Former Kentucky Derby jockey Miguel Mena dies after being hit by car on Louisville interstate
A former Kentucky Derby jockey died on Sunday night after he was hit by a car on a Louisville-area interstate, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.
Miguel Mena — his real name was Jose Mena Rodriguez — was hit by a vehicle just after 7:30 p.m. on Sunday night on I-64 in Louisville. He was 34.
Officials ruled the death an accident. Specific details of the crash are not yet known.
"He was a talented rider and a very likable guy," one of his trainers, Al Stall Jr., said, via the Courier Journal. "He worked my best horses in the mornings and rode some in the afternoon. He had a tremendous amount of talent and he delivered for us over the years."
Mena, a Peru native, started riding in the United States in 2003. He competed in two Kentucky Derbys — first in 2010 with Backtalk, where he finished 20th, and again with Necker Island in 2020, where he finished ninth. In total, per the report, he won 2,071 races and earned more than $72 million.
He had two Grade 1 wins, in 2010 at Saratoga and in 2011 at Churchill Downs. He last competed at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, on Saturday.
