Meet the Jockeys of the 2019 Kentucky Derby

Profiles of 18 of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) jockeys, compiled by Dan Tordjman for America's Best Racing.

Get to know the 2019 Kentucky Derby jockeys below, in order of their mounts' Derby qualifying points.

Jose Ortiz

Age: 25

Originally from: Puerto Rico

Previous rides in the Derby: 4

Best finish: Second in 2018 (Good Magic )

His 2019 Derby horse: Tacitus

After launching his career at racetracks in New York alongside his brother Irad Ortiz, Jr. (who will ride Improbable in the Kentucky Derby), Jose quickly rose to prominence as one of the best jockeys in America.

In 2017, he received the Eclipse Award for being the top jockey in North America. Jose rode in his first Kentucky Derby in 2014 aboard Samraat (fifth place) and then finished second in 2018 aboard Good Magic.

Mike Smith

Age: 53

Originally from: New Mexico

Previous rides in the Derby: 24

Best finish: Won in 2005 (Giacomo) and 2018 (Justify )

His 2019 Derby horse: Omaha Beach

He's known as "Big Money" Mike Smith for a reason. The legendary Smith comes into 2019 after an epic ride to Triple Crown glory with Justify last year. This will be Smith's 25th Kentucky Derby and he is scheduled to ride the expected favorite, Omaha Beach, who comes to Louisville off of wins in the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby. 

Javier Castellano

Age: 41

Originally from: Venezuela

Previous rides in the Derby: 12

Best finish: Third in 2018 (Audible)

His 2019 Derby horse: Vekoma

Castellano has consistently been one of the top riders in North America over the past decade. In 2017, he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame. That honor came on the heels of four consecutive Eclipse Awards for being the nation's top jockey. While he's won just about every major race in America, the Kentucky Derby has remained an elusive prize. In a dozen career Derby rides, Castellano has only once finished in the top three. 

Ricardo Santana Jr.

Age: 26

Originally from: Panama

Previous rides in the Derby: 4

Best finish: 12th in 2017 (Untrapped)

His 2019 Derby horse: Plus Que Parfait

Like Hall of Famers Laffit Pincay Jr. and Braulio Baeza, Ricardo Santana is a native of Panama. Santana came to the United States to ride in 2009 at the age of 16. For the past five years, he's served as the go-to jockey for Steve Asmussen, one of the leading trainers in America. Santana has won numerous racing titles. He's yet to crack the top 10 in a Kentucky Derby and Santana will be riding a longshot in this year's race. 

Florent Geroux

Age: 32

Originally from: France

Previous rides in the Derby: 3

Best finish: Third in 2016 (Gun Runner )

His 2019 Derby horse: Roadster

Geroux has emerged as one of the top riders in the United States since 2016 and has been aboard multiple champion runners including superstar filly Monomoy Girl and 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner. It was aboard Gun Runner, riding in his first-ever Kentucky Derby in 2016, that Geroux ran a strong third. This year, he gets the call to ride Roadster, the Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner who's expected to go off as one of the favorites May 4. 

Gabriel Saez

Age: 31

Originally from: Panama

Previous rides in the Derby: 2

Best finish: Second in 2008 (Eight Belles)

His 2019 Derby horse: By My Standards

A native of Panama City, Panama, Gabriel Saez graduated from the Laffit Pincay Jr. academy in that country and began riding in Panama before moving to the U.S. in the late 2000s. It has been a decade since the last time Saez has had the opportunity to ride in the Kentucky Derby.

Luis Saez

Age: 26

Originally from: Panama

Previous rides in the Derby: 6

Best finish: Seventh in 2016 (Brody's Cause )

His 2019 Derby horse: Maximum Security

At just 26 years of age Luis Saez has already surpassed the 2,000 win mark. He has won multiple riding titles at Gulfstream Park in Florida and has consistently ranked among the top riders at racetracks from Kentucky to New York. For the second year in a row, Saez gets the ride on one of the more highly regarded contenders in the Kentucky Derby; he'll be aboard Florida Derby winner Maximum Security. 

Joel Rosario

Age: 34

Originally from: Dominican Republic

Previous rides in the Derby: 8

Best finish: Won in 2013 (Orb )

His 2019 Derby horse: Game Winner

Rosario grew up on a farm outside of Santo Domingo and decided to be a jockey after attending the races when he was 13. After six months in jockey school, he turned pro at the age of 14. He has been a dominant force from the start of his career riding in the U.S. on the West Coast to his most recent stints in New York, Florida, and Kentucky. At 29 years old, riding in just his fourth Derby, Rosario won aboard Orb in 2013. That same year, he won the world's richest race (Dubai World Cup Presented by Emirates Airline [G1]) with 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom  and the following year he won the Belmont Stakes (G1) aboard Tonalist . 

John Velazquez

Age: 47

Originally from: Puerto Rico

Previous rides in the Derby: 20

Best finish: Won in 2011 (Animal Kingdom) and 2017 (Always Dreaming )

His 2019 Derby horse: Code of Honor

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012, Velazquez is already established as one of the greatest jockeys ever. With more than 6,000 wins, he currently ranks fourth among all active riders and 17th in wins all-time. He will be looking to score his third career Derby win this year. "Johnny V." has captured the garland of roses twice before.

Rajiv Maragh

Age: 33

Originally from: Jamaica

Previous rides in the Derby: 5

Best finish: Third in 2011 (Mucho Macho Man )

His 2019 Derby horse: Haikal

Maragh grew up in a racing family. His father, Collin, was a jockey in his native Jamaica and is now a trainer in South Florida, and his brother, Shamir, began his career as a jockey in 2010. A four-time Breeders' Cup race winner, Maragh has had success mainly riding on the New York circuit for more than a decade. After an uneventful ninth-place finish in his first Kentucky Derby in 2010, he returned the next year and finished third with eventual Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Mucho Macho Man. This year, Maragh returns to Kentucky with under-the-radar contender Haikal.

Irad Ortiz Jr.

Age: 26

Originally from: Puerto Rico

Previous rides in the Derby: 3

Best finish: Seventh in 2018 (Hofburg)

His 2019 Derby horse: Improbable

Like his brother Jose, it's been a rapid rise to stardom for Irad Ortiz Jr. Originally from Trujillo Alto in Puerto Rico, Ortiz is a graduate of that country's Escuela Vocacional Hípica, a school for prospective jockeys. Irad has won a number of racing honors including the Shoemaker Award, an ESPY for being the best jockey in America and, most recently, an Eclipse Award as last year's outstanding rider in North America. In this year's Kentucky Derby, he'll ride one of his best prospects to date: Irad has the call on Rebel Stakes (G2) and Arkansas Derby (G1) runner-up Improbable for trainer Bob Baffert. 

Tyler Gaffalione

Age: 24

Originally from: Florida

Previous rides in the Derby: 1

Best finish: 14th in 2017 (Patch)

His 2019 Derby horse: War of Will

The co-youngest rider in this year's Kentucky Derby, Gaffalione will be making just his second career start in America's greatest race. While making his Derby debut in 2017, Gaffalione rode fan favorite Patch. Gaffalione has experienced success in racing right from the start, having received the 2015 Eclipse Award trophy as the country's leading apprentice (rookie) rider in a ceremony at at Gulfstream Park, where he earned his first riding title. His Derby hopes this year hinge on a bounce-back effort from War of Will.

Jon Court

Age: 58

Originally from: Florida

Previous rides in the Derby: 3

Best finish: Eighth in 2013 (Will Take Charge )

His 2019 Derby horse: Long Range Toddy

Court owns the distinction of not only being the oldest rider in this year's Kentucky Derby but of also being the oldest jockey to ever ride in the Kentucky Derby. Since winning his first race at the now-defunct Centennial Park in Colorado in 1980, Court has been a dominant rider in the Midwest and has competed successfully at major tracks across the country. He spends his winters at Oaklawn Park, where last month he masterfully guided Long Range Toddy to a perfect ground-saving run to win a division of the Rebel Stakes. 

Junior Alvarado

Age: 32

Originally from: Venezuela

Previous rides in the Derby: 2

Best finish: Fourth in 2016 (Mohaymen )

His 2019 Derby horse: Tax

A native of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Junior Alvarado started riding in America in South Florida in 2007. He thought about returning to his native Venezuela but decided to move his tack to Chicago. It turned out to be a great decision because he went on to dominate the circuit there before shifting to New York in 2010, where he's been one of the most consistent riders ever since. His first big Kentucky Derby opportunity came with Mohaymen who finished a solid fourth in 2016.

Julian Pimentel

Age: 38

Originally from: Colombia

Previous rides in the Derby: 0

His 2019 Derby horse: Win Win Win

He isn't the youngest rider in this year's Kentucky Derby but this will be the first Derby ride for Julian Pimentel. Based in Maryland, Pimentel famously rode fan favorite Ben's Cat for several years. Pimentel was aboard Win Win Win for his breakthrough win in the Pasco Stakes this year. After losing the mount to Irad Ortiz Jr., Pimental regained the ride—and his first opportunity to ride in the Kentucky Derby—when Ortiz was named to ride Improbable.

Flavien Prat

Age: 26

Originally from: France

Previous rides in the Derby: 2

Best finish: Third in 2017 (Battle of Midway)

His Derby horse: Country House

Known mostly for his prowess as a successful turf rider based in California, the French-born Prat has had his share of success across the spectrum of big racing events in America over the past few years. Prat won the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in 2016 and the Las Vegas Dirt Mile in 2017. The latter was aboard Battle of Midway whom Prat guided to a third-place finish in the 2017 Kentucky Derby. He'll look to notch his first-ever win in the big race with the late-running Country House.

Manny Franco

Age: 24

Originally from: Puerto Rico

Previous rides in the Derby: 1

Best finish: 17th in 2015 (Tencendur)

His 2019 Derby horse: Spinoff

Along with Gaffalione, Franco is the only other jockey in this year's Kentucky Derby who's under the age of 25. Like Gaffalione, he too has had only one previous Derby mount and it was an uneventful 17th-place finish aboard longshot Tencendur in 2015. 

Julien Leparoux

Age: 35

Originally from: France

Previous rides in the Derby: 10

Best finish: Fourth in 2017 (Classic Empire )

His 2019 Derby horse: Master Fencer

Leparoux has risen to prominence since beginning his riding career in 2005. He won the Eclipse Award as the outstanding apprentice rider of 2006, when he led the nation with 403 victories, and earned a second Eclipse in 2009 as the outstanding jockey. Over the past 12 years, Leparoux has failed to secure a Derby mount just twice. His best finish came in his most recent Kentucky Derby aboard fourth-place finisher Classic Empire. His horse this year, Master Fencer, is based in Japan and has never competed in the United States. 

Editor's note: At the time this was first published by America's Best Racing, the jockeys for two horses, Gray Magician and Cutting Humor, have not yet been announced.