Good morning! It is a very busy day for this blogger. I am up early and about to head to Keeneland for a full day of sales. First, I wanted to make sure everyone was ready to root for Victor Espinoza off the track and onto the dance floor!
Dancing With The Stars is the name of a television series that covers different groups of dancers in competition in various versions in several countries. In the United States, season 21 airs beginning tonight, 9/14/15. ABC launched the American version in 2005. Professional dancers are paired with celebrities and then ranked by a panel of judges and at home viewers to determine eliminations. The final couple, at the season’s end, wins and is presented with The Mirror Ball Trophy. My parents and my favorite restaurant owner love the show. I do not watch a lot of television myself but this season of DWTS, I am going to have a big reason to tune in. This is the first time ever, in America, that one of the celebrities is a jockey. This extra special jockey is Victor Espinoza. Victor has been paired with professional dancer, Karina Smirnoff. Karina won in season 13. They are one of 13 couples who will dance this season.
Espinoza has a multitude of awards and trophies. He has won over three thousand races. He has the ESPY Award for Best Jockey in 2002, 2014 and 2015. He won the Kentucky Derby, and the Preakness Stakes riding War Emblem in 2002 and California Chrome in 2014. This year he won those two races and the Belmont stakes riding American Pharoah to win the Triple Crown. He also was the jockey for Take Charge Brandi when she got honored with the title, American Champion Two Year Old Filly, in 2014. Victor is 43 years old and he is quite charitable. He donates a lot of money to City of Hope, an organization that tackles pediatric cancer.
Be sure to watch Espinoza dance live tonight at 8 P.M. EST for the two hour season premier. There are no eliminations week one but this season Victor will need your votes so have your phone or internet handy. Until it’s TV time I am off to the Keeneland September Sale starting at 11 A.M. EST today. I will have photos and information to share with you following my trip. I hope you have a great week and that you have some horse time in your schedule too!
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