his hip checked out. Rivera will ride today. https://t.co/7YW991Lxl7
— David Grening (@DRFGrening) August 16, 2025
In 2024, she won the Grade I Kentucky Oaks, Acorn Stakes, Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga, Cotillion Handicap at Parx, and the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar. A champion. Yet it was the synergy between horse and rider, the trust and timing in horse racing, that made this workout feel like more than training. And for the jockey, Luis Rivera Jr., with 280 starts this year, 27 wins, and over $1.6 million in earnings, plus a career spanning 1,818 starts and more than $10 million earned, it was the experience that still mattered. The result? A flawless workout, a triumphant return. But what about the injury? Did he perform despite being hurt?
Luis Rivera Jr survives Saratoga fall in horse racing
On August 15, Jockey Luis Rivera Jr. was dislodged during the eighth race at Saratoga when James Ferraro’s trainee, Rock Harbor, fell in the stretch on the turf course. Rivera initially remained sitting up on the track and was taken to first aid, but after complaining of pain in his left hip, he was transported to a local hospital for further examination.
Fortunately, Rivera escaped serious injury and was described as only “a little sore,” according to Daily Racing Form’s David Grening, who spoke with the rider’s agent, Jimmy Riccio Jr. Rock Harbor stood up after the fall but sustained a left front leg injury and was transported via equine ambulance to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital.
Ferraro noted that the 4-year-old filly’s bones appeared intact and that she may have suffered a soft-tissue injury. Despite the scare, Rivera’s long and successful career remains impressive. Over 1,818 career starts, he has recorded 214 wins, 202 seconds, and 211 thirds, with total earnings exceeding $10 million. The fall was a show of just how unpredictable horse racing can be. Yet for Rivera, moments like these don’t define him. Even back in 2018, after losing his trainer’s license in June, he achieved the rare feat of riding a winner he also trained when Strawberry Red pulled off a 14-1 upset that August. It’s the kind of comeback that shows everyone why we watch this sport: for the triumphs, the setbacks, and the quiet heroism that rides alongside every finish line.
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