Nik Juarez Returns to Mid-Atlantic Roots to Ride at Colonial Downs

NEW KENT, VA. (June 10, 2026) – The last time Nik Juarez rode at Colonial Downs, on March 15, 2025, it turned out to be very good day. The 32-year-old jockey scored aboard American Promise for the legendary Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas in the $500,000 Virginia Derby as well as tacking on a third-place finish in the $250,000 Virginia Oaks on Anonima for trainer Kenny McPeek.

As an official Kentucky Derby qualifying race, the 50 points earned by American Promise earned him a spot in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby, presented by Woodford Reserve. It would be the first Derby mount for Juarez and though American Promise ran 16th, it was a memorable day nevertheless as he picked up a win on the undercard for Lukas.

“I started off the day (in the second race) aboard Lemon Muffin. She won (rallying) from last to first. That was a special feeling to win something on Derby Day. It was just a really special day to be a part of D. Wayne Lukas and his team. I had friends visiting from Maryland and it was cool to be able to have that moment with family and friends,” Juarez said.

A winner of more than 1,000 races in his 14-year career, Juarez has had the most success riding the mid-Atlantic racetracks. He won his first race with his first mount, Love Heart, for owner-trainer Calvin Barth at Laurel Park on Dec. 14, 2013.

“I grew up in the Mid-Atlantic,” Juarez said. “I started out at Laurel in Maryland and I am a 3rd generation horseman. My dad rode races in the Mid-Atlantic and on my mom’s side of the family my grandfather was a longtime outrider for the Maryland Jockey Club.”

Juarez has reunited with agent Jay Rushing for the upcoming season which starts on June 25 and runs through September 7.

“We started together 11 years ago (in) August of 2015 at Monmouth Park. Then I followed a horse (I had been riding)named Valid down to Gulfstream Park. We’ve always had success and, I feel like it’s a fresh start (for me) at Colonial Downs and with a push from (trainer) Saffie Joseph, Jr. it’s even a better opportunity.”

One other advantage to returning to Mid-Atlantic is that Juarez will be able to visit Valid who is stabled at his mother’s farm. Juarez, who won a pair of graded stakes races aboard the son of Medaglia d’Oro, purchased the horse from his then-owner Tom Thurman in 2017 who bought the horse at Keeneland in the fall of 2016.

“I reached out to Mr. Thurman and I spoke with him a few times at length. He said that if there ever came a time that he was done with his racing career (that) he would give me a call. About nine months later, I got the call from Tom Thurman. He was in Colorado. I was in New Jersey. He said, ‘Can you get a van out of here (Colorado) to come get him?’ (Trainer) Kelly Breen helped me organize that in New Jersey and we got a van to go pick up Valid

“We wanted to try to make him into a (stable) pony but he had too much racehorse in him and was still very competitive. After that, I ended up putting him out to my mother’s farm in Maryland. My mom still takes him out fox hunting and a lot of fun things for him to stay occupied. He’s still out there today so it would be cool to get up there to Virginia to be a bit closer to him.”