Milestones Push Birzer, Mojica to Jockeys of the Week

Veteran riders Alex Birzer and Orlando Mojica each earned career milestones with Alex Birzer celebrating his 4,000th Thoroughbred victory at Delta Downs Racetrack and Orlando Mojica achieving his 3,000th Thoroughbred career win at Turf Paradise. The panel of racing experts voted the pair Jockeys of the Week for Dec. 29-Jan. 4.

The weekly honor recognizes jockeys for significant riding accomplishments and who are members of the Jockeys' Guild. Founded in 1940, the Guild represents more than 1,050 active, retired, and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

Birzer, 52, reached 4,000 Thoroughbred wins in North America Jan. 2 in the fifth race aboard Big Duck for his wife, trainer Bonnie Birzer. Birzer has an additional 51 Quarter Horse wins.

Birzer had just resumed riding after a starting gate injury June 30, 2025, at Prairie Meadows. He sustained significant injuries breaking both the tibia and fibula above one of his ankles and had surgery July 1 and July 5. He was just two wins shy of the record when he was injured.

"Some of the horsemen I've rode for I've been so blessed to be around," Birzer said when he was approaching the significant milestone. "And some of the riders that I've rode with, you learn so much from those guys. Now, I'm in a spot where I can teach a younger generation and when they're going on and they're riding and they're doing things right, man it just makes you feel good."

The well-respected Birzer, a native of Council Grove, Kan., won his first race June 24, 1992, at River Downs and has numerous riding titles throughout the Midwest including Prairie Meadows, The Woodlands, and at Nebraska tracks. He won his 3,000th race at Oaklawn Park Feb. 26, 2017, and currently rides primarily between Delta Downs, Prairie Meadows, and Will Rogers Downs. Birzer was inducted into the Prairie Meadows Hall of Fame in 2019.

Journeyman jockey Orlando Mojica, 43, recorded his 3,000th North American Thoroughbred win in the fourth race Dec. 30 at Turf Paradise for owner Charles Garvey. He also has nine Quarter Horse wins.

Mojica is a native of Puerto Rico who moved stateside in 2000 to ride on the East Coast. He rode his first winner at Garden State May 6, 2000. A multiple graded stakes winner, Mojica recorded his 2,000th career win at Canterbury Park July 10, 2016.

Mojica currently rides between Hawthorne Race Course, Horseshoe Indianapolis, and Turf Paradise. He comes from a racing family as his father Rafael Mojica Sr. was a jockey and his older brother Rafael Mojica Jr. is currently riding at Turfway Park.

Other nominees for Jockey of the week included Javier Castellano who won the Smarty Jones Stakes with Strategic Risk ; Mirco Demuro, who won the Joe Hernandez Stakes (G2T) with Gas Me Up ; Flavien Prat, who won the most races for the week with 12 including a stakes win at Santa Anita Park; and Joel Rosario who won three stakes races at Oaklawn Park.