Edwin Talaverano: Farewell to a Giant Who United Flags
- Turf Diario
- 3h
- 3 min read
The formidable Peruvian jockey retired this Sunday at Monterrico, where he received a richly deserved tribute, and will now join Peru’s Jockey School
By Diego H. Mitagstein
There are athletes who belong not to a single country, but to the history of their sport itself. Edwin Talaverano Cárdenas is one of them. This Sunday, Monterrico dressed in its finest—not only to stage another renewal of the G1 Gran Premio Nacional–Augusto B. Leguía, but to stop the clock and applaud, perhaps for the final time with whip tucked away, the man who turned race-riding into an exercise in surgical precision.
With the Winner’s Circle filled by every corner of the industry—owners, breeders, trainers, and fellow riders—the Board of Directors of the Jockey Club of Peru led a tribute that distilled pure emotion. Surrounded by his family and greeted by a roar rolling down from the grandstand like an echo of so many glorious afternoons, Talaverano said goodbye to the racetrack.
A Legend Forged in Gold
Talaverano’s résumé reads like an inventory of the extraordinary. In his native Peru, his name is etched indelibly thanks to four victories in the G1 Derby Nacional, the nation’s Blue Riband. From his first triumph with Kiana (Spend One Dolar) in 2002 to the most recent aboard Poseidon (The Lieutenant) in 2023—via back-to-back wins with Ancelotti (Street Hero) in 2018 and Baron Rojo (Ministers Joy) in 2019—Talaverano proved time and again that calendars did not apply to him.
It was his international projection, however, that elevated him to myth. Three victories in the G1 Gran Premio Latinoamericano—with Stash (Stack, 1993), Madame Equis (Book the Band, 1999), and the unforgettable Liberal (Meal Penalty, 2015)—placed him on a pedestal reserved for very few.
Argentina: His Grandest Stage
If Talaverano is a national hero in Peru, in Argentina he is turf royalty. His arrival in the 1990s changed the way races were ridden at San Isidro and Palermo. With elegant posture and endless patience to wait for the decisive moment, he became the King of the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini, winning it four times: Laredo (Muscovite, 1993), Fregy’s (Combsway, 1996), the champion Asidero (Fadeyev, 1999), and Interaction (Easing Along, 2009).
That 2009 season was his year of grace. He swept the day’s international features and was honored by the Argentine press with the Olimpia de Plata, recognizing him as the sport’s top athlete in the country.
Nor will anyone forget the epic duel in the G1 Clásico Jockey Club del Perú in 1996, when aboard Fregy’s he held off Chilean star Gran Ducato (Roy) by a head—widely regarded as one of the finest rides ever witnessed at the Coloso de Surco.
The Master Speaks
Visibly moved, Talaverano addressed the crowd to close a chapter spanning more than 5,800 winner’s-circle photos. “I want to thank the public for the affection that always made me feel at home, and especially the owners and trainers who trusted me with their horses in Peru, Argentina, and the United States,” he said, with the humility that defined his career.
Retirement from the saddle does not mean a farewell to the Turf. Talaverano has already begun channeling his wisdom into Peru’s Jockey School, where he now serves as an instructor. There, apprentices will learn not only technique, but will have before them a living example of what it means to be a complete professional.
A rider with hands of silk and a mind of ice steps away from the track. The man who made the difficult look easy leaves the stage. Thank you, Edwin, for giving South American racing a stature that will live forever in the memory of those who love this sport. The Winner’s Circle will always be your home.
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