Chapter 11

In the final chapter of Raices: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing, we close with a celebration of what has come before with an eye to the promising future of Latino impacts onhorse racing across the Americas. Key figures in this final chapter include Irad Ortiz Jr., thePuerto Rican jockey with multigenerational ties to the sport and one of the most dominant jockeys of his generation; Mexican-born horseman René Morales Ortiz whose years as a hotwalker, groom, and exercise rider have cultivated an evolving identity in the global industry; jockey José Ortiz, Irad’s younger brother, who has built a stellar career on precision and commitment to his family; Dominican-born horseman Franklin De Jesús with a cemented reputation for versatility in the industry; and Juan Hernández, a jockey who employs his skillsgained at the Hipódromo de las Américas racetrack in México to the California racing circuit and beyond.