It’s taken jockey Juan Hernandez, who relocated from the Northern California racing circuit in mid-2020, less than two years to make his mark in the Southland.

Consider:

• During the summer at Del Mar in 2020, his first full meet since moving south, Hernandez finished third in the rider standings, just one victory behind runner-up Abel Cedillo.

• Hernandez won the 2021 Del Mar fall meet 17-14 over Flavien Prat.

• He’s finished second behind Prat in the other four meets at Santa Anita and Del Mar since he relocated.

• A career year in 2021 saw him finish 13th in the nation with earnings of just more than $11 million.

• In 2020, Hernandez was seventh in the nation with 212 victories.

It’s no wonder it was a no-brainer for veteran jockey agent Craig O’Bryan to come out of retirement at age 70 to take Hernandez’s book. O’Bryan, now 72, knows a talented jockey when he sees one after representing Hall of Famers Gary Stevens, Eddie Delahoussaye and Alex Solis during his career.

“I was just staying home, and then (Northern California-based trainer) Blaine Wright had (agent) Tom Knust call me and Tom said, ‘You wanna come out of retirement?’ I said, ‘Well give me two or three names.’ He said Juan Hernandez and I said, ‘That’s one of the names.’ It was a done deal,” O’Bryan said this week during a phone interview.

“Blaine, who I like and respect, liked him and he had me come to Del Mar a couple times and I had watched him. Up at Golden Gate, he was riding about 30% (winners), which is unheard of. As good a finisher as he is, he’s really good out of the gate. He’ll win a lot of races, especially turf races, within the first eighth of a mile. And the fact he’s as intelligent as he is, as nice as he is, was just icing on the cake. He’s the whole deal.”

The 29-year-old Hernandez, born in Veracruz, Mexico, took out his jockey’s license in 2008 and rode his first winner at Hipodromo de las Americas in Mexico City shortly thereafter. He was the track’s top apprentice rider in 2009 before deciding to come to the U.S. His first stop was the NoCal circuit, but he had his eyes on Southern California from the start.

“I wanna ride at the best tracks against the best riders,” he said heading into Friday’s card at Santa Anita.

He’s second behind Prat in the rider standings 57-29, while winning with 20% of his 145 mounts.

Hernandez tried the Southland circuit in 2012, riding for about eight months at Santa Anita, Del Mar and Hollywood Park, but it didn’t go well. He won only 10 races and eventually moved back north where business was more robust.

“I probably wasn’t ready,” he said. “I got a lot of experience and won some good races here, too, but when we started Santa Anita I started a little slow and I decided to go back (to Northern California). I wanted to come back, but I was waiting for a better opportunity and the chance to hook up with a good agent, like my agent right now, Craig O’Bryan.”

When Wright told Hernandez he was sending a small string of horses to Del Mar for the 2020 summer meet and would like Hernandez to ride for him, that’s all it took. He was more than ready for that second chance with the added experience.

Hernandez is known as a good all-around rider, meaning he can win on the lead, from behind, on the dirt or over the turf.

“I ride how the horse likes to run. I like to ride up front, but if I’m on a horse that likes to come from behind, I won’t try to change his style,” he said.

He watched a lot of races at Santa Anita when he moved to the U.S., noting how the top riders operated and were able to win at a high percentage. He had one jockey who he particularly liked and followed.

“I remember David Flores and how I liked his style really good,” Hernandez said. “I tried to copy him because he had a really nice style. He wasn’t moving too much in the saddle.”

Now other young riders might be copying Hernandez’s style. Despite the fact he’s finished in the top three in the jockey standings in all six of his Santa Anita and Del Mar meets since relocating, he’s not concerned about riding titles.

“I wanna win the big races,” he said. “We had a nice year last year, and Craig told me, ‘They (owners and trainers) have more confidence in you and they give you better horses.’ We wanna win some good races. As a rider, you always wanna win big races.”

Continuing with that theme, Hernandez, who is still waiting for his first opportunity to ride in a Triple Crown race, doesn’t want a Derby horse just to ride in the Run for the Roses. He has bigger plans.

“I just don’t wanna ride in ’em, I want to win when I ride in those races,” he said.

Combine that attitude with all of his other positive traits, and O’Bryan has no doubts that someday Hernandez will become the fourth Hall of Fame rider he’s represented.

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“He’ll have to do it for eight, nine, 10 more years, but over the years usually they just get better unless they take a wrong turn,” he said. “But he’s got good work ethic, he’s a good family man and I can’t see (his career) going sideways. He’s that nice a guy and that good a rider.”

Just goes to show nice guys don’t always finish last.

Follow Art Wilson on Twitter @Sham73