Tom Pedulla is interviewing prominent owners, trainers, and jockeys as they travel the Road to the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) May 3 at Churchill Downs.
This week's installment features Brian Hernandez Jr., who joined trainer Kenny McPeek in completing the Kentucky Oaks (G1)–Kentucky Derby (G1) sweep last year with Thorpedo Anna and Mystik Dan. Thorpedo Anna went on to win Horse of the Year with Hernandez as her flawless pilot. His rail-skimming effort made the difference for longshot Mystik Dan in a dramatic three-horse Derby photo finish.
The Lafayette, La., native again has contenders in both of the nation's premier races for 3-year-olds with Ashland Stakes (G1) runner-up Take Charge Milady in the Oaks and Blue Grass Stakes (G1) winner Burnham Square in the Derby. Take Charge Milady is trained by McPeek; Whitham Thoroughbreds' homebred Burnham Square is overseen by Ian Wilkes.
Hernandez, 39, reflected on last year's historic sweep, Thorpedo Anna's continued improvement, and Burnham Square's Derby prospects during a question-and-answer session conducted by America's Best Racing's Pedulla.
PEDULLA: Is it true that you would speak about winning the Derby when you were growing up?
HERNANDEZ: My dad was a jockey in Louisiana. I was always watching him at Delta Downs and the Fair Grounds. It was always a dream to be a jockey. You always tell yourself if you're going to be a jockey, you want to win the Kentucky Derby. That's the ultimate goal.
PEDULLA: You saved one of the boots you wore in last year's Derby because it had some white paint on it from brushing against the rail. Where is that boot?
HERNANDEZ: I actually donated it to the Kentucky Derby Museum. It was the one on the left side that hit the rail a couple of times.
PEDULLA: You had not ridden Burnham Square until the Blue Grass. How did that come about?
HERNANDEZ: I followed him all winter long. I'm dear friends with Ian Wilkes and I've had quite a bit of success for Whitham. When Ian called and asked if we'd ride him in the Blue Grass and ride him back in the Derby, we jumped at the opportunity.
PEDULLA: What is your sense of how he wants to be ridden?
HERNANDEZ: He seems like a typical Ian-trained horse. You let him leave the gate, get his legs under him, and let him travel with you. That seems to be how he wants to be ridden. He doesn't want to be rushed into things. I've ridden the whole family, so I kind of know the whole history of them. They're just a little quirky, so you just let him get his legs under him and get himself together and just trust that he'll come with his big run.
PEDULLA: Are there any comparisons between Mystik Dan and Burnham Square?
HERNANDEZ: No. They're two totally different horses. With Mystik Dan, we knew he'd be able to stop and go a few times, and I'd be able to give him the trip I gave him. In Burnham Square's case, we have to let him travel, and when he decides he's going to pick it up and go after those horses, just stay out of his way and let him make his move like he did in the Blue Grass. He made a really, really long run for a 3-year-old just making his sixth start. He made a really hard half-mile run, and a lot of horses don't want to do that.
PEDULLA: Can Burnham Square get the mile and a quarter?
HERNANDEZ: I think that's going to be the key to him. He seems like the type of horse where the farther he goes, the better he's going to get. I was talking to Ian the other day, and he mentioned, 'Too bad the Belmont is going to be at Saratoga this year and only be at a mile and a quarter.' He'd love to see him go a mile and a half.
PEDULLA: Does last year's Oaks-Derby sweep finally seem real, or do you think it will always seem surreal?
HERNANDEZ: I think it will always be a little surreal. It's kind of sunk in now, especially the last few weeks with everybody ramping back up for Derby and Oaks time again. I'm doing a lot more interviews. I'm just so proud of the horses.
PEDULLA: Does it mean a lot to you to finally receive national recognition?
HERNANDEZ: I don't really think about it a lot. I'm just happy to get an opportunity in bigger and better races. The big thing I focus on is trying to find another Derby winner or another Oaks winner or just another Grade 1 winner. We're trying to ride the bigger and better races and just enjoying them.
PEDULLA: Has Thorpedo Anna changed from 3 to 4?
HERNANDEZ: She seems like she's matured. Everything she's done the last year and a half, she goes out there and kind of knows she's pretty dominant. You can see it in her attitude. She kind of walks around there with a little swagger to her step. It's fun to watch her.
PEDULLA: Does she fill you with confidence?
HERNANDEZ: With what she's accomplished, the pressure is kind of amped up. In these races, she kind of always has a target on her back. But she keeps overcoming it and proving how great a filly she is.
PEDULLA: Now that you've won a Kentucky Derby, what does it feel like?
HERNANDEZ: It's the ultimate goal in our profession. Any time you ask a jockey their ultimate goal, the first thing is to ride the Kentucky Derby. Once you ride it a few times, you get it in the back of your head, 'I want to win the Kentucky Derby.' Once you do it once, though, it makes you hungry, and you want to do it every year.
PEDULLA: Do you allow yourself to dream about winning consecutive Oaks, consecutive Derbys?
HERNANDEZ: Definitely. We're going into Oaks and Derby day thinking we're going in there with two legitimate chances. It's really, really rare and a very difficult thing to do. At the same time, we have confidence in the horses, and we'll just go out there and give them the right trips.
PEDULLA: With last year's accomplishments, are you viewed differently?
HERNANDEZ: Some people would say, yeah, but I don't think so. I still do the same things every day. It's just that I can say, 'I won the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby.'
