Born:
1974-12-08 Lima Lima Province, Peru Currently Residing: Monrovia California USA Height: 5'4� His wife is Rene. Notes: Jose Valdivia, Jr. started his career in horseracing from his father � Jose Sr., who was one of the leading riders in South America. He came to the United States at the age of fourteen years with his family and gradually became a hot walker at the West Palm Beach, Florida, farm of Edson Alexandre. He raced at Calder Race Course before riding as an apprentice in New York for Johnson and other trainers. Only at nineteen, he posted his first winning title with Thor Thors. Interestingly, this was his thirds ride at Belmont Park. He became a leading rider at the Fairplex meet with a total of twenty-one wins in 1995. Jose raced in the Northern California racing circuit before racing to Kentucky in 1996 � there he rode until returning to Southern California in 1997. Since then Jose has participated in several stakes races across the country and has posted win in many of them. |
| Won eight stakes with top sprinter Big Jag in 1998-99 racing session; snatched his career�s first victory with Tali'sluckybusride in the 2001 Grade 1 Oak Leaf; posted win in the 2003 Manhattan Handicap (Meteor Storm), 2003 Beverly D (Heat Haze), 2003 San Carlos (Aldebaran), 2004 Santa Anita Derby (Castledale) and his two 2006 wins on Arravale. |