John R. Velazquez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids John R. Velazquez |
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Velazquez in 2016
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| Occupation | Jockey |
| Born | February 24, 1971 Carolina, Puerto Rico |
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Weight | 112 lb (51 kg; 8 st 0 lb) |
| Career wins | 6,621 in North America As of 28 July 2024[update] |
| Major racing wins | |
| American Classic wins:
Breeders' Cup wins:
International race wins:
Grade I stakes wins
Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (1995, 2005, 2008, 2014, 2016)
Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Handicap (1995, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2012) |
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| Racing awards | |
| United States Champion Jockey by earnings (2004, 2005) Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey (2004, 2005) George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award (2009) |
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| Honours | |
| National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (2012) | |
| Significant horses | |
| Authentic (racehorse), Da Hoss, Storm Flag Flying, Lemon Drop Kid, Ashado, Kitten's Joy, Flower Alley, Lawyer Ron, Roses in May, Bluegrass Cat, Circular Quay, Scat Daddy, Rags to Riches, Commentator, Indian Blessing, Uncle Mo, Animal Kingdom, Wise Dan, Curalina, Always Dreaming, | |
John R. Velazquez, born on November 24, 1971, is a famous jockey from Puerto Rico. He rides Thoroughbred horses in races. He started his career in Puerto Rico and then moved to New York in 1990.
John Velazquez has won many big races. He was the top jockey in North America by earnings in 2004 and 2005. He also won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in both those years. In 2012, he was added to the Horse Racing Hall of Fame. He rode his 5,000th winner in 2013. By 2014, he became the jockey who had earned the most money in the sport's history.
He has won fifteen Breeders' Cup races and six Triple Crown races. These include the Kentucky Derby three times (2011, 2017, and 2020). He has also won other important races like the Kentucky Oaks, Metropolitan Handicap, Whitney Handicap, Dubai World Cup, and Woodbine Mile.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
John Velazquez was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. He learned how to ride horses there. He even went to a special jockey school for about a year and a half. On January 3, 1990, he won his very first race. This happened on a horse named Rodas at the El Nuevo Comandante racetrack in Puerto Rico.
Later that same year, he moved to New York State. There, he got help and advice from a top jockey named Angel Cordero Jr.. John lived with Angel for a while. He said he learned English by watching the movie The Little Mermaid with Angel's daughter. Angel Cordero Jr. later became John's agent in 1998. John has often said that Angel was very important to his success.
John Velazquez is married to Leona O'Brien. Her father, Leo O'Brien, is also a horse trainer. John and Leona live in New York and have two children, a daughter named Lerina and a son named Michael Patrick. John is known for being calm and having "nerves-of-steel" when he rides. He also helps lead the Jockeys' Guild and is on the board of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.
Key Moments in Racing
Soon after moving to the United States in 1990, John Velazquez won his first important race, the Ticonderoga. The next year, he won his first graded stakes race, the Ohio Derby. In 1995, he won his first Grade I stakes race, which is a very high-level race. This was the Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont. In 1996, he won his first riding title at Aqueduct. He also rode his first champion horse, Yank's Music.
In 1998, John won the first of his five riding titles at Saratoga. That same year, he rode a horse named Da Hoss in the Breeders' Cup Mile. Da Hoss had not raced much in two years. But John guided him to a thrilling win by a small margin. This was John's first Breeders' Cup victory. On September 3, 2001, John set a Saratoga record by winning six races in one day.
In 2004, John Velazquez achieved his 3,000th win. This happened on July 29 at Saratoga. It was a special day because Saratoga was also celebrating "John Velazquez Bobblehead Doll Day." He was the top rider at Saratoga that year with 65 winners. He also won the Bill Shoemaker Award for being the best jockey at the Breeders' Cup. He won two Breeders' Cup races that year. John finished 2004 with 335 wins. He was the leading jockey by earnings in North America and won the 2004 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey.
In 2005, John Velazquez broke the national earnings record for jockeys. He won his second leading jockey title and his second Eclipse Award. He won 65 important races with 34 different horses. He won races at 15 different tracks in the U.S., Canada, and Dubai.
On April 20, 2006, John was injured in a fall during a race. He broke his shoulder blade and ribs. Doctors thought he would be out for five months. But he recovered quickly and was back for the Belmont Stakes in June. Later that year, he was added to the Puerto Rico Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
Triple Crown Success
Before the 2007 Belmont Stakes, John had not won any of the Triple Crown races. He got to ride a horse named Rags to Riches at the last minute. It was his first time riding her in a race. Rags to Riches stumbled at the start but John guided her well. She had a close race with another horse, Curlin, but John helped her win by a head. This was the first time a filly (female horse) won the Belmont Stakes since 1905. It was also the first Triple Crown win for his main trainer, Todd Pletcher.
In 2009, John Velazquez was given the Santa Anita George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. This award is given by other jockeys to recognize a rider's career and good character. By then, he had already won 24 riding titles at different racetracks.
On May 7, 2011, John Velazquez won his first Kentucky Derby. He rode a horse named Animal Kingdom. He was supposed to ride a different horse, but that horse had to drop out. So, John got to ride Animal Kingdom and won the big race. He rode Animal Kingdom again in the Preakness Stakes and finished second.
In the 2012 Belmont Stakes, John won his third Triple Crown race. He rode a horse named Union Rags to victory. Later that year, he won the Breeders' Cup Mile with Wise Dan. Wise Dan became a two-time Horse of the Year in 2012 and 2013, with John as his regular rider. Also in 2012, John was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
John reached several big milestones in 2013. On June 14, he won his 5,000th race. On July 27, he became Saratoga's all-time winningest rider with his 694th victory there. On October 13, he became the jockey who had earned the most money in North American racing history. His earnings reached over $297 million. His year ended suddenly in November when he fell during a race and had to have surgery.
John returned to racing in January 2014. Later that year, he became the first jockey whose career earnings went over $300 million.
John Velazquez won the 2017 Kentucky Derby riding Always Dreaming. At the 2017 Breeders' Cup, he won two more races. This brought his total Breeders' Cup wins to fifteen. This tied him for the second-most wins in Breeders' Cup history.
On November 30, 2018, John Velazquez earned his 6,000th win. On September 5, 2020, he won his third Kentucky Derby with Authentic. On May 1, 2021, he rode Medina Spirit to victory in the Kentucky Derby. However, Medina Spirit was later disqualified from the race because of a rule violation.
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