Kentucky Derby Jockeys 2024: The Most Successful Jockeys In Derby 150

Kentucky Derby Jockeys 2024: The Most Successful Jockeys In Derby 150
Fact Checked by Jim Tomlin

Not everyone who bets on horse racing bets on the horse. For some, it all depends on who gets the mount. The jockey listed in the program can turn Kentucky sports betting handicappers toward – or against – a particular horse.

The Kentucky Derby serves as an all-star race of sorts for the nation’s top riders, as jocks from all across the country and world converge upon Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. This year’s race appears to be no exception. Based on BetKentucky’s current projections, 12 of the top 18 jockeys based on their North American purse winnings are expected to be part of the 150th running of the race on May 4.

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Most Successful Jockeys In Kentucky Derby 150

Rank, Jockey Expected Derby Mount Total 2024 $ Won 2024 Win % Derby Record Mounts (W-P-S)
1. Flavien Prat Catching Freedom $7,423,201 24% 6 (1-1-3)
2. Irad Oritz, Jr. Domestic Product $7,096,202 21% 7 (0-0-0)
3. Tyler Gaffalione Sierra Leone $6,675,549 15% 6 (0-0-0)
4. Jose Ortiz Catalytic $5,928,462 22% 8 (0-0-1)
5. Luis Saez Dornoch $4,856,935 16% 10 (0-0-1)
6. Keith J. Asmussen Just Steel $3,996,278 16% 0 (0-0-0)
7. Joel Rosario Track Phantom $3,908,299 20% 12 (1-1-0)
8. Brian J. Hernandez Jr. Mystik Dan $3,647,061 17% 4 (0-0-0)
9. John R. Velazquez Fierceness $3,488,460 16% 25 (3-2-0)
10. Lanfranco Dettori Society Man $3,438,053 19% 1 (0-0-0)
11. Antonio Fresu Stronghold $3,308,090 17% 0 (0-0-0)
12. Florent Geroux Just A Touch $3,244,604 24% 7 (1-0-1)

The list above was prepared for BetKentucky, where you’ll find the best Kentucky sports betting promo codes. The list is based on published reports and is subject to change. Up to 20 horses race in the Kentucky Derby, which uses a point system through a series of prep races to determine the field. If a horse is scratched after the post position draw this Saturday evening, another eligible horse can be entered up until 9 a.m. on May 3.

Six Wins Among Top Derby Jocks

Combined, these dozen jockeys have raced 86 times in the Kentucky Derby with six wins, five places and six shows. The wins by Flavien Prat (Country House, 2019) and Florent Geroux (Mandaloun, 2021) came after the initial winner was disqualified. That took a win away from Luis Saez on Maximum Security in 2019, whom stewards ruled interfered with another horse in the final turn of the race. John R. Velazquez was riding Medina Spirit in 2021, when that colt failed a post-race drug test. See our list of most famous Kentucky Derby winning horses in the run-up to Kentucky Derby 150.

Velazquez is the most experienced of the expected jockeys, having had 25 mounts. Even after the DQ in 2021, he still has won the race three times – most recently with Authentic in 2020 – tied for fourth-most all-time. The other rider with a Derby win to his credit is Joel Rosario, who crossed first with Orb in 2013.

Keith J. Asmussen, the son of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, and Antonio Fresu, who came to the States last year from Europe, are expected to make their Derby debuts this year. Lanfranco Dettori, a highly regarded jockey from Europe, is making his first Derby mount in 24 years and his second ever.

Check out our Kentucky Derby 2024 odds updates page.

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Futures Bettors Like Fierceness

We won’t know who the morning-line favorite is until the draw on Saturday night, and we won’t know the betting favorite, for certain, until a week later when the horses reach the starting gate. That said, we have a good indication of where the public may put its money, thanks to the futures pools Churchill Downs offered during the lead-up to this year’s race.

In the most recent futures pool, which ended on April 6, Fierceness came out as the 5-2 favorite, with a $2 wager paying $7.64. Sierra Leone was the second choice at 7-1 ($17.62), and Forever Young ($18.88), a Japanese horse and winner of the UAE Derby, came in third at 8-1. Ryusei Sakai, a prominent rider in Japan, is expected to get the mount.

BetKentucky.com is your source for in-depth analysis leading up to this year’s Kentucky Derby and for Kentucky sportsbook apps reviews. Be sure to watch for Derby week updates here and on X at @BetKYdotcom.

USA Today photo by Gregory Fisher

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Author

Steve Bittenbender

Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.

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