DEL MAR. While many adolescents spent their summer vacation at the beach or in a mall, Eswan Flores had a job many can only dream of.
Flores, 18, rode horses at the Del Mar Racetrack, the youngest jockey in the 2011 season.
His passion for this sport began at an early age. His father, Carlos Flores, took care of horses at the Santa Anita Racetrack.
"I would see the jockeys and would say, 'I want to be one of them,'" said Eswan, interviewed on a recent day at Del Mar.
Even his name destined him for racing. He was named Eswan in honor of an English jockey his father had met at Santa Anita.
With the help of his uncle, Miguel Hernández, he began to train horses at the Los Alamitos Racetrack.
Flores, a native of Mexico, immersed himself in documentaries and television shows, as well as articles and books, which explored the life and work of famous jockeys.
At the beginning, his father was not sold on his son becoming a jockey. The elder Flores was all too familiar with the risks the riders faced.
Over the years, he had witnessed countless accidents, including one in 1988 at Del Mar in which Laffit Pincay broke his collarbone and ribs.
But based on his ability and attitude, the youngster earned his parents' support to pursue his dream.
Earlier this year, he got a visit from an agent, Derek Lawson, who had heard about the youngster and wanted to meet him.
"Eswan is a young man who is intense and intelligent. He knows what he's doing perfectly," said Lawson, who became the teen's agent. "That's what I first saw in him."
The agent said that he had never met anyone who seemed to understand horses the way Flores does. "It's like he's got part of the horse inside him."
Flores began his professional career this summer and has already competed at Del Mar, Santa Anita and Hollywood Park, where he won his first race on the Fourth of July.
"It's beautiful to win. It's the result of all that training," Flores said. "And you can really feel the public's affection."
He's not forgotten his schoolwork, however.
Flores is entering his senior year in high school and is considering going to college to study business.
But for now, his mind is on finishing the season at Del Mar.
He's won only one race at Del Mar, came in second six times and third eight times. But neither Flores nor his agent seem worried since the jockey is just beginning his career.
What advice would the young man give to his peers?
"Everything is possible. You have to work as hard as you can to achieve your dream," the jockey said. "Above all, do not listen to the negative voices."
alexandra.mendoza@sandiegored.com
Video by Marcos González
