2024 Kentucky Oaks Cheat Sheet: Get to Know the Horses
Meet the Jockeys of the 2019 Kentucky Derby
Racing
Mike Smith aboard Justify after winning the 2018 Kentucky Derby. (Eclipse Sportswire)
You've read about the horses who will race in the May 4 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. Now's your chance to learn about the athletes who will ride them. Get to know the 2019 Kentucky Derby jockeys below, in order of their mounts' Derby qualifying points.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 25
Originally from: Puerto Rico
Previous rides in the Derby: 4
Best finish: Second in 2018 (Good Magic)
His 2019 Derby horse: Tacitus
After launching his career at racetracks in New York alongside his brother Irad Ortiz, Jr. (who will ride Improbable in the Kentucky Derby), Jose quickly rose to prominence as one of the best jockeys in America. In 2017, he received the Eclipse Award for being the top jockey in North America. Jose rode in his first Kentucky Derby in 2014 aboard Samraat (fifth place) and then finished second in 2018 aboard Good Magic.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 53
Originally from: New Mexico
Previous rides in the Derby: 24
Best finish: Won in 2005 (Giacomo) and 2018 (Justify)
His 2019 Derby horse: Omaha Beach (SCRATCHED)
He’s known as “Big Money” Mike Smith for a reason. The legendary Smith comes into 2019 after an epic ride to Triple Crown glory with Justify last year. This will be Smith’s 25th Kentucky Derby and he is scheduled to ride the expected favorite Omaha Beach, who comes to Louisville off of wins in the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 41
Originally from: Venezuela
Previous rides in the Derby: 12
Best finish: Third in 2018 (Audible)
His 2019 Derby horse: Vekoma
Castellano has consistently been one of the top riders in North America over the past decade. In 2017, he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame. That honor came on the heels of four consecutive Eclipse Awards for being the nation’s top jockey. While he’s won just about every major race in America, the Kentucky Derby has remained an elusive prize. In a dozen career Derby rides, Castellano has only once finished in the top three in the run for the roses.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 26
Originally from: Panama
Previous rides in the Derby: 4
Best finish: 12th in 2017 (Untrapped)
His 2019 Derby horse: Plus Que Parfait
Like Hall of Famers Laffit Pincay Jr. and Braulio Baeza, Ricardo Santana is a native of Panama. Santana came to the United States to ride in 2009 at the age of 16. For the past five years, he’s served as the go-to jockey for Steve Asmussen, one of the leading trainers in America. That has resulted in Santana winning numerous racing titles. He’s yet to crack the top 10 in a Kentucky Derby and Santana will be riding a longshot in this year’s race.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 32
Originally from: France
Previous rides in the Derby: 3
Best finish: Third in 2016 (Gun Runner)
His 2019 Derby horse: Roadster
Florent has emerged as one of the top riders in the United States since 2016 and has been aboard multiple champion runners including superstar filly Monomoy Girl and 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner. It was aboard Gun Runner, riding in his first-ever Kentucky Derby in 2016, that Geroux ran a strong third. This year, he gets the call to ride Roadster, the Santa Anita Derby winner who’s expected to go off as one of the favorites on May 4.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 31
Originally from: Panama
Previous rides in the Derby: 2
Best finish: Second in 2008 (Eight Belles)
His 2019 Derby horse: By My Standards
A native of Panama City, Panama, Gabriel Saez graduated from the Laffit Pincay Jr. academy in that country and began riding in Panama before moving to the U.S. in the late 2000s. It has been a decade since the last time Gabriel Saez has had the opportunity to ride in the Kentucky Derby. He earned his way to Louisville this year with an unexpected victory aboard longshot By My Standards in the Louisiana Derby in March.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 26
Originally from: Panama
Previous rides in the Derby: 6
Best finish: Seventh in 2016 (Brody’s Cause)
His 2019 Derby horse: Maximum Security
At just 26 years of age Luis Saez has already surpassed the 2,000 win mark. He has won multiple riding titles at Gulfstream Park in Florida and has consistently ranked among the top riders at racetracks from Kentucky to New York. For the second year in a row, Saez gets the ride on one of the more highly regarded contenders in the Kentucky Derby; he’ll be aboard Florida Derby winner Maximum Security.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 34
Originally from: Dominican Republic
Previous rides in the Derby: 8
Best finish: Won in 2013 (Orb)
His 2019 Derby horse: Game Winner
Joel Rosario grew up on a farm outside of Santo Domingo and decided to be a jockey after attending the races when he was 13. After six months in jockey school, he turned pro at the age of 14. He has been a dominant force from the start of his career riding in the U.S. on the West Coast to his most recent stints in New York, Florida, and Kentucky. At 29 years old, riding in just his fourth Derby, Rosario won aboard Orb in 2013. That same year, he won the world’s richest race (Dubai World Cup) with 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom and the following year he won the Belmont Stakes aboard Tonalist. This year, Rosario has a legitimate shot to add to his resume as he pilots 2-year-old champion Game Winner on the first Saturday in May.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 47
Originally from: Puerto Rico
Previous rides in the Derby: 20
Best finish: Won in 2011 (Animal Kingdom) and 2017 (Always Dreaming)
His 2019 Derby horse: Code of Honor
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012, Velazquez is already established as one of the greatest jockeys ever. With more than 6,000 wins, he currently ranks fourth among all active riders and 17th in wins all-time. He will be looking to score his third career Kentucky Derby win this year. “Johnny V.” has captured the garland of roses twice before and is thought to have a legitimate shot on May 5 when he takes the call on Fountain of Youth Stakes winner Code of Honor.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 33
Originally from: Jamaica
Previous rides in the Derby: 5
Best finish: Third in 2011 (Mucho Macho Man)
His 2019 Derby horse: Haikal (SCRATCHED May 3)
Maragh grew up in a racing family. His father, Collin, was a jockey in his native Jamaica and is now a trainer in South Florida, and his brother, Shamir, began his career as a jockey in 2010. A four-time Breeders’ Cup race winner, Maragh has had success mainly riding on the New York circuit for more than a decade. After an uneventful ninth-place finish in his first Kentucky Derby in 2010, he returned the next year and finished third with eventual Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man. This year, Maragh returns to Kentucky with an under-the-radar contender named Haikal.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 26
Originally from: Puerto Rico
Previous rides in the Derby: 3
Best finish: Seventh in 2018 (Hofburg)
His 2019 Derby horse: Improbable
Like his brother Jose, it’s been a rapid rise to stardom for Irad Ortiz Jr. Originally from Trujillo Alto in Puerto Rico, Ortiz is a graduate of that country’s Escuela Vocacional Hípica, a school for prospective jockeys. Irad has won a number of racing honors including the Shoemaker Award, an ESPY for being the best jockey in America and, most recently, won an Eclipse Award as last year’s outstanding rider in North America. In this year’s Kentucky Derby, he’ll ride one of his best prospects to date: Irad has the call on Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby runner-up Improbable for trainer Bob Baffert.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 24
Originally from: Florida
Previous rides in the Derby: 1
Best finish: 14th in 2017 (Patch)
His 2019 Derby horse: War of Will
The co-youngest rider in this year’s Kentucky Derby, Gaffalione will be making just his second career start in America’s greatest race. While making his Derby debut in 2017, Gaffalione rode fan favorite Patch. Gaffalione has experienced success in racing right from the start, having received the 2015 Eclipse Award trophy as the country’s leading apprentice (rookie) rider at Gulfstream Park where he earned his first riding title. His Derby hopes this year hinge on a bounce-back effort from War of Will, who was considered a Derby favorite in late winter when he won the Lecomte and Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds in Louisiana.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 58
Originally from: Florida
Previous rides in the Derby: 3
Best finish: Eighth in 2013 (Will Take Charge)
His 2019 Derby horse: Long Range Toddy
Court owns the distinction of not only being the oldest rider in this year’s Kentucky Derby but of also being the oldest jockey to ever ride in the Kentucky Derby. Since winning his first race at the now-defunct Centennial Park in Colorado in 1980, Court has been a dominant rider in the Midwest and has competed successfully at major tracks across the country. He spends his winters at Oaklawn Park, where last month he masterfully guided Long Range Toddy to a perfect ground-saving run to win the Rebel Stakes. Despite that, Long Range Toddy is still expected to go off as a big longshot when the gates open for the Kentucky Derby.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 32
Originally from: Venezuela
Previous rides in the Derby: 2
Best finish: Fourth in 2016 (Mohaymen)
His 2019 Derby horse: Tax
A native of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Junior Alvarado started riding in America in South Florida in 2007. He thought about returning to his native Venezuela but decided move his tack to Chicago. It turned out to be a great decision because he went on to dominate the circuit there before shifting to New York in 2010, where he’s been one of the most consistent riders ever since. His first big Kentucky Derby opportunity came with Mohaymen who finished a solid fourth in 2016. This year, Alvarado comes in aboard more of an outsider named Tax, who finished second to Tacitus in his last race, the Wood Memorial.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 44
Originally from: Louisiana
Previous rides in the Derby: 4
Best finish: Second in 2017 (Lookin At Lee)
His 2019 Derby horse: Cutting Humor
Corey Lanerie grew up in Lafayette, La., a region revered for Cajun cuisine and known as a starting point for some of America’s best jockeys. Lanerie’s grandfather had horses and his father, Gerald, was a jockey who later became a trainer. Lanerie won his first official race on April 19, 1991, at Evangeline Downs in Louisiana and has won more than 4,500 races since, though a Derby win still eludes him. This year he'll be aboard a Todd Pletcher-trained longshot in Cutting Humor.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 38
Originally from: Colombia
Previous rides in the Derby: 0
Best finish: N/A
His 2019 Derby horse: Win Win Win
He isn’t the youngest rider in this year’s Kentucky Derby but this will be the first Derby ride for Julian Pimentel. Based in Maryland, Pimentel famously rode fan favorite Ben’s Cat for several years. Pimentel was aboard Win Win Win for his breakthrough win in the Pasco Stakes this year. After losing the mount on him to Irad Ortiz Jr., Pimental regained the ride - and his first opportunity to ride in the Kentucky Derby - when Ortiz was named to ride Improbable.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 26
Originally from: France
Previous rides in the Derby: 2
Best finish: Third in 2017 (Battle of Midway)
His Derby horse: Country House
Known mostly for his prowess as a successful turf rider based in California, the French-born Prat has had his share of success across the spectrum of big racing events in America over the past few years. Prat won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in 2016 and the Las Vegas Dirt Mile in 2017. The latter was aboard Battle of Midway whom Prat guided to a third-place finish in the 2017 Kentucky Derby. He’ll look to notch his first-ever win in the big race with the late-running Country House.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 24
Originally from: Kentucky
Previous rides in the Derby: 1
Best finish: Fourth in 2015 (Instilled Regard)
His 2019 Derby horse: Gray Magician
Born in Louisville, Ky., and raised in Hot Springs, Ark., Drayden Van Dyke has never strayed far from horse racing. He began his career in the fall of 2013 and was honored with the Eclipse Award as the top apprentice jockey in the country in 2014. He is regularly near the top of the jockey standings in Southern California. Van Dyke will be riding in his second Derby this year and will be aboard a longshot in UAE Derby runner-up Gray Magician, though last year he managed to finish fourth with the longest shot in the field, Instilled Regard.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 24
Originally from: Puerto Rico
Previous rides in the Derby: 1
Best finish: 17th in 2015 (Tencendur)
His 2019 Derby horse: Spinoff
Along with Tyler Gaffalione and Drayden Van Dyke, Franco is the only other jockey in this year’s Kentucky Derby who’s under the age of 25. Like Gaffalione and Van Dyke, he too has had only one previous Derby mount and it was an uneventful 17th-place finish aboard longshot Tencendur in 2015. His horse this year, Spinoff, most recently finished a strong second in the Louisiana Derby behind By My Standards.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 35
Originally from: France
Previous rides in the Derby: 10
Best finish: Fourth in 2017 (Classic Empire)
His 2019 Derby horse: Master Fencer
Leparoux has risen to prominence since beginning his riding career in 2005. He won the Eclipse Award as the outstanding apprentice rider of 2006, when he led the nation with 403 victories, and earned a second Eclipse in 2009 as the outstanding jockey. Over the last 12 years, Leparoux has failed to secure a Derby mount just twice. His best finish came in his most recent Kentucky Derby aboard fourth-place finisher Classic Empire. His horse this year, Master Fencer, is based in Japan and has never competed in the United States. He’s expected to be an extreme longshot on May 4.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 30
Originally from: California
Previous rides in the Derby: 0
Best finish: N/A
His 2019 Derby horse: Bodexpress
As the son of a trainer and the grandson of racehorse owners, Chris Landeros was never far from racing. Born near San Francisco and raised in Arizona, he began his riding career at Turf Paradise in Phoenix at age 17. He later rode in Texas and then moved to Kentucky in 2014 where he won three straight races at Churchill Downs in September. This will be his first Kentucky Derby start and he'll ride a longshot in Bodexpress, who is a maiden (the horse has never won a race).
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