Kentucky Derby Favorite Killed in Pedestrian Crash

By Brian Jones

Miguel Mena, a jockey who started the Kentucky Derby twice and won his 2,000th career race last year has died. According to WDRB, the beloved jockey was killed in a pedestrian car crash on Interstate 64 in Kentucky Sunday night. He was 34 years old and was days away from turning 35. Churchill Downs confirmed the news of his death on Monday. 

"This news is absolutely shocking, terrible and heartbreaking," Churchill Downs Racetrack President Mike Anderson said in a statement. "Our team is devastated to learn of Miguel's passing. He was such a courageous rider who fought to overcome several challenges and adversity. We'll miss his bright smile. Our deepest condolences are extended to his many friends, fellow riders and family, and our immediate thoughts are with his wife April and his daughters Naelah and Montserrat."  

Rick Sanders, Jeffersontown Police Chief, told WDRB News that Mena was struck while trying to cross I-64. He said he didn't know why Mena was crossing the interstate while adding that Mena didn't have a vehicle on the road or broken down in the area. It is believed that alcohol wasn't a factor in the incident.

The Churchill Downs said that Mena won 2,079 races in North American and earned $72,483,396 in prize money. He also recorded 136 career stakes wins, including 37 graded stakes company led by the 2010 Test (Grade I) aboard Champagne d'Oro and 2011 Stephen Foster (GI) on Pool Play. Mena won 481 races and Churchill Downs, which rank 15th all-time. 

"I used to go to the race track all the time," Mena said in a biographical sketch published by Keeneland. "I was watching my dad ride and I wanted to do what he was doing. I got the idea in my head when I was a kid that I'm going to be a jockey."  Mena was born on Nov. 6, 1986, in Lima, Peru. He came from a family into horse racing as his father, Jose, was a jockey, while his uncle, Humberto, is a trainer. Mena came to the United States at the age of 17 and recorded his first North American win as a jockey at Calder Race Course aboard Elian for trainer George Heath on Sept. 7, 2003. He won his 2,000 career race on July 4, 2020, at the Royal Commission at Ellis Park. 

Before the first race at Indiana Grand Racing, fellow jockeys paid tribute to Mena. A moment of silence was held with jockeys lined along the track heads bowed. 

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