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. As of 2022. 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.