Jose Lezcano facts for kids

Jose Lezcano (born April 20, 1985) is a professional jockey from Panama. He rides Thoroughbred horses in races across the United States. Jose often races in New York during the spring, summer, and fall. In the winter, he moves to Florida for races there. He became very well-known in 2008 after winning a big race called the Breeders' Cup.

Jose Lezcano's Racing Career

Jose Lezcano learned to ride at the Laffit Pincay Jockey School in his home country of Panama. He moved to the U.S. in January 2003 to start his racing career. His very first win happened in March 2004 at Gulfstream Park, riding a horse named Cloudy Gray. In 2005, he raced at Monmouth Park and finished fifth among all jockeys there.

First Breeders' Cup Win

In 2008, Jose Lezcano had a huge moment. He won the first-ever Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf race. He was riding a horse named Maram. This was special because it was Jose's first time riding in a Breeders' Cup race, and he won! It was also the first Breeders' Cup win for the horse's trainer, Chad Brown, and its owners.

Top Races and Horses

Jose has ridden many famous horses in important races. In 2009, he rode horses like Eaton's Gift, Not for Silver, and Buddy's Humor in various graded stakes races. These are some of the most competitive races in horse racing.

Becoming a Leading Jockey

The year 2008 was a breakthrough for Jose. He became the top rider at Monmouth Park Racetrack, winning 141 races. He then continued his success by winning the fall season at the Meadowlands Racetrack. This great performance carried over into 2009, where he also became the leading jockey at Gulfstream Park with 71 wins.

On June 22, 2008, Jose Lezcano tied a record at Monmouth Park. He won six races in one day, which is a very impressive achievement! One of those wins was with Coli Bear in the Blue Sparkler Stakes.

Kentucky Derby Races

Jose has also competed in the famous Kentucky Derby, which is part of the Triple Crown series.

• In 2006, he rode Deputy Glitters and finished eighth.
• In 2008, he was 12th with Visionaire.
• His best finish in the Kentucky Derby was in 2010, when he came in second place riding Ice Box.

More Championship Titles

In 2006, Jose won the riding title at The Meadowlands. He then went on to win the riding title at Tampa Bay Downs in Florida. In the same season, he also won the G3 Tampa Bay Derby with Deputy Glitters.

Winning with Wise Dan

One of Jose's most notable wins was in 2013. He rode the famous horse Wise Dan to victory in the Breeders' Cup Mile. This was a last-minute change, as Wise Dan's regular jockey was injured. Jose stepped in and helped Wise Dan win this major race.

Jose Lezcano's Earnings Over the Years

Jose Lezcano has consistently been one of the top jockeys in terms of earnings. The table below shows his rank among jockeys in the United States based on how much money the horses he rode earned.