A number of of the all-time winningest jockeys in Breeders’ Cup historical past are nonetheless lively and might be aboard most 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 generally is a professional 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 among the biggest-name jockeys on the planet have carried out to this point on the game’s largest stage.
Finest Breeders’ Cup Jockeys – The Cream of the Crop
The jockey at the moment shifting up the Breeders’ Cup win leaderboard the quickest is Irad Ortiz Jr., who received his first Breeders’ Cup race in 2014 aboard Girl 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 at the least 50 extra mounts.
On the 2023 Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita Park, Irad was undoubtedly one of many stars of the weekend with three wins from 13 mounts together with victories aboard White Abarrio within the Longines Basic, Goodnight Olive within the PNC Financial institution Filly and Mare Dash, and Elite Energy within the Dash (each Goodnight Olive and Elite Energy have been repeat winners from the identical races as 2022). Within the 2022 Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland, Irad additionally received three races from 13 mounts highlighted by his win on Forte within the Juvenile. Irad additionally received 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 report provides him a giant 20% win proportion.
For the second straight yr in 2023, the opposite star jockeys of the Breeders’ Cup have been international invaders. Ryan Moore received two races final yr 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 received 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 scorching 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 distinguished 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 Offered 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 received the Turf, House Blues received the Mile, and Trendy Video games took the Juvenile Turf, and you’ll see that the Buick/Appleby jockey/coach combo is a tough 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 USA. Dettori has received 15 races from 122 mounts relationship all the way in which 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 yr within the Maker’s Mark Filly and Mare Turf aboard Inspiral.
Moreover Irad Ortiz and the Europeans, the jockey who made the most important impression within the 2023 Breeders’ Cup was Junior Alvarado, who received twice for Corridor of Fame coach Invoice Mott aboard Cody’s Want within the Massive Ass Followers Grime 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 Grime Mile. His report has now grown to a few 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 isn’t using too many horses anymore, together with his final win coming within the 2021 Juvenile aboard Corniche. Smith leads all jockeys in Breeders’ Cup purses received with $38,464,605, however take notice that Corniche stands as Smith’s solely Breeders’ Cup win since 2017.
The veteran jockey that would have way more of an impression on the 2024 Breeders’ Cup than Mike Smith is John Velazquez, who now has 20 Breeders’ Cup wins relationship again to 2000, together with his runaway victory aboard Fierceness within the 2023 FanDuel Juvenile Offered 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 report 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 have been in 2021 with Knicks Go within the Longines Basic and Echo Zulu within the NetJets Juvenile Fillies. He received at the least one Breeders’ Cup race yearly from 2014-21.
Florent Geroux additionally deserves an honorable point out. Geroux’s report of eight Breeders’ Cup wins from solely 42 mounts locations him amongst the lively leaders when it comes to win proportion. Geroux was winless in 10 complete 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 quite a lot of Breeders’ Cup success, and it makes you recognize 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 isn’t a straightforward activity.
Maybe essentially the most shocking identify on the listing of underperforming Breeders’ Cup jockeys is Jose Ortiz, who is usually talked about within the dialog of finest jockeys in North America. To this point, 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 report to 5 wins from 82 mounts for a lifetime win proportion of simply 6%.
One other jockey you’d anticipate a greater Breeders’ Cup report 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 a giant Breeders’ Cup in 2022 when he received each the Turf Dash aboard Caravel and the Juvenile Fillies aboard Surprise Wheel. Aside from 2022, Gaffalione was winless all different years and now boasts solely a 2-for-55 profession Breeders’ Cup report.
Celebrity Flightline was the hero of the 2022 Breeders’ Cup and Flavien Prat was aboard his Breeders’ Cup Basic win. Prat additionally received a race in 2023 when he piloted Arduous 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 report 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 report continues to be solely 5 wins from 84 profession mounts for a win proportion narrowly underneath 6%.
Lastly, essentially the most obvious member of this high-profile listing of high on a regular basis jockeys that has but to search out Breeders’ Cup success is Luis Saez, who has received using titles at locations like Saratoga, Keeneland, and Gulfstream Park however thus far 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 yr 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 search out out. Benefit from the races and better of luck.