
Cerezo: "Perder una final no significa que tengamos que cambiar de entrenador, sino apoyarle"
Cerezo: 'Perder una final no significa cambiar de entrenador, sino apoyarle'
The 152nd Kentucky Derby will feature up to 20 jockeys, including Irad Ortiz Jr. and John Velazquez. Fourteen jockeys are aiming for their first win, while five seek to become repeat champions.
Soon, up to 20 riders will saddle their horses and nestle into the starting gate at Churchill Downs, bracing for the most exciting two minutes in sports.
After 1 1/4 miles, one will guide his colt from the dirt to the turf track, where a rose garland and immortality await â each their prize for winning the 152nd Kentucky Derby. As the field stands (on April 20), 14 jockeys are eyeing their first victory. Five others seek to join an elite group of repeat winners.
Here's a look at the confirmed riders for Derby 152:
Kentucky Derby horse: Renegade
Irad Ortiz Jr. is making his 10th Derby start aboard Renegade. Ortiz most recently finished 14th with Publisher (2025), but his best finish came with Improbable in 2019 (fourth). The 33-year-old Puerto Rican jockey has 100 wins and 123 other top-three finishes across 398 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
Kentucky Derby horse: Commandment
Luis Saez will make his 13th Kentucky Derby start aboard Commandment. Saez's best finish came with Essential Quality (third) in 2021. He finished 13th aboard Neoequos in 2025. The 33-year-old Panamanian jockey has 65 wins and 104 other top-three finishes across 371 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
Kentucky Derby horse: Further Ado
John Velazquez has already won the Kentucky Derby three times (2011, 2017, 2020). Should he ride Further Ado to another victory this year, Velazquez will become the fourth jockey to win this race at least four times. The 54-year-old Puerto Rican would be in contention for a record-tying fifth Derby triumph had Medina Spirit not been disqualified in 2021. Velazquez has 47 wins and 70 other top-three finishes across 265 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
The confirmed jockeys include Irad Ortiz Jr. and John Velazquez, among others.
The Kentucky Derby 2026 is scheduled for April 20, 2026.
Fourteen jockeys are competing for their first victory in the Kentucky Derby.
The winning jockey will receive a rose garland and the chance for immortality in horse racing history.

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Kentucky Derby horse: The Puma
Javier Castellano is making his 18th Kentucky Derby start with The Puma. Castellano finished fifth last year with Owen Almighty and previously won this race with Mage in 2023. He comes from a racing family, as his father, uncle and brother Abel Jr. have all worked as jockeys. The 48-year-old Venezuelan jockey has 46 wins and 74 other top-three finishes across 279 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
Kentucky Derby horse: Fulleffortââ
Tyler Gaffalione is making his eighth Kentucky Derby start with Fulleffort. Gaffalioneâs best finish was second in 2024 aboard Sierra Leone. The 31-year-old jockey out of Kansas City, Kansas, has 69 wins and 140 other top-three finishes across 447 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
Kentucky Derby horse: So Happy
Mike Smith is looking for his third Derby win 21 years after his first victory in 2005 with Giacomo. Smith also won with Justify in 2018. Should Smith win with So Happy, he would replace then-54-year-old Bill Shoemaker, who rode Ferdinand to victory in 1986, as the oldest jockey to win the Derby. This yearâs run for the Roses is Smithâs 29th. The 60-year-old has 10 wins and 16 other top-three finishes across 54 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MAY 04: Gun Pilot #10, ridden by Cristian Torres, wins the Churchill Downs Stakes during a undercard race ahead of the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 04, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Kentucky Derby horse: Silent Tactic
Cristian Torres will continue an impressive season with his first Kentucky Derby start. Torres was the first rider to reach $5 million in earnings at the 2025-26 Oaklawn meeting in April. The 28-year-old Puerto Rican jockey has 51 wins and 100 other top-three finishes across 309 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
Flavien Pratt celebrates aboard Du Jour, after coming from behind to win the American Turf at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day.
Kentucky Derby horse: Emerging Market
Flavien Prat, winner of the 2019 Kentucky Derby with Country House, will participate in his ninth Run for the Roses aboard Emerging Market. This is Pratâs sixth consecutive Derby. The 33-year-old French jockey has 82 wins and 103 other top-three finishes across 310 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
![Racehorse Indian Bella, ridden by jockey Manny Franco wins the first race of the day at Belmont Park in Queens, April 29, 2022.
Racehorse Indian Bella, ridden by jockey Manny Franco wins the first race of the day at Belmont Park in Queens, April 29, 2022. Belmont Park
Kentucky Derby horse: Albus
Manny Franco is making his seventh Kentucky Derby start with Albus. Francoâs best finish came aboard Tiz the Law in 2020 (second), but Franco most recently finished eighth with East Avenue in 2025. The 31-year-old Puerto Rican jockey has 86 wins and 137 other top-three finishes across 355 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
Kentucky Derby horse: Potente
Juan Hernandez will make his Kentucky Derby debut this year after he was supposed to ride Skinner in 2023 until an elevated temperature ruled Skinner out the day before. The 34-year-old Mexican jockey has 48 wins and 87 other top-three finishes across 222 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
Kentucky Derby horse: Pavlovian
Edwin Maldonado will ride in his first Kentucky Derby aboard Pavlovian. Maldonado was born in Ohio but spent most of his childhood in Puerto Rico, where his family is from. His career began in 2002, following in the footsteps of his grandfather and uncle Manuel Alicea. The 43-year-old jockey has 20 wins and 40 other top-three finishes across 124 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
Kentucky Derby horse: Right to Party
Christopher Elliott earned his first Kentucky Derby start just two years into his career. The 20-year-old from New Jersey is set to become one of the youngest jockeys to ever compete in this race (15-year-olds Alonzo Clayton and James âSoupâ Perkins have Elliott beat with wins aboard Azra in 1892 and Halma in 1895, respectively). He has 19 wins and 51 other top-three finishes across 196 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
Kentucky Derby horse: Incredibolt
Jaime Torres is making his Kentucky Derby debut six-and-a-half years after he started riding. The 27-year-old jockey from Puerto Rico won his first Triple Crown race in his first Preakness appearance two years ago. He has 14 wins and 32 other top-three finishes across 144 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
Kentucky Derby horse: Golden Tempo
Jose Ortiz is making his 11th Derby start and seeking his first win after placing second in 2018 with Good Magic and third in 2019 with Tacitus. The 32-year-old Puerto Rican jockey finished third in earnings and wins last year, according to his Equibase profile. He has 94 wins and 128 other top-three finishes across 368 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
Mystik Dan, right, wins the Kentucky Derby in a photo finish on Saturday, May 4, 2024. Forever Young, with Ryusei Sakai up, center, finished third and Sierra Leone, left, with Tyler Gaffalione up, finished second. May 4, 2024
Kentucky Derby horse: Wonder Dean
Ryusei Sakai is back after finishing third aboard Forever Young in Derby 150. If Sakai can improve upon his first Run for the Roses performance, he could earn Japan its first victory on the first Saturday in May. The 28-year-old jockey has one win and three other top-three finishes across seven starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
Kentucky Derby horse: Danon Bourbon
Atsuya Nishimura is Japanâs second representative in this yearâs Derby, which will be his first. The 26-year-old has won 18 graded stakes in Japan, according to TwinSpires.com.
Kentucky Derby horse: Six Speed
Mickael Barzalona is making his second Kentucky Derby start aboard Six Speed after finishing 20th with Summer is Tomorrow four years ago. He secured the 2026 International Jockeysâ Challenge in February. The 34-year-old French jockey has two wins and two other top-three finishes across 16 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
Kentucky Derby horse: Chief Wallabee
Junior Alvarado, the reigning Kentucky Derby champion with Sovereignty, is back with another Bill Mott horse: Chief Wallabee. Alvarado aims to become the seventh jockey to win this race back-to-back. The 39-year-old Venezuelan jockey has 40 wins and 69 other top-three finishes across 251 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
Kentucky Derby horse: Intrepido
Hector Berrios is making his Derby debut aboard Intrepido. Berrios and Intrepido have previously started five races together. The 39-year-old Chilean jockey has 24 wins and 56 other top-three finishes across 144 starts in 2026, according to Equibase.
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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Derby 2026 list of jockeys in Run for the Roses at Churchill