Preakness Stakes: Jockey assignments, stats, and trends

To win the Preakness Stakes (G1), you need a quality horse, but the right jockey can make a significant difference.

The 11 jockeys in the Preakness this year are a mix of established stars and newer arrivals to the top echelon of horse racing, including one who has already captured the blanket of Black-Eyed Susans and three who are riding in the race for the first time.

Here are the rider assignments for the 2020 Preakness.

As you handicap the Preakness, here are some trends, patterns, and pieces of historical context to keep in mind as you consider the jockeys.

• The only jockey in this year’s Preakness who has won it before is Robby Albarado (Swiss Skydiver). He has ridden in the Preakness nine times before and won in 2007 with Curlin. He also finished second in 2003 with Midway Road and third in 1998 with Classic Cat.
• With nine starts, Albarado is tied with John Velazquez (Authentic) for the rider with the most Preakness experience, among those in this year’s edition. Velazquez has yet to win the Preakness, though he finished second with both Animal Kingdom in 2011 and Itsmyluckyday in 2013. This is the third time Velazquez has come into the Preakness with the call on the Kentucky Derby (G1) winner. In addition to Animal Kingdom, he also rode Always Dreaming in 2017, when he finished eighth, behind winner Cloud Computing.
• If Velazquez wins the Preakness this year, in his 10th try, he will revise the record for most starts by a jockey in the Preakness before their first win. He will eclipse Gary Stevens, who won his first Preakness in his ninth attempt, when he piloted Oxbow to victory in 2013. However, there are two jockeys who have more Preakness starts than Velazquez without a win. Edgar Prado has ridden in the race 14 times, with his best results fourth-place finishes with Hot Wells (1998), Harlan’s Holiday (2002), Peace Rules (2003), C P West (2007), and Yawanna Twist (2010). Ramon Dominguez rode in the Preakness 10 times without a win. His best finishes were second-place runs with Scrappy T (2005) and First Dude (2010).
• Three jockeys are riding in the Preakness for the first time — Horacio Karamanos (Ny Traffic), Paco Lopez (Max Player), and Trevor McCarthy (Liveyourbeastlife). Jockeys riding in the Preakness for the first time have had a lot of success. Since 1909, 41 jockeys have won the Preakness with their first mount in the race. That includes four of the last 10 editions. Martin Garcia (Lookin at Lucky, 2010), Jesus Castanon (Shackleford, 2011), Mario Gutierrez (I’ll Have Another, 2012), and Tyler Gaffalione (War of Will, 2019) all took the Black-Eyed Susans with their first Preakness mount.
• Sheldon Russell (Excession), Gabriel Saez (Mr. Big News), and Jevian Toledo (Jesus’ Team) are all riding in the Preakness for the second time. If one wins the Preakness in his second try, he would be in excellent company. Jockeys who won their first Preakness in their second try include Eddie Arcaro (Whirlaway, 1941), Jerry Bailey (Hansel, 1991), Pat Day (Tank’s Prospect, 1985), Bill Hartack (Fabius, 1956), and George Woolf (Bold Venture, 1936).
• Only four of this year’s Preakness entrants will keep their same jockey from their last race. Saez rode Mr. Big News in the Kentucky Derby, Brian Hernandez Jr. rode Art Collector in the Ellis Park Derby, Velazquez rode Authentic in the Kentucky Derby, and Joe Bravo rode Pneumatic in the Pegasus S. Over the last 30 years, keeping the same jockey from the last race before the Preakness has correlated with success. Twenty-five of the last 30 runs in the Preakness have been won by horses who kept their riders from prior race. Twenty-four of those 25 who won with their last-out rider have come from the Kentucky Derby. The only exception was 2006, when Javier Castellano previously rode Bernardini in the Wood Memorial (G1).