Several of the all-time winningest jockeys in Breeders’ Cup history are still active and will be aboard many of the key contenders in the upcoming Breeders’ Cup World Championships Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland. You could do a lot worse than picking the contenders ridden by the jockeys that have had the most Breeders’ Cup success so far in their careers. Picking the horses ridden by time-tested and proven Breeders’ Cup jockeys can be a legitimate tie-breaker between contenders and a difference maker in your handicapping.

Based on past results, some of the best bets in the Breeders’ Cup may be horses ridden by jockeys Mike Smith, John Velazquez, Irad Ortiz Jr., Joel Rosario, and William Buick. Who are the best Breeders’ Cup jockeys? Which jockeys underperform? Read onward for an overview of how some of the biggest-name jockeys in the world have performed on the sport’s biggest stage.

Best Breeders’ Cup Jockeys - The Cream of the Crop

The jockey currently moving up the Breeders’ Cup win leaderboard the fastest is Irad Ortiz Jr., who won his first Breeders’ Cup race in 2014 and is already up to 23 career Breeders’ Cup wins with 20 of those victories coming in the last eight editions. Ortiz also has already ascended to third on the all-time Breeders’ Cup jockey purse earnings list with $31,590,345. Ortiz added three more winners from 11 mounts at the 2025 Breeders’ Cup to equal his three wins from 13 mounts at the 2023 Breeders’ Cup, three wins from 13 mounts in 2022 (at Keeneland), and three wins from 11 mounts in 2021 Breeders’ Cup. Ortiz’s record for Breeders’ Cup wins in a single year was his four-win showing in 2019. Ortiz’s overall 23-for-122 record gives him an impressive 18.9% win percentage.

Ryan Moore at 2024 Breeders' Cup (Anne M. Eberhardt/BloodHorse)

Europe-based jockeys have been red hot at the four most recent Breeders’ Cups from 2022-’25. Last year at Del Mar, foreign-based riders won six of the 14 races including the five European riders who won five of the six grass races. In 2024, Euro jockeys won five of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races including two wins by Ryan Moore, who is one of the all-time winningest jockeys in the history of the Breeders’ Cup with 16 career wins from 104 mounts (15.4%). Moore missed the 2025 Breeders’ Cup with a broken leg but could return this year aboard the Aidan O’Brien-trained Coolmore contenders at this year’s event.

The hottest European rider in the Breeders’ Cup has been William Buick with a 23.8% career win rate. Buick rides for Godolphin and European trainer Charlie Appleby and owns 10 wins from 42 career Breeders’ Cup mounts, including a 2025 win aboard Notable Speech in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Buick has won four of the last five editions of the Mile and Notable Speech is expected to be back seeking a repeat victory in 2026.

Flavien Prat scored two wins at the 2025 Breeders’ Cup to add to the pair he won in 2024. Prat has won two of the last four runnings of the Classic (Sierra Leone in 2024, Flightline in 2022) and in total he now owns six Breeders’ Cup wins the last four years to improve his overall Breeders’ Cup record to nine wins from 110 career mounts for a win percentage just over 8%.

Junior Alvarado won another Breeders’ Cup race in 2025 for trainer Bill Mott aboard Scylla in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff to raise his career record to four wins from 23 mounts. Alvarado scored twice in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup, guiding Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish to victory in the Dirt Mile and Just F Y I to a win in the Juvenile Fillies. Alvarado will have chances to add to his win total again this year, including aboard Sovereignty in the Classic.

The all-time winningest rider in the history of the Breeders’ Cup is Mike Smith with 27 victories from 157 career mounts (17.2%). Smith failed to hit the board with his four mounts in 2025 and his only win since 2017 came in the 2021 Juvenile aboard Corniche.

John Velazquez after Juvenile win aboard Ned Toffey (Anne M. Eberhardt/BloodHorse)

Another veteran jockey who could have an even bigger impact on the 2026 Breeders’ Cup is John Velazquez, who now has 22 Breeders’ Cup wins dating back to 1998, including his 2025 win aboard Ted Noffey in the Juvenile. Johnny V. won in 2024 aboard Straight No Chaser in the Sprint and in 2023 aboard Fierceness in the Juvenile, proving that there still may be no better rider to have aboard your favorite Breeders’ Cup contender. He is ranked first by all-time Breeders’ Cup purse earnings with $42,060,275 and his 22 wins rank third all-time behind Smith and Irad Ortiz Jr.

Joel Rosario is yet another veteran jockey who has made an impact in the Breeders’ Cup over the years. Rosario’s career win total is up to 16 with career Breeders’ Cup purses totaling $30,012,535, ranking him fourth on the all-time earnings list. Rosario won at least one Breeders’ Cup race every year from 2014-’21.

Florent Geroux will miss the 2026 with an injury but deserves an honorable mention. Geroux’s record of eight Breeders’ Cup wins from only 45 mounts places him among the active leaders in terms of win percentage (17.8%). Geroux’s most recent win was aboard Idiomatic in the 2023 Distaff.

Underperforming Breeders’ Cup Jockeys

Several successful high-profile jockeys have not enjoyed commensurate Breeders’ Cup success, and it makes you appreciate even more the accomplishments of the leading riders because winning Breeders’ Cup races with regularity is not easy to do.

There are some shocking names on the list of underperforming Breeders’ Cup jockeys led by none other than Jose Ortiz, who is considered by many to be the front runner for the 2026 Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey to add to his growing list of career accolades. So far, however, Jose Ortiz has yet to find widespread success in the Breeders’ Cup. His career record is just 6-for-98 (6.1%), including an 0-for-10 record in 2025. Jose Ortiz also went 0-for-5 at the 2023 Breeders’ Cup and 0-for-9 in 2022 with his only recent win coming in 2024 aboard More Than Looks in the Mile.

Gaffalione after Juvenile Fillies on Wonder Wheel (Coady Media)

Another jockey you would expect to have a better Breeders’ Cup record is Tyler Gaffalione, who wins jockey titles all over Kentucky but has yet to deliver with regularity in the Breeders’ Cup. The exception for Gaffalione was at Keeneland in 2022 when he won the Turf Sprint aboard Caravel and the Juvenile Fillies aboard Wonder Wheel. Those two horses account for his only Breeders’ Cup wins, however. He went 0-for-8 in 2024 and 2025, and his career Breeders’ Cup record now stands at just 2-for-71 (2.8%).

Finally, the most glaring member of this high-profile list of top everyday jockeys that has yet to find consistent Breeders’ Cup success is Luis Saez, who has won riding titles all over at places like Saratoga Race Course, Keeneland, and Gulfstream Park but so far has only one career Breeders’ Cup win from 75 mounts (0-for-22 combined from 2023-’25). Saez’s lone win came in 2020 aboard Essential Quality in the Juvenile.

Will 2026 be the breakout year at the Breeders’ Cup for jockeys like Saez, Gaffalione, and Jose Ortiz, or will all-time Breeders’ Cup leaders like Irad Ortiz Jr. and John Velazquez continue to dominate? Tune-in Oct. 30-31 to find out. Enjoy the races and good luck.