Juan P. Vargas shines in Rebel Stakes with Coal Battle, marking 25 Years in the saddle
By Néstor Obregón Rossi (Special for Turf Diario)
Juan P. Vargas walks into Oaklawn Park carrying boxes of donuts and sandwiches. “It’s a tradition here that when you win a big race, you share with the guys at the barn,” says the Peruvian jockey. And he does so with double the joy. Just a day earlier, he had captured the Rebel Stakes (G2) aboard Coal Battle (Coal Front), moving to the top of the leaderboard for potential Kentucky Derby (G1) contenders.
With a 25-year riding career that began in his native Arequipa, at the now-defunct Porongoche, Vargas Tapia is on the path to realizing his dream of competing in the Run for the Roses, joining the select group of Peruvian jockeys who have had the chance to break from the starting gate in the iconic race.
“I couldn’t tell you how much of a chance my horse had in the Rebel Stakes, but I can tell you how much confidence I have in him. He’s a colt that has always seemed talented, different to me. He’s learning to use himself properly and has a lot of class. I think he has so much more to offer,” says the jockey, who won the Gran Premio Nacional Augusto B. Leguía (G1) with Granizo (Farallon P.) and Shuaily (Shuailaan) and came close to victory in Argentina’s Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini (G1) with the latter in the 2006 edition.
“I’m living a very special moment in the U.S. now. I arrived in 2008, and at first, it was very tough. Here, if you don’t have an agent with connections, it’s nearly impossible to get mounts. I had to find them myself,” he recalls.
“I won’t lie to you, I spent almost a decade like that, alternating as an exercise rider to make extra money. Fortunately, my family was with me, and that kept me from giving up,” he adds.
By 2018, Juan P. Vargas had become the primary exercise rider for Steve Asmussen’s horses, and that’s when his opportunity came. “After a few years, I asked him to give me a chance to ride a horse. He helped me, and it didn’t take long before I started winning,” he remembers.
On his victory aboard Coal Battle, he explains: “My plan was simply to track the leaders. At the three-furlong pole, I started to move, and he just took off. He responded incredibly well, and that made me so happy. I knew I had horse, but Madaket Road kept running. In the final 100 meters, he started to put his neck in front, and I knew I had the edge. From there, he just kept going strong to the wire. It was the best race of his life. The field was much tougher than in his previous starts, no doubt. There were some really talented colts, horses that can truly run. And he showed that he belongs.”
Owned by Norman Stables and trained by Lonnie Briley, the grandson of Midshipman delivered a stunning performance at Oaklawn Park, defeating Madaket Road (Quality Road) by 1 1/4 lengths, with Sandman (Tapit) another half-length back in third.
Coal Battle came into the Rebel Stakes on a three-race winning streak, which included victories in the Jean Laffite Stakes (L), Remington Springboard Mile Stakes (L), and Smarty Jones Stakes (L).
Since 2021, Vargas has amassed more than 350 wins and purse earnings exceeding $9 million. A remarkable journey, and perhaps, the best is yet to come.
