Jorge Duarte, Jr. is the smallest of our Next athletes, but only in stature. Anne Marie Cruz met up with the jockey at The Mag's Next party on Wednesday at Saci on West 41st Street.

He was a late entry, and it was all my fault. I'd completely flaked on inviting Jorge Duarte Jr., the 16-year-old Colombian we dubbed Next Jockey, to our Next party in NYC. Oops.

But life at Aqueduct -- where Jorge has already won six races -- keeps riders ready for last-minute changes. So even though I gave him six hours' notice, Jorge eagerly accepted the invite.

"Come find me when you get there," I instructed. "I've got long, black hair and I'll be wearing a red dress."

"OK. And I'm 5'3", and I look like I'm eleven," he said earnestly.

I couldn't help but laugh. "See you there."

The party was busy and bumping, though it was only 6:30 pm. Jorge's uncle was coming with him, but I worried that he would get lost amongst the elbows.

Forty-five minutes of scouring the room for him later, one of my co-workers lunged out of a crowd next to the bar.

"Oh, thank God. Here she is," she said, gesturing towards me. Jorge emerged from the mess of partiers.

Eleven was about right. But 5'3" was, um, optimistic. With his wire-rimmed glasses, his puffy coat and his wide, blinking eyes, he could've been my little brother. So I hugged him like one.

"I want you to meet everyone," I said. I grabbed his coatsleeve, and started wending our way through the mob. It was a total Mom maneuver, and most 16-year-olds would've probably jerked away. But he didn't flinch.

We headed toward the VIP area for athletes. "He's not allowed in here," said one of the bouncers.

"He's an athlete," I protested. I flipped through the magazine. "There, that's him." The guy squinted in disbelief.

"Quick, take off your glasses!" I yelled to Jorge. The bouncer begrudgingly stepped aside.

The look on Jorge's face as we circled through the room was priceless. He didn't care whether he was meeting Maurice Greene and Donovan McNabb, or editors and writers he'd never heard of. He didn't care that I had to keep pointing to his picture in the magazine to explain who he was. The fact that people were shaking his hand, congratulating him and wishing him luck was the thrill.

But less than an hour later, Jorge had to leave.

School night, I figured.

"No," he said. "Thursday races."

Anne Marie Cruz writes for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail her at anne.marie.cruz@espnmag.com.