Mario Pino, the accidental jockey
Retired rider 10th all-time in wins
The Biz
September 15, 2026
Mario Pino never really planned to become a jockey.
Growing up around pleasure and show horses near Delaware Park, Pino was about 12 when a man who boarded a horse at his family’s farm suggested the undersized youngster had the right build for the job. Pino’s first reaction was that he wasn’t interested.
Then he went to Delaware Park one morning.
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“As soon as I got back from there, I said to myself, ‘This is what I want to do,’” Pino recalled. “I always loved the horses, and I like the competition.”
Pino appeared on the Midlantic Racing Today podcast Sept. 5.
Pino’s decision to purse riding worked out rather well.
By the time Pino retired in 2021, he had won 7,001 races from 42,630 starts, with his mounts earning more than $131 million. His wins total places him 10th in the sport’s all-time annals. His three Grade 1 victories came aboard Bishop’s Ring in the 1980 Delaware Oaks, Wildcat Bettie B in the 2006 Prioress and Hard Spun in the 2007 King’s Bishop.
Hard Spun provided Pino with his biggest national stage. The pair finished second to Street Sense in the 2007 Kentucky Derby, third in the Preakness and later second to Curlin in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. But Pino remembers turning for home in the Derby thinking, briefly, that he might win it.
“When I turn for home, I kind of glanced one back and I still had some horse,” he said. “I thought I had the race under control.” Then Street Sense came charging through, turning what might have been Pino’s signature victory into a near miss. “It was a heartbreaker actually, but I’m proud of the horse. The horse ran great.”
Pino spent most of his career in the Mid-Atlantic, a choice that was as much about family as racing. With three daughters, he preferred remaining in Maryland rather than chasing opportunities around the country. He could ship out for important mounts and still be home for his children’s activities.
“I got to see everything they did growing up,” Pino said. “I was happy where I was at, and like I said, had a great career.”
His riding style was built around horsemanship and patience. Pino particularly enjoyed turf racing, where he believed his willingness to save ground and wait for an opening gave him an edge. “Sometimes if you have that patience, you can get there for horses, especially on the turf,” he said.
Late in his career, the numbers provided one final challenge. Pino had scaled back to riding only part of each year and considered stopping short of 7,000 victories. Trainer Wesley Ward encouraged him to keep going.
Pino did, dramatically. Needing six victories with five racing days remaining at Presque Isle Downs, he got them — including two on the day he reached 7,000. He added one more before calling it a career.
“Getting accomplishment like that is, you know, you’re in the history books getting 7,000 wins,” Pino said.
Retirement hasn’t completely removed horses from his life. He still follows racing and occasionally goes trail riding with his wife. He doesn’t miss keeping his weight down or the relentless pressure to remain competitive.
But there is one thing he does miss.
“I do miss riding,” Pino said. “The horses and crossing that wire. I do miss that.”
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