Kentucky Derby jockey profile: Juan Hernandez
Skinner's owner Lee Searing of C R K Stable and jockey Juan Hernandez (Photo by Benoit Photo)
May 4th, 2023
Who is Juan Hernandez?
One of the hottest up-and-coming jockeys in the nation is Juan Hernandez. The 31-year-old from Mexico started riding in the U.S. in 2010 and has already won more than 2,400 races and over $68 million in purse money.
Success has been quick in coming for Hernandez. He’s won between 129 and 229 races every year from 2010 through 2022. His win percentage has exceeded 20% in 10 of the last 11 years, and his lifetime win percentage according to industry database Equibase is 21%.
Hernandez spent many years riding in Northern California, but transitioning to the Southern California circuit in June 2020 has reaped great dividends. He ended the 2020 season with a career-best $6,392,407 in purse earnings, then boosted that total to $11,058,882 in 2021 and $15,021,265 in 2022.
The shift has also provided Hernandez with an opportunity to ride in higher-class races. Indeed, 55 of his 66 graded stakes wins through May 3 have come since 2020. On the Road to the Kentucky Derby, he’s won the 2022 American Pharoah (G1) aboard Cave Rock, the 2022 San Felipe (G2) riding Forbidden Kingdom, and the 2023 Sham (G3) guiding Reincarnate.
Hernandez’s rise to stardom has attracted the attention of John Shirreffs, who upset the 2005 Kentucky Derby (G1) with 50-1 longshot Giacomo. They teamed up to win the 2021 San Pasqual (G2) and San Diego H. (G2) with Express Train, and now Shirreffs has given Hernandez the mount on Skinner, a Kentucky Derby qualifier after finishing third in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and San Felipe (G2).
In advance of Hernandez’s Kentucky Derby debut, we’ve analyzed his record riding on dirt at prominent tracks on the Road to the Kentucky Derby:
| Track | Starts | Wins | Places | Shows | Win % | ITM % | ROI % | Earnings |
|---|
Aqueduct | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Churchill Downs | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Fair Grounds | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Gulfstream Park | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Keeneland | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0% | 50% | -100% | $411,238 |
Oaklawn Park | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | 50% | -100% | $115,000 |
Santa Anita | 653 | 162 | 107 | 99 | 25% | 56% | -10% | $10,537,935 |
Tampa Bay Downs | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Turfway Park | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
All stats listed above from Jan. 1, 2018 through May 3, 2023. Generated by STATSMASTER, Powered by TrackMaster, an Equibase Company.
| Lifetime record in the Kentucky Derby: | ||||||
| Starts | Wins | Places | Shows | Win % | ITM % | ROI % |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | N/A |
Hernandez at Keeneland
Hernandez doesn’t ride often at Keeneland, and he hasn’t won over the Keeneland main track during the past five years. But he did guide Cave Rock to a runner-up finish in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Hernandez at Oaklawn Park
Over the past five years, Hernandez has made two trips to Oaklawn to ride in two graded stakes. He finished fifth aboard Anneau d’Or in the 2020 Arkansas Derby (G1) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, then picked up third place in the 2021 Oaklawn H. (G2) aboard Express Train.
Hernandez at Santa Anita
Hernandez has enjoyed abundant success riding at Santa Anita in recent years, going 162-for-653 (25%) on dirt while earning more than $10.5 million in purse money. Many of his graded victories have come at Santa Anita, including the previously mentioned American Pharoah aboard Cave Rock and the 2022 La Brea (G1) guiding Fun to Dream. In 2022 alone, Hernandez has won nine graded stakes over the Santa Anita main track.
