Jockeys happy to have first Triple Crown mounts

2:50 PM ET

BALTIMORE — Jevian Toledo and J.D. Acosta have some things in common. They are from Puerto Rico and attended the Escuela Vocacional Hipica horse racing school there, came to the United States as apprentice riders with little more than a dream of success, and on Saturday will have their first mounts in a Triple Crown race.

Toledo, 21, will ride Awesome Speed in the Preakness for trainer Alan Goldberg. Acosta, 34, will be aboard Abiding Star for Ned Allard. That the horses are longshots makes little difference to Toledo or Acosta, who both said they will be riding to win.

Since beginning his career in 2013, Toledo has established himself as one of the top riders in Maryland. He finished third, two wins behind leading rider Victor Carrasco, at Pimlico last year, and then won his first riding title at the four-month Laurel Park fall meet.

Toledo knew little about horse racing before his first visit to the jockey school in Puerto Rico.

“We had horses at my house, but not for the track,” Toledo said. “When I went to the school to apply was the first time I was at a racetrack. I weighed 95 pounds. They looked at me and said that was good and accepted me.”

Awesome Speed is based at owner-breeder Richard Santulli’s Colts Neck Stables training center, not far from Monmouth Park. The only time Toledo has been aboard Awesome Speed was in the Federico Tesio Stakes, a race in which they were placed first after losing by a nose when Governor Malibu bumped them. Governor Malibu came back to finish second by three-quarters of a length to Unified in the Peter Pan last Saturday.

“Almost every time Mr. Goldberg sends a horse to Maryland, he gives me the opportunity; I am very grateful,” Toledo said. “Awesome Speed relaxed so nice for me. I think he likes the competition. When he saw the other horse, he never let him by. If the other …

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