Equibase Earnings Leaders: Thorpedo Anna’s Impressive Return Vaults Her Into Top 15
Meet the Jockeys of the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic
Racing
The roster of jockeys for this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 2 at Del Mar has a truly international makeup, featuring such standouts as Ryan Moore, John Velazquez, and Ryusei Sakai (left to right). (Eclipse Sportswire)
Just as any NFL team needs a reliable quarterback if it wants to win a Super Bowl, so too do the connections of the best racehorses in training need the services of a top-notch jockey if they’re aiming to win a race like the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Since it’s the richest race in North America and the ultimate prize at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships this Friday and Saturday at Del Mar, winning the Classic is the ultimate goal for any rider.
Let’s take a look at which jockeys have made it to the big dance for the 2024 Longines Classic on Nov. 2.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 38
Originally from: Venezuela
Breeders’ Cup victories: 3
Best finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic: Second in 2022 (Olympiad)
His 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horse: Arthur’s Ride
It took Junior Alvarado 16 years to capture his first Breeders’ Cup win. Now, he’s got three victories in the last two years at the World Championships. A native of Venezuela and the son of a jockey, Alvarado decided to follow the same path as his dad. He began riding in 2005 and moved to the U.S. in 2007. He started his professional career in Florida and Chicago before becoming a mainstay in New York’s competitive racing circuit. Alvarado is probably best known for riding Cody’s Wish, the horse who gave the jockey his first Breeders’ Cup win in the Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile in 2022. Cody’s Wish won the Dirt Mile again in 2023 and was voted Horse of the Year. In Saturday’s BC Classic, Alvarado has a legitimate shot aboard the speedy Arthur’s Ride. The two paired up to win the Whitney Stakes in August by getting to the lead early and staying there. You could expect Arthur’s Ride to be on the front right from the start again in the Classic.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 53
Originally from: Italy
Breeders’ Cup victories: 15
Best finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic: Won in 2008 (Raven’s Pass)
2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horse: Newgate
Imagine Tom Brady or Lebron James with a signature celebratory leap – that’s Frankie Dettori. Widely considered one of the greatest international riders of all time, Dettori is perhaps best known to fans for his patented winner’s circle “flying dismount,” which has seen him soar off the backs of many a champion racehorse. Just when it appeared Dettori’s career was winding down a few years ago, he decided to relocate to the U.S. and make one last push. Since making the move, he’s won more than a dozen graded stakes races and captured his 15th career Breeders’ Cup win last year aboard Inspiral in the Maker’s Mark Filly & Mare Turf. Dettori also holds the distinction of riding the last internationally-based horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic – Raven’s Pass in 2008. This year, Dettori will be aboard locally-based Newgate who recently finished a close third in the California Crown Stakes Presented by SirDavis American Whisky.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 32
Originally from: California
Breeders’ Cup victories: 0
Best finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic: n/a
His 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horse: Mixto
While most of this Classic field is loaded with internationally-renowned and even legendary riders, there are a few jockeys in the race who have emerged just this year. Kyle Frey is perhaps the most incredible story of all. He’s 32 years old and his career started with a bang when he won horse racing’s equivalent of the Rookie of the Year for jockeys (Eclipse Award as the top apprentice rider) in 2011. But in the years since, Frey has been open about personal struggles with alcohol and mental health challenges. Over the past year, everything has come together for Frey and he’s now on one of the hottest streaks since he began riding. For perspective, he’s won 10 graded stakes races in his career – and six of them have come in the last 10 months. The most high-profile victory in that span was a 22.20-to-1 longshot win in the FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic Stakes aboard Mixto, the horse Frey will ride in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 38 (He turns 39 the day after the Breeders’ Cup!)
Originally from: Louisiana
Breeders’ Cup victories: 1
Best finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic: Won in 2012 (Fort Larned)
His 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horse: Pyrenees
For the past 12 years, Brian Hernandez Jr. was perhaps best known for what was over that timespan the standout victory of his career, his 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic win aboard Fort Larned. But then Hernandez went out and won the Longines Kentucky Oaks aboard filly sensation Thorpedo Anna and the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve with longshot Mystik Dan on back-to-back days this past May. An extremely approachable personality around the track, the Louisiana native earned the Eclipse Award as outstanding apprentice jockey in 2004. In total, he’s racked up more than 2,600 career wins and 86 graded stakes victories to date. His Classic win in 2012 is incredibly in his lone win from his 21 career starts in Breeders’ Cup races. Hernandez rides Pyrenees in the Classic on Saturday, a horse who has finished first or second in each of his last six races.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 39
Originally from: Japan
Breeders’ Cup victories: 1
Best finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic: Fifth in 2023 (Ushba Tesoro)
His 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horse: Ushba Tesoro
Four years ago, fans of the Breeders’ Cup might not have recognized the name Yuga Kawada. While he’d established quite the résumé riding in Japan, Kawada hadn’t gotten many opportunities under the bright lights of the World Championships. But in the 2021 Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, Kawada made history when he rode Loves Only You to victory as she became the first Japan-based horse to win a Breeders’ Cup race. Kawada built upon that momentum as leading rider in Japan in 2022. Last year, he rode his Breeders’ Cup Classic hopeful Ushba Tesoro to victory in the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline. Kawada gets another shot at the Classic with Ushba Tesoro after finishing fifth in the race in 2023.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 45
Originally from: France
Breeders’ Cup victories: 1
Best finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic: Second in 2023 (Derma Sotogake)
His 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horse: Derma Sotogake
If you want to see Christophe Lemaire ride in the U.S., you have to wait for the marquee racedays, and the Breeders’ Cup certainly qualifies. Born in France, Lemaire has traveled the world as one of the top international riders for decades. He began his career in Europe but has built out his résumé in recent years via domination in Japan, where he’s been a force since 2015 and led the Japan Racing Association standings by wins for five straight years from 2017 to 2021. Lemaire won the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf aboard Flotilla and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic last year with the same horse he’ll be riding this year, Derma Sotogake. Remarkably, Lemaire has ridden in seven Breeders’ Cup races and he’s finished in the top four in five of those races.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 30
Originally from: Brazil
Breeders’ Cup victories: 0
Best finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic: n/a
His 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horse: Next
One of the few fresh faces in the Breeders’ Cup Classic this year, Luan Machado has been on a bit of a bit of a rollercoaster ride in recent weeks. Experiencing what anyone would describe as a breakout year in 2024, the native of Brazil went from near obscurity in the U.S. to landing in the top 25 in the overall jockey rankings. He’s won four graded stakes this year and has already surpassed his win total from 2023. But Machado made the error of misjudging the finish line in a race at Keeneland in October, which cost his horse a victory and led to significant scorn from racing fans and bettors. How did Machado respond from his critical mistake? He won two graded stakes the following week. Machado will be riding fan favorite Next in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, a horse who now faces stiffer competition after winning his last seven races by more than 91 lengths combined.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 41
Originally from: England
Breeders’ Cup victories: 14
Best finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic: Fifth in 2018 (Mendelssohn)
His 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horse: City of Troy
If you’re looking to bet on a jockey who has won some of the biggest races across the globe, you’ve found him with Ryan Moore. Not only has he scored 14 winners at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Moore has also won just about every major international race from the Melbourne Cup (Australia) to the Japan Cup to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (France) and Epsom Derby (England). It was in the U.K. that Moore honed his craft, earning Champion Jockey honors in multiple years to go along with the title of Longines World's Best Jockey four times (most recently last year). In the Breeders’ Cup Classic this year, Moore is slated to ride Irish sensation City of Troy. A winner of six of his seven career races, City of Troy is shipping to California in the hopes of becoming the first European-based horse to capture the Classic in more than 15 years.
Walter Wlodarczyk/NYRA
Age: 32
Originally from: Puerto Rico
Breeders’ Cup victories: 20
Best finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic: Won in 2019 (Vino Rosso) and 2023 (White Abarrio)
His 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horse: Tapit Trice
To keep it simple, Irad Ortiz is the best rider in America. This year will mark the eighth straight year that he’ll lead the nation in wins and he’s likely to earn his sixth Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey. At just 32 years old, Ortiz just surpassed the 4,000-win mark. He’s two decades younger than his childhood idol – Hall of Famer John Velazquez – yet Ortiz is now tied with Velazquez with 20 career Breeders’ Cup victories. Ortiz has ridden in 100 Breeders’ Cup races, while Velazquez has had 220 mounts at the Breeders’ Cup. Additionally, Ortiz has a very good chance to catch and surpass Mike Smith for the all-time Breeders’ Cup wins lead (27) in the next few years. In 2019, Ortiz won his first Breeders’ Cup Classic aboard Vino Rosso. He added another Classic win last year on White Abarrio. However, this year, Ortiz will have to defy the odds when he rides longshot Tapit Trice.
Coady Media
Age: 31
Originally from: Puerto Rico
Breeders’ Cup victories: 5
Best finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic: Finished fourth four times, most recently in 2020 (Tacitus)
His 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horse: Rattle N Roll
As half of the dynamic Ortiz Brothers, Jose is on the fast track to the Hall of Fame, just like his older brother Irad. Over his short 11-year career, Jose has won nearly 3,100 races and has previously taken home the Eclipse Award as the nation’s top jockey. He’s won two thirds of American Triple Crown races, having captured the Preakness Stakes in 2022 and the Belmont Stakes in 2017. Ortiz heads into this year’s World Championships with five wins under his belt in the event. The odds will likely be against him capturing his first win in this year’s Classic, as he’s slated to ride longshot Rattle N Roll, who is an also-eligible and will draw into the race if another horse scratches. Rattle N Roll’s last win came five starts back, over a year ago, and that was against inferior competition to what he’ll face on Saturday.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 32
Originally from: France
Breeders’ Cup victories: 5
Best finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic: Won in 2022 (Flightline)
His 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horse: Sierra Leone
Few jockeys over the past five years have been more consistent than Flavien Prat. In that time, he’s captured the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and three of his five Breeders’ Cup wins. Prat won the biggest prize at the World Championships in 2022 aboard Flightline, a generational talent who cruised to victory in the Classic. While Flightline was expected to win, Prat has been known to pull of upsets in big races, as he did in the 2019 Kentucky Derby aboard Country House at odds of 65.20-to-1. Last year at the Breeders’ Cup, Prat guided Hard to Justify to victory at odds of 9.10-to-1 in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Prat and his Classic mount this year, Sierra Leone, won’t be favorites, so perhaps it’s the best time to make a little wager.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 39
Originally from: Dominican Republic
Breeders’ Cup victories: 15
Best finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic: Won in 2018 (Accelerate) and 2021 (Knicks Go)
His 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horse: Senor Buscador
For eight years in a row, Joel Rosario had won at least one race at the Breeders’ Cup until he was blanked at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. It’s just a matter of time before Rosario gets back in the win column at this event. He has twice tasted victory in the Classic, including the last time it was run at Del Mar in 2021 when Rosario and Knicks Go took top honors. This year, Rosario is in the unusual position of picking up a mount on a horse he’s never ridden. Senor Buscador won the Saudi Cup earlier this year but his rider from that race, Junior Alvarado, will be on Arthur’s Ride in the Classic. Joe Talamo, who has piloted Senor Buscador in recent races, has stepped away from riding for the moment. So, Rosario has a huge opportunity. The newly-minted Hall of Famer doesn’t have much more to prove in the saddle but a third Classic win would certainly put Rosario in rare air.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 32
Originally from: Panama
Breeders’ Cup victories: 1
Best finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic: Second in 2013 (Will Take Charge)
His 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horse: Highland Falls
One of the more confounding discoveries you’ll find while looking up jockey statistics for the Breeders’ Cup is that Luis Saez (a future Hall of Famer) has had 63 rides at the World Championships and he’s won just a single race. That lone victory came in 2020 aboard Essential Quality in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Seven-plus months later, Essential Quality would also give Saez his first of two wins in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets – Saez won the race again earlier this year aboard Dornoch. At just 32 years of age, the native of Panama already has nearly 3,600 career wins and he’s perennially among the top five in the national jockey standings based on earnings. Saez will have the mount this Saturday on up-and-coming star Highland Falls in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The horse, who has finished in the top three in eight of his nine career races, recently blew away his competition in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes. A repeat of that effort would put him in contention for a top spot in Saturday’s Classic.
Eclipse Sportswire
Age: 27
Originally from: Japan
Breeders’ Cup victories: 0
Best finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic: n/a
His 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horse: Forever Young
Early this year, Ryusei Sakai came about as close as a jockey possibly could to winning his first Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve – in his first appearance in the race. He lost by less than a head while riding the then-undefeated Forever Young. The horse took five months off before returning last month to win the Japan Dirt Classic with Sakai aboard. Now, they return to the U.S. as one of the top contenders in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Originally from Tokyo, Sakai has already established himself on the international racing scene. At 18, as an apprentice jockey, he traveled to South Australia and rode in the prestigious Caulfield Cup. In 2022, Sakai scored his first Group 1 win in Japan’s Shuka Sho Stakes on a horse named Stunning Rose. Aboard Forever Young, he’s also notched wins this year in the UAE Derby in Dubai and the Saudi Derby.
Walter Wlodarczyk/NYRA
Age: 52
Originally from: Puerto Rico
Breeders’ Cup victories: 20
Best finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic: Won in 2020 (Authentic)
His 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horse: Fierceness
John Velazquez shows no signs of slowing down. Now, 52, he’s still in the top 15 on the national jockey leaderboard and he has more than 6,650 career wins. Velazquez ranks second all-time in Breeders’ Cup earnings and is tied for second in victories (both records are held by Mike Smith). Velazquez is in search of another win in the Classic this year (he won the race for the first time four years ago) when he rides DraftKings Travers Stakes winner Fierceness. The colt is already in line to win honors as the top 3-year-old in the country and should move into contention for Horse of the Year honors with a big performance on Saturday.
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