Journeyman Lebron establishes himself at Gulfstream: 'I'm happy here'

Jockey Victor Lebron has defined what it means to be a journeyman jockey during his career, amassing 1,755 victories and $30.7 million in purses won while riding at racetracks across the country.

The 35-year-old St. Croix native, however, decided to plant roots in South Florida 13 months ago, and he has steadily established himself with the Gulfstream Park horsemen who are not always the easiest to win over.

Lebron rode three winners on Saturday’s program at Gulfstream Park, including both ends of the early double for trainers Ken McPeek and Cayetano Cadahia, as well as a well-judged triumph aboard Todd Pletcher-trained Malibu Max in Race 9.

Lebron has ridden 17 winners since the April 2 start of the Spring/Summer Meet after ranking 20th with 17 wins during the 2019-2030 Championship Meet.

“I’ve always liked Gulfstream. My business dropped a little bit when I was in Kentucky, which happens in every rider’s life,” said Lebron, who began riding in St. Croix before venturing to the U.S. in 2005. “I regained confidence in myself and bounced back and decided to come to Gulfstream, a fresh place.

"I figured I could do good. I had done good here once, so I decided to knock on the door and see what opened up.”

Lebron rode his 1000th career winner, Peach Bottom, at Gulfstream Park on March 2, 2011, during one of his brief stints riding in South Florida.

He won aboard his very first mount upon moving his tack to Gulfstream in April of 2019 and has remained determined to find a place in a highly competitive jockey’s room, especially during the winter months.

“When I put my plan into action, I said, ‘No matter what happens, I’m going to stick to it. Whether it goes good or it goes bad, I’m going to stick to my plan and see what the future has for me,” Lebron said. “My business has been picking up really good. I’m happy here.”