Panamanian jockey Dick “Wily Coyote” Cardenas achieved a lifetime ambition on July 10, 2010, when he rode the Richard Azan-trained Mark My Word to victory in the St Leger.

Mark My Word (Market Rally – Miss Chestnut) won the 10-furlong (2,000m) by a comfortable 4¾ lengths, beating Lifeisjustforliving (Omar Walker) in a time of 2:07.4 to crown himself the 10th Triple Crown winner at Caymanas Park.

“I can’t really find the right words to tell you how I felt that day winning the Triple Crown. It was very special. It is the dream of every jockey in the world to win the Triple Crown, it doesn’t matter which country [they’re from], the Triple Crown is the ultimate goal for every jockey.

“It is something special; I mean it is the best thing ever. You know, when people ask you how many races you have won and you say I won a Triple Crown, everybody is like, wow! It doesn’t matter how many races you have won in your career, the Triple Crown is more special,” Cardenas said.

Cardenas has experienced it all, and he knows how to handle the pressure.

“I had a little pressure going into the St Leger in search of the Triple Crown. The St Leger was a completely different race from the Guineas and Derby; it was the Triple Crown and I wanted to win. I worked for it.

“I talked to the trainer and I told him that I wanted to win the Triple Crown, and I was ready to deliver. Mark My Word worked one morning very well but everyone was saying that his work was very slow. I knew that it was a very good workout because I was saving him for the race,” he explained.

After an upset win in the Jamaica 2000 Guineas over one mile (1,600m) at odds of 16-1, it was smooth sailing for Mark My Word in the Jamaica Derby over 12 furlongs (2,400m). Mark My Word won the Jamaica Derby on a canter, 8½ lengths ahead of Lifeisjustforliving in a time of 2:34.2.

“Mark My Word was a very special horse. When he went into the 2000 Guineas and won at odds of 16-1, I was a bit surprised. At the time, Wayne DaCosta had a horse named Lifeisjustforliving, which was a very good horse as well, but then I knew my horse well [and] we won — and I was happy.

“In the Jamaica Derby, the horse helped me a lot in this race. Mark My Work broke and sat down in the pace and just waited and waited until I asked him to move at the half-mile, and the rest was history as he just did the job. I never did much on him in the Jamaica Derby — it was all Mark My Word,” said Cardenas.

— Ruddy Allen