Joe Talamo, 19, is young but has wisdom before Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE - Joe Talamo has been to the Kentucky Derby once before, but as a fan, not as a jockey.
On Saturday, the 19-year-old from New Orleans will climb aboard favorite I Want Revenge in an attempt to become one of the youngest jockeys to ever win America's most famous race.
"I'm so excited," said Talamo, who started riding in 2006 at Louisiana Downs. He's been going to the track since he was 7, with his father Joseph Jr., who worked as an assistant trainer.
"I've only been riding for 2-1/2 years," Talamo said. "It's amazing that it's happening so fast, but I'm enjoying every minute of it."
And rightfully so after I Want Revenge won his last two races in spectacular fashion - the Gotham Stakes by 8-1/2 lengths and the Wood Memorial by a length and a half after overcoming major trouble at the start and the finish.
"He's a tremendous animal just to be on top of him," Talamo said of his Derby mount. "It's really just an unbelievable feeling."
Talamo was aboard I Want Revenge for his final workout Tuesday, and the two zipped four furlongs in :47.20, the fastest of 49 works at the distance.
"I'm pretty confident, especially after today," the rider said. "He worked pretty much on his own. He just galloped around there."
Alonzo (Lonnie) Clayton and James (Soup) Perkins are the two youngest jockeys to win the Derby. Each was 15 when they captured the Roses, Clayton in 1892 with Azra and Perkins in 1895 with Halma. In the modern era, Steve Cauthen was 18 aboard Affirmed (1978), and Ronnie Franklin was 19 on Spectacular Bid (1979). Talamo has been compared to the the latter two.
"They're legends in the sport of horse racing without a doubt," he said of Cauthen and Franklin. "It's quite an honor just to hear my name be said in the same sentence as the two."
The winners were the only Derby mounts for both Cauthen and Franklin.
"I have all the confidence in the world in Joe," said David Lanzman, who owns I Want Revenge along with IEAH Stables, Charles Winner and Puglisi Racing. "If he were a 19-year-old tennis player you'd be calling him old. I'm losing nothing with Joe. I'm gaining stuff with Joe. Joe's a smart kid that learns every day and wants to learn. He realizes how fortunate he is to be in this position and I'm happy to have him as part of the team."
Trainer Jeff Mullins was initially fooled by the young jockey.
"I knew he was a good rider, but to tell you the truth, I didn't realize he was that young," Mullins said. "I thought he was 20-something years old. To show that kind of confidence and patience, it's pretty strong for a guy that age."
Mullins was referring to Talamo's ride in the Wood Memorial when I Want Revenge broke last before rallying through traffic to prevail.
"The bottom line is that he is a good young rider," Cauthen said. "I think he's the kind of guy that is in a situation similar to mine. He has confidence in himself and has got the confidence of people he is riding for. You got to go out there and do what you can do. Try to keep it simple and enjoy the situation and do what you know best - ride the horse the way it needs to be ridden."
If he wins, Talamo will donate $25,000 of his purse to the Children's Hospital in New Orleans. link...