Legendary jockey Victor Espinoza is a BEAST ... 'cause just six months after nearly dying in a training accident -- the dude was choppin' down a tree in Mexico!!!
TMZ Sports broke the story ... the Hall of Famer was severely injured after a horse he was riding went into cardiac arrest on the track on July 22 in Del Mar, California.
Victor nearly died from the fall ... with a chipped bone in his neck almost cutting an artery.
But, we're told Victor's well on the road to recovery -- and his workout while he was visiting family this week in Yucatan clearly proves that.