5 Best Jockeys to Watch Out for the 2024 Belmont Stakes

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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.

Richard Hughes

Born in Dublin on January 11, 1973, Richard Hughes is, of course, the son of Dessie Hughes, who, as a jockey, won the Champion Hurdle on Monksfield in 1979 and, as a trainer, did so again with Hardy Eustace in 2004 and 2005. However, despite standing 5’10” tall, and riding at now lower than 8st 8lb in the latter part of his career, between July 1994 and July 2015, he rode 2,428 domestic winners and was British Champion Flat Jockey three years running in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

A retained jockey for Prince Khalid bin Abdullah, founder of Juddmonte, between 2000 and 2007 – and first-choice jockey from 2003 onwards, following the retirement of Pat Eddery – Hughes subsequently rode for his father-in-law, Richard Hannon Snr., and his brother-in-law, Richard Jnr. His second title-winning season, 2013, in which he rode 208 winners, was his most successful numerically. That season also yielded two British Classic winners, namely Sky Lantern, trained by Hannon Snr., in the 1,000 Guineas and Talent, trained by Ralph Beckett, in the Oaks.In his career as a whole, Hughes rode 169 winners at Glorious Goodwood, 31 at Royal Ascot and won three French Classics, the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches on Zenda in 2002, the Prix de Diane on Nebraska Tornado in 2003 and the Poule d’Essai des Poulains on American Post in 2004.

Seb Sanders

Born in Birmingham on September 25, 1971, Seb Sanders rode his first winner, Band On The Run, in an apprentice maiden stakes race at Pontefract on June 12, 1990. After a modest start to his riding career, he enjoyed a breakthrough season in 1995, when he rode 61 winners, becoming Champion Apprentice and riding out his claim in the process. In 1997, he rode over a hundred winners in a season for the first time, including the first of his eight career Group 1 winners, when Compton Place, trained by James Toller, sprang a 50/1 surprise in the July Cup at Newmarket.

In 2004, Sanders succeeded George Duffield as stable jockey to Sir Mark Prescott and, after riding 165, 142 and 177 winners in 2004, 2005 and 2006, he enjoyed far and away his most successful season numerically in 2007. In the calendar year, he rode 213 winners, of which 190 fell within the ‘traditional’ turf Flat season, on which the jockeys’ championship was decided. The title race went down not just to the final day, but the final race, of the season, which was won by his main rival, Richard Hughes, who thereby earned himself a share of the jockeys’ title.

Paul Hanagan

Paul Hanagan retired from the saddle in August 2023 after an impressive, 25-year career, during which he rode over 2,000 winners, including 10 at the highest, Group 1 level, and British Champion Flat Jockey twice, in 2010 and 2011. Born in Warrington, Cheshire on September 8, 1980, Hanagan graduated from the British Racing School on the outskirts of Newmarket and had his first ride in public on Stone Beck, trained by Malcolm Jefferson, at Haydock Park on September 4, 1998. On the recommendation of Jefferson, he subsequently became apprenticed to Richard Fahey in Malton, North Yorkshire and so began a fruitful association that would take him to the apprentices’ title in 2002 and both senior jockeys’ titles.

Indeed, it was the successful alliance with Fahey that led Hanagan to be announced as retained rider for owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2012, following the retirement of the previous incumbent, Richard Hills. Highlights of that four-year partnership, which came to an end in November 2016, included winning the Oaks and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes on Taghrooda and the Coral-Eclipse Stakes on Mukhadram in 2014, and both the July Cup and the British Champion Sprint Stakes on Muhaarar in 2015.