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The excitement is building as we approach the 2024 Belmont Stakes, one of the most prestigious events in the horse racing calendar. As fans eagerly await the thunderous gallop of hooves and the exhilarating competition, keeping an eye on the jockeys steering these magnificent horses to victory is crucial.

Their skill, strategy, and sheer determination make them standout contenders, promising thrilling races and unforgettable moments. Whether you’re a seasoned racing enthusiast or a curious newcomer, these jockeys will make the 2024 Belmont Stakes an event to remember.

Below, we’ll examine the top five jockeys for this year’s Belmont Stakes.

Jaime Torres

Jaime Torres quickly makes a name for himself in horse racing. Known for his sharp instincts and impeccable riding skills, Torres has demonstrated expertise that often outshines his peers. His journey to becoming a top jockey is a testament to his dedication, discipline, and relentless pursuit of perfection.

Torres’ career began at a young age, inspired by his family’s deep-rooted passion for horse racing. Over the years, he honed his skills by rigorous training and studying the techniques of successful jockeys who came before him. His hard work paid off as he began to secure wins at prestigious races, earning him a reputation as a formidable competitor.

One of the most anticipated events next year is the Belmont Stakes, where many are already considering 2024 Belmont bets, with Jaime Torres as a top contender. His recent performances suggest that he is more than capable of clinching the title.

Fans and analysts alike are eager to see how he will fare in this high-stakes race. With his growing list of accolades, Jaime Torres is undoubtedly a jockey to watch out for in the upcoming racing seasons.

Brian Hernandez Jr.

Louisiana native Brian Hernandez Jr. earned the 2004 Eclipse Award as an outstanding apprentice jockey and achieved national recognition by guiding Fort Larned to victory in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Throughout the years, Hernandez has developed a robust collaboration with trainer Kenny McPeek. In an unforgettable weekend in 2024, they triumphed in both the Longines Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve at Churchill Downs.

Earlier that year, the duo had clinched victories at Oaklawn Park, securing the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes with Thorpedo Anna and the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes with Mystik Dan. On May 3, Hernandez secured a notable victory with Thorpedo Anna in the $1.5 million Longines Kentucky Oaks, where their pacesetting run culminated in a commanding win under a sloppy track.

The following day, Hernandez delivered another standout performance in the Kentucky Derby, guiding Mystik Dan through a tight gap along the rail to outlast competitors and capture the prestigious title.

Tyler Gaffalione

Tyler Gaffalione, an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey, has ascended in the sport over recent years, establishing himself as one of the top jockeys. He has earned prestigious accolades, including the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, and has consistently won over 200 races in his initial four seasons.

Gaffalione is frequently amongst the top riders in the lead-up to the Kentucky Derby. Throughout his career, he has participated in over 8,500 races, securing more than 1,500 victories, and his total purse earnings have surpassed $71.5 million.

Gaffalione made his racing debut on September 5, 2014, but it didn’t go as planned—he broke last and finished last. Two days later, he secured his first victory in his third career race, riding Holdin Bullets to a win by half a length at Gulfstream.

Despite his rocky start, he found his stride quickly, ending 2014 with 28 wins. Gaffalione’s brilliance was evident by 2015; he had accumulated 217 victories, including five in a single day at Gulfstream, and had won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey.

John Velazquez

John Velazquez, one of the most accomplished and respected jockeys, has won 6,562 career races through 2023 and is North America’s all-time leader in purse earnings with $476,925,978. Velazquez attended jockey school in Puerto Rico and moved to the United States in March 1990.

Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero, Jr. mentored and later became his agent. Velazquez rose to prominence in the late 1990s, capturing the first of his five Saratoga riding titles in 1998 and establishing a record with 65 wins in 2004.

He has secured 26 riding championships at multiple tracks across New York and made history in 2013 by becoming the leading rider in Saratoga with his 694th career win. In October 2020, he became the first rider to win 2,000 races at Belmont Park and 1,000 at Saratoga in August 2022.

Velazquez won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 2004 and 2005. He has won the Kentucky Derby with Animal Kingdom (2011), Always Dreaming (2017), and Authentic (2020). His 2020 Derby win was his 200th Grade 1 victory.

Luis Saez

Hailing from Panama City, Saez began his career at Calder Race Track in the United States in 2009, quickly clinching four consecutive riding titles. He later won multiple riding titles at Gulfstream Park. In the 2013 Belmont Stakes, Saez rode Freedom Child after a victory in the Peter Pan Stakes.

That year, he also saw success with Will Take Charge, winning the Grade 1 Travers Stakes, the Pennsylvania Derby, and the Grade 1 Clark Handicap and finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Saez and Lea won their 1,000th career race together in January 2014 at Gulfstream Park’s Grade 3 Hal’s Hope handicap.

Final Words

As the 2024 Belmont Stakes approaches, anticipation grows around the jockeys who will showcase their skills and determination in this prestigious event. Each brings unique strengths and experiences, promising an unforgettable Belmont Stakes in 2024.

Hayley Turner made headlines late last year, not for the first time in her lengthy, if somewhat interrupted, career by reaching the landmark of 1,000 career winners – 979 of which had been on British soil – at Chelmsford on November 21, 2023. Her milestone victory on Tradesman, in the Illuminate Christmas Ball Handicap, was fitting, insofar as the four-year-old is owned by Khalifa Dasmal and trained by David Simcock, the same connections who provided Turner with her breakthrough Group 1 winner, Dream Ahead in the July Cup at Newmarket, in July 2011. After bringing to an end a month-long losing streak, Turner told Racing TV, ‘It feels like a bit of a relief now. I kind of made a big deal about it and then put pressure on myself. I’ m just chuffed.’ Turner is the first female jockey to win 1000 races.

Turner, 40, rode her first winner, Generate, trained by Mark Polglase, in an apprentices’ handicap at Pontefract on June 4, 2000. The four-year-old proved to be her only winner from 16 rides in her inaugural season but, under the auspices of Newmarket handler Martin Bell, eventually increased her seasonal tally to nine, 14 and 34 winners in 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively. Her breakthrough season came in 2005, when she rode 53 winners in the calendar year, surpassing the 75 winners required to ride out her claim and becoming joint champion apprentice, alongside Saleem Golam.

In her third season as a fully-fledged professional, 2008, Turner became the first female jockey to ride 100 winners – in fact, exactly 100 – in a season in Britain. She has yet to exceed that total but, aside from Dream Ahead, has ridden two other Group 1 or Grade 1 winners, namely Margot Did, trained by Bell, in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York in 2011 and I’m A Dreamer, trained by Simcock, in the Beverley D Stakes at Arlington Park, Chicago the following year. In 2015 she swapped saddle for sfoa for a time in joining ITV Racing team , and impartiung her decades of racing knowledge.

Turner has stated that this break was to her advantage. I think people get bored of you,” she stated. “They get sick of hearing ‘Hayley’s done this, Hayley’s done that’. It was nice to step back from that and get out of the bubble. I learned a lot about myself.”

Now in 2024, I think we can safely all say that the break from racing didn’t do Hayley Turner any harm.

If you enjoy horse racing, whichever code, you may have considered the role of the jockey. You’ve probably praised, cursed and been ambivalent about their performance.

A memorable day on the 26^th September 1996, saw the Magnificent Seven, Frankie Dettori winning every race on the card at Ascot. Reputedly, it cost bookmakers over £30M.

Perhaps you were a fan of Lester Piggott, nicknamed The Long Fellow because of his relatively tall stature for a professional jockey at 5-feet 8-inches. He was also known as the ‘housewives favourite’ for a period when he won nine Derbys including the Epsom Classic.

Jockeys come in all shapes and sizes, male and female.

Back in the day when handicaps fielded a lowest weight of 7st 7lb it would be noticeable one or two jockeys looked much smaller than the others. I remember Gary Bardwell, known as the ‘Angry Ant’, one of top lightweight jockeys and former dual champion apprentice entering the paddock at Great Yarmouth. A man the size of a small child. Poetry in motion. Bardwell 4 ft 10in tall struggled to find rides when the minimum weight increased to 7st 12lb. A 19 year career saw him achieve over 400 winners. However, his final season saw just 1 winner from 138 rides. Bardwell’s agent, Shippy Ellis said: ‘Gary was an absolute joy to work with. He was always cheerful and would go anywhere to ride anything for anybody. Whatever chance his mount had, he would always give 100%.’

However, there are jockeys who are the equivalent of giants.

Englishman, Jack Andrews, is officially the tallest jockey in the world standing at a staggering 6 ft 4 in. He raced as the Cheltenham Festival. Towering over his rival jockeys by a foot. However, another jockey may well be pushing the limits with fellow amateur, riding for Willie Mullins, Thomas Costello who is equally tall in stature.

Jockeys often find their ambitions hampered and that was certainly the case for female riders who were rejected by the establishment seen as not being as capable as their male counterparts. As we know today Rachael Blackmore won the Grand National in 2021 on Minella Times. The following year, she won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard at odds of 3/1 favourite.

She re-wrote the history books.

However, there is a story behind this success. The quote: ‘Standing on the shoulder of giants’ is most apt because she completed a long journey…

The first jockey to ride in the Grand National was Charlotte Brew who rode Barony Fort in 1977. He refused to jump the 27^th fence, three short of completing the race. This opportunity was as much about the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which protected men and women from discrimination on the grounds of sex or marital status. In essence, the establishment of racing, who would not condone women racing in the most famous horse race of all, where forced to accept and not restrict on grounds of sex discrimination. This was a crucial moment in horse racing and changed the way for future generations.

Sometimes there is more to a subject than meets the eye and that has been the case for horse racing jockeys. From the shortest to the tallest, woman, man or child (pony racing) these brave souls not only put themselves on the line and often change opinions through their feats and sometime by changing the very laws which once hindered ambitions and dreams.

The next time you bet on a horse take a moment to consider the jockey.

They each have a story to tell.

Sometimes the biggest triumphs happen beyond the saddle.