John R. Velazquez

Since coming to the mainland United States from Puerto Rico in 1990, Velazquez has become one of racing's elite riders. He is a two-time winner of the Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey and ranks fourth on the career purse earnings list at $262 million. He was one of 10 finalists to make the ballot for racing's Hall of Fame in 2011 and was inducted into the Hallf of Fame in 2012.

Velazquez won the Kentucky Derby for the first time in 2011 aboard Animal Kingdom, rode the filly Rags to Riches to victory in the 2007 Belmont Stakes and has won 10 Breeders' Cup races. He won his fifth Saratoga riding title in 2011. Velazquez has had a long partnership with trainer Todd Pletcher, and they have won dozens of stakes races together. A native of Puerto Rico, he entered jockey school there in June 1988. He rode his first winner at the El Comandante track in January 1990 before moving to the U.S. Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr. became his mentor and he spent a few months living with the legendary rider, who pushed him to improve. Following his retirement after a serious spill in 1992, Cordero became his agent. Among Velazquez' top mounts in 2011 were Uncle Mo, Trappe Shot, Sidney's Candy, R Heat Lightning and Aikenite.   

Velazquez rounded out 2012 with a victory in the Belmont Stakes aboard Union Rags. For 2013, Velazquez rode Verrazano in the Kentucky Derby to a disappointing 14th, a previously undeafted trainee of Todd Pletcher. Velazquez rode Overanalyze for the Belmont Stakes, another Pletcher trainee. However, his top mount over the last few years has been Wise Dan. He has ridden the two-time Horse of the Year for most of the gelding's starts over the last few years. The Hall of Famer was also on dual-Eclipse champion Main Sequence for that gelding's win in the Breeders' Cup Turf.

In 2017, Always Dreaming brought Velazquez his second Kentucky Derby win, as the duo splashed to a 2 3/4-length victory in the run for the roses after dominating the Florida Derby. He also won his first Breeders' Cup race in three years when piloting Forever Unbridled to a win in the $2 million Distaff at Del Mar.

Velazquez picked up his 16^th Breeders’ Cup win in 2018 aboard Maker’s Mark Filly and Mare Turf victress Sistercharlie. He won two other Grade 1 stakes that year with Peter Brant’s European import.

In 2019, Velazquez piloted Code of Honor to a win in the Runhappy Travers Stakes and a runner-up effort in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve and also scored Grade 1 wins with Sistercharlie, Mind Control, Vino Rosso, Cambier Parc, Bast, and Eight Rings. And in 2020, the Hall of Famer collected his third win in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve aboard Authentic (defeating Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes winner Tiz the Law) and also rode top 3-year-old filly Gamine to two Grade 1 victories over the summer.

Velazquez’s Kentucky Derby win marked his 200^th Grade 1 victory in a legendary career. He added to his Breeders' Cup total in the fall, winning his 17th race at the World Championships aboard Gamine in the Filly and Mare Sprint, and then taking the Longines Classic aboard Authentic for his 18th victory and his first in the Breeders' Cup's marquee event.

Velazquez added more memorable victories to his incredible résumé in 2021, topped by his second career Longines Kentucky Oaks win aboard Malathaat. Velazquez’s Derby mount, Medina Spirit, finished first in the 147^th run for the roses but was disqualified nearly 10 months later for a medication positive.

At the 2022 Breeders' Cup at Keeneland, Velazquez scored his 19th career Breeders' Cup win when he guided Malathaat to a dramatic victory in the Longines Distaff, winning a three-way photo by a nose. Velazquez was second behind Mike Smith on the all-time list of Breeders' Cup jockeys, both in terms of winners and purses, which climbed above $35 million thanks to his win aboard Malathaat for Todd Pletcher.

Velazquez won the 2023 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico aboard wire-to-wire winner National Treasure. Velazquez rode a masterful race, guiding National Treasure to the early lead in a race without much pace, and then slowing the pace down to :48.4 and 1:13.3 fractions that favored his horse in a seven-horse field. He then had enough horse left under him to win a thrilling stretch battle and hold off runner-up Blazing Sevens by a head. The Preakness victory was the first Preakness win in Velazquez's long and storied career. It has been one of the few major Grade 1 races still missing on Velazquez's resume.

Velazquez won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile aboard Fierceness in 2023 for Pletcher and Johnny V passed Mike Smith for the all-time lead in Breeders' Cup purse earnings with a win aboard Straight No Chaser in the 2024 Cygames Sprint. Velazquez and Pletcher teamed again to win the Juvenile in 2025 as the hall of Fame rider extended his advantage as the all-time leader in purse earnings while passing the $40 million mark.