John R. Velazquez

During his 22-year career in the United States, 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.