by Linda L. Esterson, photography by Thomas Walker
For Westminster native Nik Juarez, riding in the 2024 Preakness Stakes was more than a career milestone, it was the culmination of a lifelong dream rooted in Carroll County.
“Every jockey’s dream is to ride the Kentucky Derby,” he says. “My dream was always to ride the Preakness, coming from Baltimore.” This spring, he did both. Juarez became the first Maryland-born jockey to compete in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness since Ron Franklin, who, at age 19, rode Spectacular Bid in 1979. The history-making moment wasn’t lost on Juarez. “It meant a lot to me to be a Maryland kid riding in the Preakness,” he says.
The Long Ride to the Top
Juarez, now 32, is well-regarded in racing circles for his riding skill and work ethic. He’s described as smart and aggressive by legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas, whose horses have won a record 15 Triple Crown races (the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes). Lukas, who passed away in June, described Juarez as smart and aggressive. Juarez met Lukas two years ago while riding at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It was there he also connected with Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, who now serves as his agent. Juarez is up before 4 a.m.
He gets in a quick workout and is at the track by 5 a.m. His mornings include meetings with Stevens and Lukas, followed by “breezing” the horses — working them at speed on the track in hopes of earning a race mount. Jockeys are only paid if they ride in a race, so face time with owners and trainers is essential.
“He has the talent and ability to be riding most of the card on any racetrack,” says Lukas, who praises Juarez for continually pushing to finish strong. He says many jockeys find themselves in fifth or sixth place and accept that position. But Juarez always strives to finish as high as possible. The difference between fourth and sixth places could mean $4,000, which can cover a month of training for a horse.
The Match with American Promise
Lukas knows that every horse is different. Matching the right jockey to the right horse is part instinct, part experience. “Some horses, like fillies, don’t care for an aggressive rider. They want someone a little bit more finessed,” he explains. “And then you get a stud colt that’s got a mind of his own, and you want an aggressive rider. You want someone who can dominate him.”
That’s what Lukas saw in Juarez when he paired him with a young colt named American Promise. The two clicked. In December 2023, Juarez guided the horse to its first-ever win in the Oaklawn Park Maiden Special Weight race.
That victory opened the door to bigger things. Lukas entered American Promise in the Virginia Derby, and Juarez rode him to a $500,000 victory. This win secured the horse and jockey a coveted spot in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.
“It’s kind of like ball players,” Lukas says. “If they’re playing well, they’re in the game. If not, they’re on the bench. It’s the same thing with these riders.”
Growing Up Trackside
NikJuarez’s path to the sport started early. A fourth-generation horseman, he spent his childhood around horses and racetracks. He participated in Carroll County 4-H, showing steers and pigs, and spent weekends on the bench in the jockey’s room at Pimlico.
His mother, Carol Linton, is the daughter of longtime outrider, trainer and steeplechase jockey Charlie Linton and granddaughter of owner-trainer Bob Linton. She worked as a pony girl at Pimlico to support herself through nursing school.
At the Baltimore track, she met Calixto Juarez, a jockey from Panama. Both were on hand for this year’s Preakness — Linton ponied horses, and the elder Juarez drove the veterinarian’s truck.
Resilience on and off the Mat
Nik Juarez was a four-year varsity wrestler at Winters Mill High School. When he returned to Maryland for the Preakness in May, he visited the school to speak with students about overcoming adversity — something he knows about deeply. His parents split when he was a sophomore, and he said this separation had a profound impact on him.
“I went through hard times at home,” he says. “But … I still had a great foundation at school.” That foundation, he says, was provided by two key school staff members: Tom Walker, his advisor, and John Lowe, the school’s former varsity wrestling coach, who held him accountable.
Walker remembers Juarez as a fun-loving kid who could get a little rambunctious but reigned it in when called out. “He was always a listener, always respectful,” Walker says. “I see that carrying through in his professional life now.” Lowe was also a Spanish teacher at the school and offered as much support as he could — even letting Juarez sleep on a wrestling mat at his house on occasion.
Lowe remembers a young man who lacked direction but showed promise. Juarez wasn’t always in class and didn’t always do his homework, but once he was on the wrestling mat, he couldn’t hide. The coach taught him to harness his anger and focus on technique. “Technique always overrides emotion,” Lowe would say. That lesson still guides Juarez today.
The Hard Turn
After high school, Juarez made a series of bad decisions. He was arrested on marijuana charges — marijuana was illegal in Maryland at the time — and spent more than a year in the Carroll County Detention Center, which included the time during his 18th birthday.
He recalls watching the 2012 Kentucky Derby while on work release. He remembers seeing Mario Gutierrez win on a horse named I’ll Have Another and breaking down into tears. “I didn’t know what I was going to do with the rest of my life,” he says.
But his friends encouraged him to follow in his father’s footsteps and to get back in the saddle — literally.
Juarez gets emotional when he thinks about his friends who didn’t have positive outcomes in their lives and the struggles he endured. He credits the horses — and horse racing in particular — for saving his life and helping him persevere. He also learned to extend grace and kindness to others, quoting the late comedian Robin Williams: “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind always.”
Full Circle
Juarez scored his first win in December 2013 at Laurel Park. In 2015, he found a career-defining partner in Valid, a horse he rode to four major victories across Florida, Kentucky and New Jersey.
“He’s the one who put me on the map when I went to South Florida,” Juarez says. After the horse’s retirement, Juarez bought him to save him from slaughter and brought him home to Linton’s farm in New Windsor, where Valid now lives peacefully.
Juarez’s travels have taken him as far as Sweden, where he met his now ex-wife Melissa, with whom he shares two young children.
He has aspirations for a future on the farm, where he envisions teaching children about horse racing and helping to rescue retired racehorses. But for now, he’s riding nearly every day, building his career one mount at a time.
Trainer Lukas believed Juarez is just getting started. “I think the best is still in front of him,” he said. “His career is solid. People know him…. He has a chance to go a lot higher on the talent ladder.
