A number of of the all-time winningest jockeys in Breeders’ Cup historical past are nonetheless lively and can be aboard lots of the key contenders within the upcoming World Championships Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar. Having expertise at this degree of competitors counts, and selecting the horses ridden by the very best time-tested and confirmed Breeders’ Cup jockeys is usually a reliable tie breaker and distinction maker in your handicapping.
Who’re the very best Breeders’ Cup jockeys? Which jockeys want to enhance? Learn on for an outline of how a number of the biggest-name jockeys on the planet have carried out thus far on the game’s greatest stage.
Finest Breeders’ Cup Jockeys – The Cream of the Crop
The jockey presently shifting up the Breeders’ Cup win leaderboard the quickest is Irad Ortiz Jr., who gained his first Breeders’ Cup race in 2014 aboard Woman Eli and is already as much as 20 profession Breeders’ Cup wins, with 17 of these victories coming the final six years. Irad has already ascended to fourth on the all-time Breeders’ Cup jockey purse earnings listing with $27,780,345. To place that in perspective, the three jockeys ranked above him on that listing all did it with not less than 50 extra mounts.
On the 2023 Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita Park, Irad was positively one of many stars of the weekend with three wins from 13 mounts together with victories aboard White Abarrio within the Longines Traditional, Goodnight Olive within the PNC Financial institution Filly and Mare Dash, and Elite Energy within the Dash (each Goodnight Olive and Elite Energy had been repeat winners from the identical races as 2022). Within the 2022 Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland, Irad additionally gained three races from 13 mounts highlighted by his win on Forte within the Juvenile. Irad additionally gained aboard three of 11 mounts on the 2021 Breeders’ Cup, had two winners in 2020, and had a four-win exhibiting in 2019. Irad’s 20-for-100 file provides him an enormous 20% win proportion.
For the second straight 12 months in 2023, the opposite star jockeys of the Breeders’ Cup had been international invaders. Ryan Moore gained two races final 12 months aboard Auguste Rodin within the Longines Turf and Unquestionable within the Prevagen Juvenile Turf. Moore, first-call jockey for the Coolmore operation, has come over from Europe and made an impression on a number of events throughout his profession, profitable 14 Breeders’ Cup races from 97 mounts with purses of $23,147,035. Moore gained three Breeders’ Cup races in 2022 – the Juvenile Turf, Juvenile Fillies Turf, and the Filly and Mare Turf – giving him 5 Breeders’ Cup wins the previous two years.
The opposite sizzling European rider within the Breeders’ Cup has been William Buick with a 24% profession win charge. Buick rides for the worldwide racing powerhouse Godolphin and outstanding European-based coach Charlie Appleby and owns eight wins from 33 profession Breeders’ Cup mounts together with a 2023 win aboard Grasp of The Seas within the FanDuel Mile Introduced by PDJF and 2022 wins within the Juvenile Turf Dash and within the Mile. Add these to Buick’s three wins in 2021 when Yibir gained the Turf, House Blues gained the Mile, and Trendy Video games took the Juvenile Turf, and you may see that the Buick/Appleby jockey/coach combo is a troublesome to disregard.
The highest European-based rider within the historical past of the Breeders’ Cup is Frankie Dettori, who’s now based mostly in the US. Dettori has gained 15 races from 122 mounts courting all the best way to his first Breeders’ Cup winner in 1994. Dettori ranks fifth by purse earnings on the all-time Breeders’ Cup jockey listing with $27,111,862. His solely current win (since 2018) got here final 12 months within the Maker’s Mark Filly and Mare Turf aboard Inspiral.
In addition to Irad Ortiz and the Europeans, the jockey who made the largest impression within the 2023 Breeders’ Cup was Junior Alvarado, who gained twice for Corridor of Fame coach Invoice Mott aboard Cody’s Want within the Huge Ass Followers Filth Mile and Simply F Y I within the NetJets Juvenile Fillies. Alvarado’s first profession Breeders’ Cup win had come aboard Cody’s Want in 2022 within the Filth Mile. His file has now grown to 3 wins from 19 profession Breeders’ Cup mounts.
The all-time main rider within the historical past of the Breeders’ Cup is Mike Smith with 27 profession wins and. Smith will not be using too many horses anymore, along with his final win coming within the 2021 Juvenile aboard Corniche. Smith leads all jockeys in Breeders’ Cup purses gained with $38,464,605, however take be aware that Corniche stands as Smith’s solely Breeders’ Cup win since 2017.
The veteran jockey that might have far more of an impression on the 2024 Breeders’ Cup than Mike Smith is John Velazquez, who now has 20 Breeders’ Cup wins courting again to 2000, together with his runaway victory aboard Fierceness within the 2023 FanDuel Juvenile Introduced by TAA and his thrilling victory aboard Malathaat within the 2022 Longines Distaff. There nonetheless could also be no higher rider to have aboard your Breeders’ Cup contender than “Johnny V.” He’s ranked second in all-time Breeders’ Cup purse earnings with $37,030,275 and his 20 wins are tied with Irad Ortiz for second all time.
Different veteran jockeys who’ve had Breeders’ Cup success lately are led by Joel Rosario, whose profession Breeders’ Cup file is 15-for-152 with profession purses totaling $29,062,535, rating him third on the earnings listing. Rosario will try to get again into the winner’s circle after going winless in six mounts in 2023 and in 11 mounts in 2022. Rosario’s most up-to-date two winners had been in 2021 with Knicks Go within the Longines Traditional and Echo Zulu within the NetJets Juvenile Fillies. He gained not less than one Breeders’ Cup race yearly from 2014-21.
Florent Geroux additionally deserves an honorable point out. Geroux’s file of eight Breeders’ Cup wins from solely 42 mounts locations him amongst the lively leaders by way of win proportion. Geroux was winless in 10 whole Breeders’ Cup mounts in 2021-22 however obtained again within the win column in 2023 because of his victory aboard Idiomatic within the Longines Distaff.
Underperforming Breeders’ Cup Jockeys
Not each high-profile jockey has loved loads of Breeders’ Cup success, and it makes you admire much more the accomplishments of riders like Smith, Velazquez, Irad Ortiz, and the others talked about above as a result of profitable Breeders’ Cup races with regularity will not be a straightforward job.
Maybe probably the most stunning title on the listing of underperforming Breeders’ Cup jockeys is Jose Ortiz, who is commonly talked about within the dialog of greatest jockeys in North America. To date, nevertheless, he has not discovered widespread success within the Breeders’ Cup. Jose Ortiz went 0-for-5 on the 2023 Breeders’ Cup and 0-for-9 in 2022 to maneuver his general Breeders’ Cup file to 5 wins from 82 mounts for a lifetime win proportion of simply 6%.
One other jockey you’d count on a greater Breeders’ Cup file from is Tyler Gaffalione, who wins jockey titles throughout Kentucky, however he simply hasn’t delivered within the Breeders’ Cup all through his profession regardless of an enormous Breeders’ Cup in 2022 when he gained each the Turf Dash aboard Caravel and the Juvenile Fillies aboard Surprise Wheel. Except for 2022, Gaffalione was winless all different years and now boasts solely a 2-for-55 profession Breeders’ Cup file.
Famous person Flightline was the hero of the 2022 Breeders’ Cup and Flavien Prat was aboard his Breeders’ Cup Traditional win. Prat additionally gained a race in 2023 when he piloted Onerous to Justify to win the Juvenile Fillies Turf. It’s good to see Prat’s inventory rising now as a result of earlier than the final two years, his file was not even remotely good. Even with wins the final two years, Prat was 1-for-14 in 2022 and 1-for-13 in 2023 and his general file continues to be solely 5 wins from 84 profession mounts for a win proportion narrowly below 6%.
Lastly, probably the most obtrusive member of this high-profile listing of high on a regular basis jockeys that has but to seek out Breeders’ Cup success is Luis Saez, who has gained using titles at locations like Saratoga, Keeneland, and Gulfstream Park however to date has just one profession Breeders’ Cup win from 63 mounts (0-for-10 in 2023). Saez’s lone win got here in 2020 aboard Important High quality within the Juvenile. He had 4 third-place finishes in 2023.
Will 2024 be the breakout 12 months on the Breeders’ Cup for jockeys like Prat, Saez, Gaffalione, and Jose Ortiz? Or will all-time Breeders’ Cup leaders like Irad Ortiz, Smith, Velazquez, Dettori, and Moore proceed to dominate the winner’s circle? Who would be the jockey stars of the 2024 Breeders’ Cup? Tune-in Nov. 1-2 to seek out out. Benefit from the races and better of luck.
