2025 Belmont Stakes Jockeys: What You Need to Know

Key Takeaways:

• For the second year running and until 2026, the 2025 Belmont Stakes will be held at Saratoga Race Course while Belmont Park is undergoing renovations.
• The race features a field of eight, including proven contenders from the Kentucky Derby and Preakness as well as newcomers.
• Several jockeys have a long Triple Crown history, including John Velazquez, Flavien Prat, and Mike Smith, while Umberto Rispoli and Saffie Osborne will be making their Belmont debuts.
• Morning-line favorite Journalism, ridden by Rispoli, enters off a Preakness victory, aiming for another strong performance at Saratoga to complete the Triple Crown series.

The 2025 Belmont Stakes is coming up Saturday, June 7, at Saratoga Race Course.

It is the second of two years that the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will be run in Saratoga Springs while Belmont Park is under construction. It will be returning to its traditional 1 ½ miles on the Belmont Park dirt next year, but for 2025, it will once again happen at 1 ¼ miles at Saratoga.

The race offers a $2 million purse and drew eight of the top three-year-olds in the country. Those runners include both proven horses from the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, including the top three finishers from the Run for the Roses, as well as some new faces to the top level of horse racing.

Getting to know the horses is important, but it’s also important to get to know the jockeys. After all, the jockey is the one with control over strategy while the race is going on. Whether the jockey has gotten to know the horse in previous races can be important, as is the amount of experience the jockey has over the local racecourse, and the level of experience the jockey has in major races like the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, and other Grade 1 races. Knowing about the jockeys and their backgrounds can give you the edge while betting the Belmont Stakes.

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Belmont Stakes Jockeys

These are the jockeys assigned to horses in the 2025 Belmont Stakes, in order of their post position draws. Learn about their careers, as well as what they have done in Triple Crown races so far, and get an idea of what they bring to the table in the final jewel of the Triple Crown.

Post 1: Irad Ortiz, Jr. - Hill Road, 10-1 ML

Irad Ortiz, Jr., takes the reins for the first time ever on Hill Road. The horse, trained by Chad Brown, comes out of a win in the Peter Pan (G3), a live prep race in recent editions of the Belmont Stakes. However, he was ridden by Flavien Prat that day, and Prat was also the rider of Belmont entrant Baeza. Umberto Rispoli, who rode Hill Road to a surprising third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last year, was also the rider of another premier Belmont Stakes contender, morning-line favorite Journalism.

Ortiz has been one of the most prominent jockeys in the world in recent years, and a fixture in the most important races. He has only been riding since 2011, but has already racked up five Eclipse Awards for outstanding jockey, as well as 107 Grade 1 wins, most recently with Be Your Best (G1) in the Gamely on Memorial Day weekend.

As much of a reputation as he has in big races, he has struggled to break through in the first two three-year-old classics. He has missed the board with all nine of his Kentucky Derby rides. In the Preakness, things have gone a bit better: in seven rides, he has been second twice, with Midnight Bourbon in 2021 and Blazing Sevens in 2023. The second with Blazing Sevens came for trainer Chad Brown, who also conditions his 2025 Belmont mount Hill Road.

However, Ortiz has starred in the Belmont Stakes. He has ridden in the race six times, and has two victories to show for it: with long shot Creator in 2016 and favored Mo Donegal in 2022. He also finished second in the Belmont with Dr Post in 2020, Forte in 2023, and Mindframe in 2024.

Post 2: Junior Alvarado - Sovereignty, 2-1 ML

Junior Alvarado is the regular rider for many of Bill Mott’s stars, including Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty. He has been in the irons for all but one of the horse’s starts, dating all the way back to his debut in a dirt sprint at Saratoga last August. Sovereignty finally got his diploma third time out, with Alvarado in the irons, when he stretched out to two turns for the Street Sense (G2). He also rode Sovereignty to victory in the Fountain of Youth (G2) in March, his sophomore debut. The only race Alvarado missed was the Florida Derby; Sovereignty was second that day under Manny Franco, while Alvarado was recovering from a shoulder injury. Alvarado was back in the saddle for the Kentucky Derby, and a well-timed ride into a fast pace earned the roses.

Alvarado began riding in his native Venezuela in 2005, and moved his tack to the United States in 2007. He has made his mark in the top echelon mainly in recent years, and mainly on stars for the Mott barn—he rode Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish to both of his Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile victories, and champion juvenile filly Just F Y I to her victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. He now has 27 top-level wins in all, most recently in the Kentucky Derby.

Alvarado has only ridden in the Belmont Stakes three times before this year, missing the board all three times. His highest finish came in 2012, his first try, when he was sixth with Unstoppable U.

His only Triple Crown race victory to date came this year with Sovereignty; it was his sixth try, and his best-proven mount coming into the race. Before 2025, his best finish in the Kentucky Derby was a fourth-place run with Mohaymen. In the Preakness, Alvarado has only ridden twice, with his best finish a fourth with Zetterholm in 2012.

Post 3: Mike Smith - Rodriguez, 6-1 ML

Rodriguez has had four different riders in his five career starts, but a switch to Mike Smith for the Wood Memorial (G2) on April 5 led to his best performance yet. Smith got him out to the lead despite the challenging rail draw, and even with some pressure early, Smith left enough in the tank for Rodriguez to open up in the lane and win by 3 ½ lengths. That earned him the Kentucky Derby mount, though a foot bruise took Rodriguez out of both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.

Mike Smith has been riding since 1982, when he was a 16-year-old. His star rose quickly. He won Eclipse Awards for outstanding jockey in both 1993 and 1994, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003. He is one of only two active jockeys who is a Triple Crown winner, as he swept the series with Justify in 2018. Justify was trained by Bob Baffert, who also conditions his 2025 Belmont Stakes mount, Rodriguez. He has also won 27 Breeders’ Cup races, with his first coming in 1992 and his most recent in 2021. With 230 Grade 1 wins and over $355 million in purses from his mounts, it's no wonder his nickname is Big Money Mike.

Smith’s history in the Belmont is long and storied. He hit the board in his very first try, when Thirty Six Red was second behind Go and Go in 1990. However, his three wins have all been more recent: he won with Drosselmeyer in 2010, Palace Malice in 2013, and then Justify in 2018. He has had three other money finishes as well: he was second with Paynter in 2012, and third with both the filly My Flag in 1996 as well as Tiago in 2007.

In the Kentucky Derby, he is the all-time leader in number of mounts with 28. He has won with two of them—Justify was his second, 13 years after his first Kentucky Derby winner, the long shot Giacomo in 2005. He has also hit the board five other times. He has ridden the Preakness 19 times, winning twice. In addition to his muddy triumph with Justify in 2018, he won it for the first time 25 years before that, with Prairie Bayou in 1993. He also has six other money finishes in the Preakness.

Post 4: Luis Saez - Uncaged, 30-1 ML

Luis Saez will take the reins with long shot Uncaged, trained by Todd Pletcher, for the first time in the Belmont Stakes. Saez has made a name for himself, in particular, with horses with speed—and though Uncaged does not have as much speed as stablemate Crudo, he did show tactical speed on his debut at Saratoga, something that may be useful to show again. The forecast may also work out in Uncaged’s favor; his two wins have both come over off tracks, and there is a chance of rain on Belmont Stakes day.

Saez has become a fixture at the upper level of American racing. Raised in Panama, he has been riding in the United States since 2009. He is consistently near the top of the riding standings: he has ranked in the top 10 in earnings every year since 2017 and in wins every year since 2017. He has 42 victories at the top level, most recently with Good Cheer in this year’s Kentucky Oaks—and very nearly added another one when long shot Gosger finished second in the Preakness Stakes.

Saez has ridden in the Belmont Stakes seven times, with two wins in the Test of the Champion. The first came in 2021 with Essential Quality, the beaten Kentucky Derby favorite who came back with a vengeance five weeks later. Saez also won the Belmont just last year, over the same 1 ¼ miles at Saratoga that it will cover this year, with Dornoch. He has hit the board one other time, when he rode Tapit Trice to a third-place finish in 2023.

The Belmont Stakes is the only Triple Crown race Saez has yet to win. In the Kentucky Derby, he has hit the board once in 12 starts, when Essential Quality placed third in 2021. In four Preakness rides, Saez has finished second twice, both times with price horses: Bravazo finished second in 2018 behind Triple Crown winner Justify, and Gosger was just nabbed late by Journalism this year.

Post 5: John Velazquez - Crudo, 15-1 ML

John Velazquez is as well acquainted with Crudo as possible, having been in the irons for all three of his career starts. Crudo ran off the board in his six-furlong debut in February after a rough start, but a better start second out at Keeneland in April put his potential on full display. In both that Keeneland maiden and the Sir Barton on the Preakness undercard, Velazquez got Crudo out to a flying early lead, and they were able to leave the rest of the field flailing behind.

Though Crudo, with just three starts, is the least experienced horse in the Belmont Stakes, his jockey, John Velazquez, is one of the most experienced in the starting gate. A member of the Hall of Fame, Velazquez has been riding since 1990. He has two Eclipse Awards for outstanding rider, 228 Grade 1 wins as of the beginning of Belmont week, and still shines against riders half his age.

Velazquez has ridden in the Belmont Stakes 27 times, more than any other jockey in history. Across those rides, he has won twice: with Rags to Riches in 2007 and Union Rags in 2012. Rags to Riches was trained by Todd Pletcher, who also conditions Crudo. He has also hit the board six other times, most recently with Rombauer in 2021.

He has seen success in the other legs of the Triple Crown as well, winning the Kentucky Derby three times in 26 rides and the Preakness once in 14 tries. His Kentucky Derby wins came in 2011 with Animal Kingdom, 2017 with Always Dreaming, and 2020 with Authentic. He also won the Preakness in 2023 with National Treasure. Given that so much of his Triple Crown success has come in recent years, it’s clear his riding career is no legacy run—he still has the physical skill and mental acuity to show up on the biggest race days.

Post 6: Flavien Prat - Baeza, 4-1 ML

Flavien Prat has only ridden Baeza once before, but it was a fruitful pairing. He took the reins in the Kentucky Derby. Despite a far-outside post—Baeza had to draw in from the also-eligible list!—and some trouble around the far turn, Prat got Baeza rolling in the lane, and he was a fast-closing third, just a neck behind Journalism and 1 ¾ lengths behind Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty.

Prat started his career in France and has risen to become one of the top riders in North America during his decade in the United States. He had a career year in 2024, setting new North American records for most stakes wins and most graded-stakes wins in a year. He is a jockey who can take his best game all over the country and win the biggest races.

The Belmont Stakes is the only Triple Crown race that Prat has yet to win, but he has never missed the superfecta in four tries. In 2021, his first year riding in the race, he guided Hot Rod Charlie to a second-place finish behind Essential Quality. He was third in 2024 with Sierra Leone, and also fourth in 2022 with We the People and 2023 with Angel of Empire.

He has won each of the other three-year-old classics once. He won the 2019 Kentucky Derby with 65-1 long shot Country House. He has hit the superfecta with seven of his eight Derby rides, a testament to his consistency. Prat had a Preakness winner the first time he ever rode in the race, guiding Rombauer to score in 2021. He has finished in the superfecta with both of his other mounts, finishing third with Catching Freedom in 2024 and fourth with Goal Oriented in 2025.

Post 7: Umberto Rispoli - Journalism, 8-5 ML

Umberto Rispoli is the regular rider for Kentucky Derby second-place finisher and Preakness winner Journalism, the morning-line favorite for the Belmont Stakes. He has been in the irons for six of his seven races; though Rispoli did not ride the Michael McCarthy trainee to his maiden win at Los Alamitos in November, Rispoli rode him to victory in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2), San Felipe (G2), and Santa Anita Derby (G1), in addition to being in the irons for both Triple Crown races so far.

Rispoli began his career in Italy and also rode regularly in Hong Kong before moving his tack to Southern California starting in late 2019. Since then, he has become a major presence in top-level races and won 13 times at the top level in the United States, including the Santa Anita Derby and Preakness Stakes with Journalism.

The Belmont Stakes will be new ground for Rispoli: he has never ridden in the race before, and this week will be his first time riding at Saratoga Race Course. Then again, Rispoli had never ridden at Pimlico before Preakness day 2025, and he has wins in both the Preakness and the Gallorette (G3) to show for it. Rispoli has been in the Kentucky Derby starting gate at Churchill Downs three times, with his runner-up finish with Journalism this year being the most successful of his outings.

Post 8: Saffie Osborne - Heart of Honor, 30-1 ML

Saffie Osborne’s ride in the 2025 Belmont Stakes will be her first in the third jewel of the Triple Crown, and her first at Saratoga Race Course. In her only other Triple Crown race ride—and her only other stateside mount before the Belmont Stakes—she finished fifth behind Journalism in the Preakness with Heart of Honor, the same horse she rides in the Belmont. Before those races, she rode Heart of Honor two other times, both at Meydan: to a second-place finish in the Al Bastikiya, and to a thrilling nose second in the UAE Derby (G2) behind Admire Daytona. If she were to win the Belmont, she would become the second female jockey to accomplish the feat, after Julie Krone in 1993.

Saffie Osborne, daughter of Heart of Honor’s trainer Jamie Osborne, started riding in 2020. She is based in Great Britain, though she has gone overseas to ride around the world, both for her father and other trainers. Her most prominent horse to date has been Random Harvest, with whom she won Group 3 races in both Italy and England for trainer Ed Walker. She also became the first woman to win a race at Meydan in 2024, when she won the Lord Glitters Handicap with Ouzo.

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