Meet the Jockeys of the 2019 Preakness Stakes

Capsule looks at the jockeys expected to compete in the 2019 Preakness Stakes (G1) May 18 at Pimlico Race Course.

Mike Smith, Improbable

Age: 53

Originally from: New Mexico

Previous rides in Preakness: 17

Best finish: Won in 1993 (Prairie Bayou) and 2018 (Justify )

Not even the fog could stop Mike Smith and Justify, as NBC Sports announcer Larry Collmus famously shouted when Smith guided the eventual Triple Crown winner to victory last May at Pimlico. The Hall of Fame rider had previously won the Preakness in 1993 aboard Prairie Bayou. In the years between that victory and last year's score aboard Justify, Smith had several near misses finishing in the top three in the second leg of the Triple Crown aboard Proud Citizen (2002), Kentucky Derby (G1) winners Giacomo (2005) and Mine That Bird (2009), Jackson Bend (2010), Astrology  (2011), and Bodemeister  (2012). With the Preakness absence of this year's top three Kentucky Derby finishers, Smith just might find himself on the favorite, Improbable, who finished fourth in this year's Derby at Churchill Downs.



Tyler Gaffalione, War of Will

Age: 24

Originally from: Florida

Previous rides in Preakness: 0

Best finish: N/A

As was the situation heading into the Kentucky Derby, Gaffalione will again be one of the youngest riders in the Preakness field. This will be his first Preakness start and he just might be on the favorite or second choice for this race when he gets aboard War of Will for trainer Mark Casse and owner Gary Barber. An Eclipse Award-winning jockey as outstanding apprentice in 2015, Gaffalione received praise for his ride in the Kentucky Derby when he avoided major contact between his horse and Maximum Security who, as most know by now, crossed the finish line first at Churchill but was disqualified for interference.

Julian Pimentel, Win Win Win

Age: 38

Originally from: Colombia

Previous rides in Preakness: 2

Best finish: 8th in 2014 (Kid Cruz)

Pimentel should feel a lot more comfortable with his surroundings on May 18 than he might've been when guiding Win Win Win to a 9th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. That's because Pimentel is based in Maryland, where he rides regularly for Win Win Win's trainer Michael Trombetta. Although he hadn't before ridden in a Kentucky Derby, Pimentel has two prior Preakness mounts to his name. Win Win Win is expected to go off at shorter odds and is considered a more viable win contender than either of Pimentel's prior Preakness mounts.

John Velazquez, Bodexpress

Age: 47

Originally from: Puerto Rico

Previous rides in Preakness: 8

Best finish: 2nd in 2013 (Itsmyluckyday ) and in 2011 (Animal Kingdom )

After coming to the mainland U.S. from Puerto Rico in 1990, Velazquez ascended to the top of the jockey ranks and earned the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey in 2004 and 2005. He has maintained his status as an elite rider and has two Kentucky Derby victories and a pair of Belmont Stakes (G1) wins to his credit but a Preakness win remains elusive, with two runner-up finishes his best results from eight tries. This year he'll be aboard longshot Bodexpress, who will attempt to become the first maiden (horse who has never won a race) to win the Preakness since 1888.

Jose Ortiz, Anothertwistafate

Age: 25

Originally from: Puerto Rico

Previous rides in Preakness: 2

Best finish: 4th in 2018 (Good Magic )

After finishing third in the Kentucky Derby aboard Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2) and Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner Tacitus (not running in the Preakness), Ortiz picks up the ride on a horse who just missed the cut for the Derby, Anothertwistafate. Ortiz rode Good Magic, who was one of the favorites in last year's Preakness. Good Magic pressured eventual winner Justify early and then was passed by several horses late. If he can add a Preakness score to his resume, Ortiz can add it to a list of accomplishments including an Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey in North America, as well as multiple victories in Breeders' Cup races and a Belmont Stakes win in 2017 on Tapwrit .

Daniel Centeno, Alwaysmining

Age: 37

Originally from: Venezuela

Previous rides in Preakness: 0

Best finish: N/A

For a jockey who has experienced periods of dominance while riding in the Mid-Atlantic and at Tampa Bay Downs (where he's won the riding championship on a half-dozen occasions), Centeno will be making just his first Preakness start. He couldn't have hoped for a more viable contender as he'll pilot the "buzz horse" for the Preakness in Alwaysmining. The Maryland-bred horse has won six straight races, including five stakes, in blowout fashion. It's been 36 years (Deputed Testamony, 1983) since a horse bred in Maryland has won the Preakness. Centeno will be looking for his seventh graded stakes win—he's won more than 2,800 races in his career.

Ricardo Santana Jr., Laughing Fox

Age: 26

Originally from: Panama

Previous rides in Preakness: 1

Best finish: Third in 2018 (Tenfold)

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. Santana has only been in the Preakness once but he made the most of the opportunity when he nearly derailed Justify's Triple Crown bid last year. Riding Tenfold in the 2018 Preakness, Santana finished a fast-closing third, just a half-length behind Justify. Santana comes to Maryland off an eighth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby aboard longshot Plus Que Parfait and he won three grade 1 races on Derby weekend at Churchill. He'll ride another longshot in the Preakness named Laughing Fox. The Arkansas-based horse might be overlooked May 18 but don't lose sight of the fact that he was barely beaten for third place in the Arkansas Derby (G1) by a horse named Country House.

Brian Hernandez Jr., Signalman

Age: 33

Originally from: Louisiana

Previous rides in Preakness: 1

Best finish: Sixth in 2013 (Departed)

An Eclipse Award winner for being the top apprentice jockey in 2004, Hernandez has been a leading rider across Louisiana and Kentucky in recent years. In 2012, he captured the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) aboard Fort Larned  and he's added to his resume since with dozens of graded stakes victories to go along with more than 1,900 career wins to date. This will only be his second try in the Preakness. He rode a horse named Departed in 2013 and finished sixth. This year, he comes in with Signalman who enters off a third-place finish in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2).

Irad Ortiz Jr., Bourbon War

Age: 26

Originally from: Puerto Rico

Previous rides in Preakness: 1

Best finish: Fifth in 2018 (Lone Sailor)

Like his brother Jose, Irad is originally from Trujillo Alto in Puerto Rico, and has been on the fast track to stardom since he began his riding career in New York in 2011. Most recently, he won an Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey in North America in 2018. He has recorded five wins in Breeders' Cup and won the Belmont Stakes in 2016 aboard Creator. His ride on Bourbon War will be his second in a Preakness—he finished fifth last year on Lone Sailor. Bourbon War's accomplishments this year include a runner-up finish in the Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and a fourth-place finish in the Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1) behind the likes of Maximum Security and Code of Honor (second in the Derby).

Florent Geroux, Owendale

Age: 32

Originally from: France

Previous rides in Preakness: 3

Best finish: Sixth in 2016 (Laoban )

The French-born Geroux has emerged as one of the top riders in the United States and has ridden multiple champion runners including superstar filly Monomoy Girl and 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner . Geroux has more than 1,400 career wins, highlighted by five Breeders' Cup wins (including the 2017 Classic with Gun Runner) and the 2018 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) (Gun Runner). However, Geroux has yet to taste success in the Preakness. His best finish in three attempts in the race was a distant sixth in 2016 aboard Laoban. This year, Geroux comes into Maryland with Owendale, who won his most recent race, the Stonestreet Lexington Stakes at Keeneland. Although the competition of that race was not considered comparable to what he'll face in the Preakness, he did beat at least one returning challenger in the race in Anothertwistafate.

Javier Castellano, Warrior's Charge

Age: 41

Originally from: Venezuela

Previous rides in Preakness: 7

Best finish: Won in 2006 (Bernardini ) and 2017 (Cloud Computing )

Aside from Mike Smith, Castellano is the only other jockey in this year's race with two wins in the Preakness. Making Castellano's accomplishment all the more impressive is that he's only ridden in the Preakness seven times (compared with 17 Preakness rides for Smith) and the horses he's won aboard (Bernardini and Cloud Computing) were both longshots around odds of 13-to-1. Castellano has many good riding years ahead of him but he's already a Hall of Famer with more than 5,000 wins, including 10 Breeders' Cup victories.

Editor's note: At  the time these capsules were compiled, a jockey had not yet been named for Preakness contender Market King.

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