About Garrett Gomez
The estimated net worth of Garrett Keith Gomez, an American Thoroughbred jockey who died on December 14, 2016, is $2 million. He was born on January 1, 1972. The birthplace of Garrett Gomez is Tucson, Arizona. Before traveling to Nebraska’s Fonner Park and Ak-Sar-Ben, he started his career in September 1988 at Santa Fe Downs and raced the fair circuit. With 182 victories, he finished second among all trainee jockeys in 1989.
3000 Wins
On September 28, 2008, Gomez rode Hyperbaric to victory in the G2 Oak Tree Mile at Santa Anita, earning his 3,000th career victory.
Gomez led all jockeys in North America in earnings for the third consecutive year in 2008, earning almost $23 million. He came within $10,609 of breaking the all-time record for purse earnings in a single season and was the jockey with the most graded stakes victories, 42, at the time.
A Pothole on the Road
Gomez missed 21 months of racing due to personal issues, including substance usage, and on October 29, 2003, he checked into treatment. He overcame these issues, winning the Mile aboard Artie Schiller and the Juvenile aboard Stevie Wonderboy two years to the day after entering rehab.
Breeders Cup triumph:
At the 2007 Breeders’ Cup, he took first place in both the Sprint and Juvenile Fillies aboard Midnight Lute. With two victories in 2005, he previously won the Bill Shoemaker Award for best jockey at the Breeders’ Cup. With Albertus Maximus, he won the Dirt Mile, the Juvenile with Midshipman, the Sprint with Midnight Lute, and the Filly and Mare Sprint with Ventura in 2008.
He lost out to Frankie Dettori for the 2008 Shoemaker Award, though.
Eastward motion
Although Gomez spent the majority of his career stationed in Southern California, he relocated to the East coast to become Todd Pletcher‘s go-to rider after John Velazquez was sidelined by an injury in April 2005. Although he spent the winter in California, he returned to New York in the spring and is still riding for Pletcher.
Eclipse Award winner twice:
Gomez was the top earner in the country in 2006 with over $21 million, but Edgar Prado won the Eclipse Award for Champion Jockey. However, following two outstanding seasons that each saw him win several Breeders’ Cup Championships, he went on to win the Eclipse in 2007 and 2008 as well.
Male Family:
Amanda, Shelby, Jared, and Collin are the four children that Gomez and his wife Pam had together. They are Californians who live in Duarte.
On December 14, 2016, Garrett Gomez passed away in his room at the Casino Del Sol Hotel in Tucson, Arizona, after what seemed to be a heroin overdose. Garrett Gomez’s total assets at the time of his passing were $2 million. In 2017, Garrett Gomez was honorably admitted posthumously to the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame.
