Rosario, Saez, Ortiz brothers lead top-earning jockeys in 2021

Long one of North America’s top jockeys, Joel Rosario put together the best season of his career in 2021 to lead the year’s earnings list.

Rosario’s mounts earned $35.21 million this season, the most he has collected in a single year. The 36-year-old native of the Dominican Republic booted home 49 graded stakes winners, tops this year among his peers.

Here is a look at the top 10 North American jockeys of 2021 in terms of earnings. Money collected on the Dubai World Cup and Saudi Cup cards is factored into these statistics.

1. Joel Rosario, $35.21 million

Notable 2021 wins: Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), Del Mar, Knicks Go; Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), Gulfstream Park, Knicks Go; Whitney Stakes (G1), Saratoga, Knicks Go; Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), Del Mar, Echo Zulu; Sword Dancer Stakes (G1), Saratoga, Gufo

Rosario is a leading candidate for his first Eclipse Award as the nation’s champion jockey. He enjoyed three Grade 1 wins this year aboard Knicks Go, including his gate-to-wire triumph in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which secured likely Horse of the Year honors. Rosario also scored Grade 1 wins in 2021 aboard Echo Zulu, Gufo, Idol, Jackie’s Warrior, Kimari, and Malathaat. He has missed time this month with a cracked rib but is scheduled to return to action by the middle of January.

2. Luis Saez, $32.98 million

Notable 2021 wins: Dubai World Cup (G1), Meydan Racecourse, Mystic Guide; Belmont Stakes (G1), Belmont Park, Essential Quality; Travers Stakes (G1), Saratoga, Essential Quality; Cigar Mile Handicap (G1), Aqueduct, Americanrevolution; Woodward Stakes (G1), Belmont Park, Art Collector

Saez is another Eclipse candidate after posting his career-best earnings figure in 2021. He scored the first official American Classic victory of his career aboard Essential Quality, outdueling Hot Rod Charlie in a thrilling Belmont Stakes. Saez’s victories with that Cox-trained colt included Saratoga triumphs in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) and Travers. Those were two of his meet-leading 64 wins as he claimed the Spa’s riding title for the first time in his career.

3. Irad Ortiz Jr., $29.27 million

Notable 2021 wins: Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1), Del Mar, Golden Pal; Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), Del Mar, Life Is Good; Apple Blossom Handicap (G1), Oaklawn Park, Letruska; Turf Classic Stakes (G1), Churchill Downs, Colonel Liam; Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1), Gulfstream Park, Colonel Liam

Ortiz, the Eclipse Award winner for Outstanding Jockey each of the last three seasons, put together another lucrative campaign in 2021. He found some of his best success aboard mare Letruska, winning three Grade 1 events that included an Apple Blossom upset of reigning champion Monomoy Girl. Ortiz won the Breeders’ Cup’s Bill Shoemaker Award for the fourth straight year after scoring wins in the Dirt Mile, Juvenile Turf Sprint and Turf Sprint. His year came to a premature end when New York stewards handed him a 30-day suspension for careless riding at Aqueduct after an incident that caused an apprentice jockey to be unseated.

4. Jose Ortiz, $24.86 million

Notable 2021 wins: Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), Del Mar, Aloha West; Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1), Del Mar, Pizza Bianca; Clark Stakes (G1), Churchill Downs, Maxfield; Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1), Belmont Park, Letruska; Champagne Stakes (G1), Belmont Park, Jack Christopher

Ortiz scored the fourth and fifth Breeders’ Cup victories of his career to highlight his 2021 campaign. His Sprint victory came by a nose aboard Aloha West, as he flew up late to nail Dr. Schivel at the wire. Ortiz earned Belmont Stakes undercard wins with Drain the Clock in the Woody Stephens (G1) and Letruska in the Ogden Phipps while subbing for brother Irad Ortiz Jr., who was injured and unable to ride that day. He is currently based at Aqueduct rather than wintering at Gulfstream Park as he has in past years.

5. Flavien Prat, $23.06 million
Notable 2021 wins: Preakness Stakes (G1), Pimlico, Rombauer; Turf Classic Stakes (G1), Churchill Downs, Domestic Spending; Pennsylvania Derby (G1), Parx, Hot Rod Charlie; Manhattan Stakes (G1), Belmont Park, Domestic Spending; United Nations Stakes (G1), Monmouth Park, Tribhuvan

Prat continued his dominance of the Southern California circuit, earning riding titles in Del Mar’s summer meet, Santa Anita’s winter/spring stand, and Santa Anita’s fall meeting. He came east to win the first Preakness Stakes of his career aboard Rombauer, taking command down the stretch to score a 12-1 upset. Prat nearly won his first Belmont Stakes too, with Hot Rod Charlie falling just short in his battle with Essential Quality. He has become a go-to stakes jockey for Chad Brown, scoring five Grade 1 wins over the lawn this year for the New York-based trainer.

6. Tyler Gaffalione, $19 million

Notable 2021 wins: Fourstardave Handicap (G1), Saratoga, Got Stormy; Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1), Keeneland, Juliet Foxtrot; Franklin-Simpson Stakes (G2), Kentucky Downs, The Lir Jet; Prioress Stakes (G2), Saratoga, Cilla; Troy Stakes (G3), Saratoga, Fast Boat

Gaffalione increased his earnings for the eighth straight season since starting his professional career in 2014. He teamed up with trainer Mark Casse to upset the Fourstardave with Got Stormy, her second win in that event in the last three years. Gaffalione posted the most wins of any jockey in all three of Churchill Downs’ meets this season. He also was the leading rider during Keeneland’s fall meet.

7. Florent Geroux, $18.94 million

Notable 2021 wins: Haskell Stakes (G1), Monmouth Park, Mandaloun; La Troienne Stakes (G1), Churchill Downs, Shedaresthedevil; Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes (G1), Santa Anita, Hit the Road; Alcibiades Stakes (G1), Keeneland, Juju’s Map; Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1), Del Mar, Shedaresthedevil

Geroux and Mandaloun finished a nose shy of Hot Rod Charlie at the wire of the Haskell, but he was promoted to the victory after New Jersey stewards disqualified the winner for interfering with Midnight Bourbon in the stretch. Geroux also crossed second aboard Mandaloun in the Kentucky Derby behind Medina Spirit, who subsequently failed a post-race drug test. Kentucky stewards have not disqualified the late Medina Spirit from the Derby win, but Churchill Downs has said Mandaloun will be promoted to first if stewards make that decision.

8. John Velazquez, $17.57 million

Notable 2021 wins: Kentucky Derby (G1), Churchill Downs, Medina Spirit; Kentucky Oaks (G1), Churchill Downs, Malathaat; Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1), Saratoga, State of Rest; Man o’ War Stakes (G1), Belmont Park, Channel Cat; Alabama Stakes (G1), Saratoga, Malathaat

Velazquez became the first jockey since Calvin Borel in 2009 to achieve the Kentucky Oaks-Kentucky Derby double, winning those two events aboard Malathaat and Medina Spirit. The Derby triumph was the jockey’s fourth, all of which have come since 2011. Velazquez has led at each call of the last two Kentucky Derbies, taking Authentic and Medina Spirit gate-to-wire in back-to-back years. One more win in that event would put him in a tie for first-place all-time alongside Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack – that is, if Medina Spirit is not posthumously disqualified.

9. Ricardo Santana Jr., $16.87 million

Notable 2021 wins: Cotillion Stakes (G1), Parx, Clairiere; Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1), Saratoga, Max Player; Arkansas Derby (G1), Oaklawn Park, Super Stock; Metropolitan Handicap (G1), Belmont Park, Silver State; Forego Stakes (G1), Saratoga, Yaupon

Santana racked up nine Grade 1 wins in 2021 aboard eight different runners. His Forego Stakes score with Yaupon was especially memorable, as he kept his mount pointed forward to the wire despite savaging from rival Firenze Fire. The year was not all success for Santana, as he endured a 0-for-92 losing streak during the fall. Trainer Steve Asmussen also made a jockey change to Joel Rosario for Echo Zulu in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies despite her three previous wins under Santana.

10. Manny Franco, $13.96 million

Notable 2021 wins: Diana Stakes (G1), Saratoga, Althiqa; Westchester Stakes (G3), Belmont Park, Dr Post; Funny Cide Stakes, Saratoga, Senbei; New York Stallion Stakes, Aqueduct, Devious Mo; Discovery Stakes, Aqueduct, Miles D

Franco cracked the top 10 of the North American money list despite scoring only a pair of graded-stakes victories. His biggest win of the year came with Althiqa, who rallied past Godolphin stablemate Summer Romance to score over the Saratoga lawn in the Diana. Franco passed the $100 million mark in career earnings this season, one year after winning three Grade 1 stakes in 2020 aboard Tiz the Law.