Joseph D. Ramos

After attending jockey school and starting his riding career in his native Puerto Rico, Joe Ramos spent the early 2020s building a successful career primarily at Horseshoe Indianapolis and Turfway Park, earning two meet titles at the former track in 2022 and 2023. In January 2024, his career momentum was halted when Ramos was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in his home country.

Ramos spent months recuperating, but once he returned to the saddle in summer 2024 the young rider continued to gain business and accolades. Ramos ended Turfway’s winter-spring 2025 meet ranked third by wins and purse earnings, and he enjoyed a career day March 22 at the northern Kentucky track when he earned his first graded stakes win aboard Mercante in the TwinSpires Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes and also rode Flying Mohawk to a runner-up finish in the Jeff Ruby Steaks. Flying Mohawk earned enough qualifying points for the 2025 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve with that effort, landing Ramos his first mount in the run for the roses.