Espinoza rode in his first Kentucky Derby in 2013, guiding Giant Finish to a 10th-place finish for Sunrise Stables and trainer Anthony Dutrow.
In August 2013, Espinoza suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was thrown from a mount after crossing the finish line. This head injury effectively ended his career as a jockey. After 8 months of treatment, he retired at the age of 44 with a total of 856 wins.[3]