Winning jockey beats Russian military jet during frantic 15-hour journey from York to San Diego by helicopter and plane

JOCKEY Juan Hernandez won a race in York and then ran off to jump in a helicopter – getting more attention than a Russian military jet. The US-Mexican was in a rush to catch a flight at Heathrow Airport on Friday back to America so he could compete in another meeting more than 5,000 miles away over the weekend. Jockey Juan Hernandez rushed to take a private jet immediately after winning a race Credit: X formerly Twitter / @RacingTV He took a 15-hour journey via chopper, plane, and car to Del Mar for another meeting Credit: X formerly Twitter / @RacingTV Via chopper, plane, and then car, Hernandez attempted to go from the Nunthorpe Stakes to Del Mar, San Diego in 15 hours. He rode horse Bacio, trained by Wesley Ward, to victory in the UK before hopping off his stallion and sprinting over to his private ride. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Hernandez was seen carrying a big white suitcase and a handheld bag to his helicopter before getting a helping hand aboard. Still in his race gear, he climbed in and prepared With around three hours to get to London – and a flying time of around two hours – Hernandez went almost 200 miles in leg one of his journey. It’s leg two if you count the race itself – and fans were glued to their screens to watch his progress. So many tracked his helicopter stint that it became the most popular aircraft on FlightRadar, surpassing a Russian plane. Writing on social media, he revealed “I made it!!!!” to Heathrow on time for an 11-and-a-half hour flight to Los Angeles. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK It was a wild ride Once at LAX he will be met with more than 100 miles to get to the Pacific Classic Day at Del Mar. Hernandez, who rode Bacio as 3-1 favourite, comfortably held off Starlust and Rumstar. He said: “That was some performance. “All the credit is for Bacio. He was the one on fire. “He hit the gate a little and when the gate opened he was trying to go a little early. I was able to save a bit for the last part. “It’s my first win here but hopefully I can come back and have more winners. “This is something I never imagined when I started back in Mexico, This is for America and my family back home.” Then he was off on his travels. TOP HORSE RACING TRAVEL DEALS GET closer to the action with these top travel deals. Our travel partners have a range of trips for all budgets to see the world’s best horse racing. Check out these amazing deals – 🍺 Cheltenham Festival — Race tickets and night at one of the local hotels for 2027 — From £159 pp 🐴 Grand National — Ticket to next year’s action plus stay in a leading local hotel — From £189 pp 🏆Epsom Derby — Race ticket plus stay in 4-star hotel — From £179pp 👑 Royal Ascot — 1 night in a local hotel plus ticket to the races and celeb preview — From £159 pp 🏇 Glorious Goodwood — Ticket to the races and luxury hotel for 2027 festival — From £159 pp ⭐ PLUS Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe from £579pp and Dubai World Cup from £1,795pp *If you click on a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue. Comment now