Umberto Rispoli

Rispoli is a a native of Italy who moved his tack full-time to the U.S. in 2020 and made Southern California his home base. He won back-to-back leading rider championships in his native Italy in 2009 and 2010 and had been riding in Hong Kong before moving to North America.

He won 10 graded stakes in 2020 while amassing 126 wins (19%) and more than $7 million in purse earnings. 

Rispoli set a new career high in purse earnings in 2021 with $10,197,247 during a season in which he scored Grade 1 wins aboard Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World, Smooth Like Strait, and Going to Vegas. He rode Anisette to multiple grade 1 wins in 2023 and 2024, establish a new career-best for purse earnings with $10,408,000 in ’24.

Rispoli continued to excel in Southern California in 2025, winning the DK Horse San Felipe Stakes and Santa Anita Derby aboard Journalism. Rispoli's ride aboard Journalism continued to the 2025 Triple Crown season when he finished second as the beaten favorite in the Kentucky Derby.

Rispoli broke through with his first Triple Crown race victory in the 2025 Preakness Stakes May 17, 2025, at Pimlico aboard Journalism. It was an effective, but eventual ride aboard Journalism that got the job done for Rispoli in the Preakness, as Rispoli got caught in traffic on the rail behind horses turning for home and had to burst through between horses despite Flavien Prat's attempt to shut off his path aboard eventual fourth-place finisher Goal Oriented. Journalism lost considerable ground and momentum in the incident, but Rispoli was able to maintain his composure, get Journalism rolling again, and get up in time to score a half-length victory at the finish.