3 Hall of Fame Jockeys Derby-bound; Leading Riders Taking A Pass
By Richard Rosenblatt
It’s time to jockey around with some of the jockeys who are and aren’t showing up for the 2020 Kentucky Derby, set for Sept. 5 – four months later than its traditional first Saturday in May due to the coronavirus pandemic.
While three Hall of Fame riders will be in the field, five of the top eight leading money-earners will not – for reasons mostly pertaining to riding commitments at other tracks and COVID-19 safety protocols.
Mike Smith and Honor A.P. – Photo Courtesy of
©Benoit Photo
Let’s look, Hall of Famers first: Mike Smith, a two-time Derby winner, will be aboard Honor A.P., one of the top horses in the field; John Velazquez gets the call on Authentic; and Javier Castellano rides Caracaro. All three rode in the 2019 Derby.
Smith is 2-for-25, winning aboard Giacomo in 2005 and Justify in 2018. Velazquez is 2-for-21, winning aboard Animal Kingdom in 2011 and Always Dreaming in 2017. Castellano is 0-for-13, his best finish third aboard Audible in 2018.
As for the leading money earners in 2020 — No. 1 Irad Ortiz, Jr., No. 2 Joel Rosario, No. 4 Luis Saez, No. 6 Flavien Prat, and No. 8 Jose Ortiz — none will have a Derby mount.
A year ago, Saez finished first aboard Maximum Security but the horse was disqualified for interference and Country House – with Prat riding – was declared the winner, giving Prat his first Derby victory and denying Saez of his.
Neither of the Ortiz brothers has won the Derby, and Rosario picked up his Derby win in 2013 with Orb.
A look at some jockey records in play:
A win by Smith aboard Honor A.P. would make him – at 55 – the oldest jockey to win the Derby (Bill Shoemaker was 54 when he won with Ferdinand in 1986).
Smith will be riding in his 26th Derby (he’s 25-2-4-1), equaling the record held by Bill Shoemaker (26-4-3-4).
There have been numerous winning jockeys who were making their Derby debut, the most recent being Mario Gutierrez aboard I’ll Have Another in 2012. First-time Derby riders in next Saturday’s race include Samy Camacho (King Guillermo), Adam Beschizza (Enforceable) and Luca Panici (Sole Volante).
Source: Kentucky Derby Media Guide
Over the years while working at The Associated Press, Rich Rosenblatt became a familiar name to legions of the horse racing fans and industry insiders with his award-winning articles on horse racing and his stories from the backstretch.
In addition to being an astute observer of sports, Rosenblatt is the co-author of The All-American Chili Cookbook. His work has been seen in just about every publication in the world, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and Time Magazine.