Mario Pino interview

This doesn't have anything to do with Texas, but with the great Mario Pino getting a little national attention lately as the regular rider for Hard Spun, it seemed like a good time to reprint this interview I did with the jockey last summer at Saratoga for the Saratoga Special.

To make it Texas-related, I'll add this one comment. Hard Spun's trainer, Larry Jones, has to be the only cowboy-hat wearing conditioner who has never started a horse in Texas. What's up with that?

In any case, here's an old Q & A with Mario Pino, one of the good guys...

Q & A with Mario Pino
By Jim Mulvihill

With 5,746 career wins entering Friday’s racing, Mario Pino ranks 16th among the all-time leading North American jockeys. If you’re not up on riders based outside of New York, consider that Pino is quickly closing in on Jerry Bailey, who finished his career ranked 15th, and for now rests comfortably ahead of Edgar Prado in 17th.

It’s been a few years since Pino has been spotted around these parts, but fans are advised to familiarize themselves with him right away. The 44-year-old rides in two stakes this weekend aboard horses trained by Larry Jones—Miss Elsie in Friday’s Grade II Honorable Miss and Hello Liberty in Saturday’s Grade I Test.

Pino sat down with The Saratoga Special after Thursday’s races so locals could have an opportunity to get to know this living legend.

Q. When and where did you start riding?

A. I’ve been riding for 26 years and I started in Maryland. Actually, I used to work up here galloping horses before I ever even started riding. That was quite a few years ago. I’ve spent 26 years riding in Maryland and Delaware. I made a couple trips up here. It’s always fun up here. This time my wife and me came up and I’m riding three days here (Thursday to Saturday). It’s like a little vacation. I hope we get lucky.

Q. When was your last trip here?

A. I think it was like three years ago. I just got beat in a stakes here.

Q. Have you had any winners here?

A. I’ve won a lot of races, but only one here. I couldn’t tell you when it was so long ago.

Q. Do you know how many winners you have overall?

A. I’m going on 6,000 now. I think I need, oh, 200 more for 6,000. I’m almost there.

Q. How much longer will you ride?

A. I’m just going to keep riding until I feel like I can’t do it anymore. I feel good and I like riding. Over the years you get a little sour some days, but then you win a big race on a nice horse and you feel rejuvenated again. Right now I’m not even thinking about retirement.

Q. Is there any win that stands out as your biggest?

A. I’ve won a ton of races in Maryland. I must’ve won every big race in Maryland except the Preakness. I couldn’t pinpoint just one, though.

Q. What do you think of your mounts this weekend?

A. I ride a nice filly (Hello Liberty) in the Test. I’ve never rode her in a race but I’ve been working her and watching her replays and she looks like a quality horse. The horse that beat her, Bushfire, just came back and won again. Seven-eighths looks like it’s perfect for her. But there are a lot of horses in the race and you’ve got to get lucky in a full field like that. I’m looking forward to riding her. Larry Jones, is an awesome trainer. I’ve been riding a lot of horses for him in Delaware and I won the Prioress for him at Belmont a few weeks ago.

Q. And how about Miss Elsie in the Honorable Miss?

A. I won on her last time. She’ll have to step up a little tomorrow, but she’s a nice, quality mare and she shows up every time she runs. I like her record her last three starts: a third, a second, and a win. She’s always running hard at the end and she could be right in there.

Q. Who did you look up to when you were starting out?

A. Laffit Pincay. I used to watch him all the time. I never spent a lot of time with him. We’d watch him on TV and he’d come to ride the Preakness, but that’s all. Just looking at what Laffit has done, that amazes me right there, to come and show up every day like he did. I know just trying to get 6,000 wins is a tough go. That’s a lot of showing up every day when you don’t want to. It just amazes me how someone could keep doing that and that’s why he was one of my idols from when I first started. There were a lot of good riders I used to watch and I’d take little things from. Chris McCarron was another, and Pat Day.

Q. Is it true the turns are tighter at Pimlico or is that a myth?

A. Actually, the track seems that way. The straightaways are longer and the turns seem slightly tighter. That’s just the way it is. I don’t think it’s really a myth because riding there the first turn is a very sharp turn and you’ve got to keep turning out of the first turn. If you’re three- or four-wide on that turn it takes so much out of your horse, it’s like on the turf course. You’ve got to be on that rail into the first turn. It’s very essential. At other tracks you can lose a little bit of ground and not have to pay later, but at Pimlico it can really cost you a lot.

[At this point a ladybug lands on the cuff of Pino’s white dress shirt.]

Look at that. That’s good luck.

[Now back to the question.]

You’ve got to save ground at Pimlico. I’ve been there a long time and if you don’t save ground, you’re not going to finish up.

Q. Has wrestling in high school helped you at all as a jockey?

A. Yeah. It gave me the discipline. It’s a lot of discipline making weight, working out, getting in shape, trying to win, you know? The wrestling really helped me later on with my weight. In high school I actually weighed the same as I do now and I’m 44 now.

Q. What did you tack today?

A. I tack 115. Not comfortably, but it’s fine. If you can stay the same as you were in high school that’s pretty good. Not many people can say that.