As North American racing officially transitions to the fall season, the jockey standings continue to tighten, with Jose Ortiz and Flavien Prat both surpassing $34 million in North American purse earnings for the year last week, nearly $9 million ahead of any other jockey.

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Ortiz and Prat remain first and second, respectively, in the jockey standings, continuing what has been a remarkable season at the top of the Equibased jockey’s leaderboard. Ortiz leads the way with 246 wins and $34,744,325 in earnings, while Prat is right behind with 245 wins and $34,434,455. Their current totals are particularly impressive when compared with last year’s pace. At this point in 2025, neither jockey had reached $30 million in earnings. Ortiz and Prat also are nearly $5 million ahead of the pace set by Irad Ortiz Jr. at this point last year, when he went on to establish the single-season North American earnings record. With just one win and $309,870 in earnings separating Jose Ortiz and Prat, the battle for the top spot remains a fantastic race.

The Ortiz-Prat duel was just one of many interesting storylines from last week. The opening of the redesigned Belmont Park marked the beginning of a new chapter for New York racing. Friday’s Opening Day was headlined by the highly anticipated return of Forever Young in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes, where Japan’s star delivered a dominant performance and surpassed $32 million in lifetime earnings. Friday’s action also included the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes, and the excitement continued on the East Coast Saturday with Pennsylvania Derby day at Parx Racing, featuring eight stakes highlighted by the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes and Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby.

Forever Young wins on Opening Day at Belmont (Eclipse Sportswire)

Forever Young, a 5-year-old son of Real Steel and the richest racehorse in the world with at least one start in North America, earned an expenses-paid berth in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic in Friday’s Jockey Club Gold Cup, winning by 3 ¼ lengths while earning the highest Equibase Speed Figure of the week with a 118. The victory was his seventh group/graded stakes win and his 12^th triumph overall from 16 total starts, which pushed his global earnings to $32,313,590. The Jockey Club Gold Cup was his first start since a runner-up finish in the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline on March 28 and his first time back in North America since winning the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Forever Young ranks first on the leaderboard when including his win in the $20 million Saudi Cup and second-place finish in the Dubai World Cup, now with $12,955,000 in 2026 purse earnings. By North American earnings only, Forever Young ranks 74^th on the overall Equibase leaderboard with $555,000.

The Puma, who was a late scratch in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve following a win in the ESMARK Tampa Bay Derby and a second in the Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa, returned to the winner’s circle over the weekend with a half-length victory in the Pennsylvania Derby for trainer Gustavo Delgado. The 2.70-1 second betting choice, The Puma rallied from sixth on the final turn to first in early stretch under a brilliant ride by Javier Castellano and held off a late rally by Further Ado to become a Grade 1 winner. After he was scratched from the Derby, the 3-year-old Essential Quality colt finished fourth in both the NYRA Bets Haskell and DraftKings Travers Stakes before his win on Saturday. With $1,222,280 in earnings, The Puma rose to seventh among 3-year-old males and 20^th overall.

Like the Pennsylvania Derby, the Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing also boasted a $1 million purse. Bodacious Bay, a 3-year-old Not This Time filly trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., shipped in to win by a dominant 3 ¼ lengths under Micah Husbands. Bodacious Bay has never run out of the exacta in her career. Now with $708,496 in earnings, Bodacious Bay moved into seventh among 3-year-old fillies and 45^th on the overall leaderboard.

Saffie Joseph Jr. had two starts and two wins on Friday evening with Neoequos in the Presque Isle Mile Stakes and Reagan’s Flame in the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters. Reagan’s Flame, a 5-year-old Flameaway mare, earned her third graded stakes victory of the year, all on all-weather surfaces, in the Masters. She made four starts at Woodbine over the summer, including wins in the Grade 3 Whimsical Stakes Presented by Crown Royal and Grade 3 Seaway Stakes, before shipping to Presque Isle for her first Grade 2 victory. With $391,835 in 2026 earnings, Reagan’s Flame moved into 27^th among older females.

Along with his stakes wins on Friday at Presque Isle, Joseph Jr. had two stakes wins on Saturday at Parx and ended the week with a total of eight wins while finishing 71% in the money and leading all trainers by earnings with $1,311,740. Joseph Jr. surpassed $18 million for the year and remains in fifth in the trainer standings.

With a little more than three months remaining in the year, Brad Cox continues to extend his lead atop the trainer standings, now sitting nearly $5.5 million ahead of Mark Casse in second. Cox became the first trainer this year to surpass $26 million in North American earnings.

Last week’s top trainer by earnings — Saffie Joseph Jr.: $1,311,740

Last week’s top jockey by earnings — Flavien Prat: $891,791

Last week’s top Equibase Speed Figure in a graded stakes  —  Forever Young, 118

North American leaders lists for horses, jockeys, trainers and owners are available on equibase.com and you can filter the data to view by a wide variety of categories including age, sex, surface and race type.