2012 Kentucky Derby Jockeys
Written by Jack Jones - Google +
There are many different factors to consider when deciding which horses to wager on for the 2012 Kentucky Derby. The one we are going to look at in this article is the jockey. I am going to go over each jockey in the field and list which horse they are riding, along with a brief history of their success.
The leading Kentucky Derby winning jockey is Eddie Arcaro with five victories. He won the Triple Crown with Whirlaway in 1941 and came back seven years later to capture the same feat with Citation. Bill Hartack has matched him with five Derby wins, and Bill Shoemaker is third with four. Here is a look at the jockeys that will be riding at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 5. Check out our 2012 Kentucky Derby Predictions to get a feel for which horses we believe will be running up front come race’s end.
Mike Smith (Bodemeister)
Smith is a son of a jockey and rode his first race at age 11. He regularly rode Azeri, the 2002 Horse of the Year. Smith was also the rider of 2010 Horse of the Year winner Zenyatta. He rode Giacomo to a victory in the 2005 Kentucky Derby as well.
Julien Leparoux (Union Rags)
Took down the 2005 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey and also won the same award in 2009 for Outstanding Jockey. He has four mounts in the Kentucky Derby to his credit, with a fifth-place finish his best in 2006 aboard Sedgefield. Last year, Leparoux was on top of Dialed In, the odds on favorite, but ended up finishing the race in eighth-place.
Javier Castellano (Gemologist)
In 1997, Castellano began riding in the United States and would go on to win at Calder that same year. While he is still in search of his first Kentucky Derby win, he does have a couple impressive wins under his belt. Castellano won the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Classic on top of Ghostzapper and in 2006 he rode Bernardini to a win at the Preakness Stakes.
Kent Desormeaux (Dullahan)
One of the more well-known and respected jockeys in the field. Desormeaux is a three-time winner at the Kentucky Derby (Real Quiet – 1998, Fusaichi Pegasus – 2000 and Big Brown – 2008). He is also a three-time winner of the Eclipse Award and was inducted into horse racing’s Hall of Fame in 2004. Desormeaux last showing at the Kentucky Derby was in 2010, where he rode Paddy O’Prado to a third-place finish.
Alan Garcia (Alpha)
Horse racing runs in the family as Garcia’s father and grandfather both rode professionally in Peru. Garcia came over to the U.S. and had quick success, winning the Belmont Stakes aboard Da’Rara in 2008 while spoiling Big Brown’s run at a Triple Crown in the process. His Kentucky Derby debut came in 2009 aboard Regal Ranson with an eighth place finish. He followed that up with an eighth-place finish on Stately Victor in 2010 and an eleventh-place finish on Soldat last year.
Joel Rosario (Creative Cause)
Finished fourth aboard Make Music for Me in his first appearance at the Kentucky Derby in 2010. He followed that up by riding a longshot in Brilliant Speed to an impressive seventh-place finish in 2011. Rosario won his first graded stakes race in 2008 in the San Pasqual (GII) and his first Breeders’ Cup race in 2009.
Ramon Dominguez (Hansen)
Dominguez is definitely a jockey worth keeping an eye on. He won the Eclipse Award for most outstanding jockey each of the last two years. He has two Breeders Cup wins to his name, including the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile aboard Hansen, the same horse he will riding in the Kentucky Derby.
Garrett Gomez (Daddy Nose Best)
The back-to-back winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 2007 and 2008, Gomez is one of the best in the business. He has won ten Breeders’ Cup races and has taken down the Shoemaker Award four times since 2005 for top performance by a jockey at the Breeders’ Cup. Gomez has made ten appearances in the Derby, with his best finish a second-place in 2009 aboard Pioneer of the Nile.
Mario Gutierrez (I’ll Have Another)
Known as “Marvelous Mario” for his time spent riding at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, Canada. Gutierrez has since taken his talents to Southern California. This will be his first time riding in the Kentucky Derby. 41 jockeys have won the Kentucky Derby in their first attempt.
Rafael Bejarano (El Padrino)
A native of Peru, Bejarano came over to the U.S. in 2002 and won his first race in July of that same year. He won riding titles at every track in Kentucky, and then decided to head to the Southern California circuit. He has since won riding titles at all the major tracks in California.
Calvin Borel (Take Charge Indy)
One of the most famous jockeys in this field, Borel captured the hearts of millions of Americans when he won his first career Kentucky Derby in 2007 on Street Sense. He came back in 2009 with a shocking win on Mine That Bird at the Derby. Borel went on to win his third Derby in four years in 2010 on Super Saver. He will be looking to get back on track after a disappointing tenth-place finish aboard Twice the Appeal at the Kentucky Derby last year. His nickname is “Bo-Rail” due to his daring rides along the inside fence.
John Velazquez (Went The Day Well)
An experienced Kentucky Derby rider, who finally captured his first win at this historic event in 2011 on top Animal Kingdom. Velazquez has made 12 starts at the Derby. Prior to his win last year, his best showing was a second place finish on top Invisible ink back in 2001.
Jon Court (Optimizer)
Court has over 3,000 career victories and won riding titles at Oaklawn Park, Hoosier Park and Ellis Park. His biggest major stakes wins came at Citation Handicap (G1) and also the Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap riding on Leroidesanimaux. In 2011, he was aboard Archarcharch and won the $1,000,000 Arkansas Derby.
Colm O’Donoghue (Daddy Long Legs)
O’Donoghue is a bit of a unknown, as he spends most of his time riding overseas. He will have a chance to make history aboard Daddy Long Legs this Saturday, as no European-trained horse has ever won the Kentucky Derby.
Corey Nakatani (Sabercat)
Nakatani had a lot of success riding Comma to the Top who was victorious in the $750,000 Cash Call Futurity (G1), Generous Stakes, and Real Quiet Stakes at Hollywood Park. Nakatani has had success in the Kentucky Oaks riding Lite Light in 1991 and Pike Place Dancer in 1996. His best showing at the Kentucky Derby came in 2011, where he rode Nehro to a second-place finish.
Martin Garcia (Liaison)
At the age of 14, Garcia began riding show jumping horses and would later find himself galloping horses at Pleasanton Racetrack in California. He has since made a name for himself as a jockey. He came out of nowhere to win the 2010 Preakness Stakes aboard Looking at Lucky and later won the 2011 Kentucky Oaks on top Plum Pretty. He is the jockey of choice for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.
Jose Lezcano (Rousing Sermon)
A graduate of Laffit Pincay Jockey School in his native country of Panama before coming to the US back in 2003. Lezcano is considered to be one of the top jockeys in the nation. He is the regular rider of Champion filly Royal Delta and Grade 1 winner To Honor and Serve. His best showing at the Kentucky Derby came back in 2010, where he rode Ice Box to a second-place finish.
Willie Martinez (Trinniberg)
Martinez has been around the jockey business for some time. He won his first start as a jockey back in 1989 at Tampa Bay Downs.
Sheldon Russell (Done Talking)
Russell is a jockey by blood. His father was an international jockey, so you know he knows his way around the track. He graduated from racing school in England and is currently a native of Louisiana. He won all three leading jockey titles in Maryland last year.
Luis Contreras (Prospective)
Contreras began riding in his native home of Mexico at the age of 16. He won his first US race back in 2007 and has since won the riding title at Sunland Park and most recently was the leading rider at Woodbine. Contreras really made a name for himself at Woodbine. There he tied a record for most wins in a single day (6) and set a record for earnings with over $11 million.
Jockey TBA (My Adonis)
Got something to say?
