Breeders' Cup jockeys 2026: who's riding every contender, late switches and betting angles

Key takeaways

• Flavien Prat rides Magnitude in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic after Jose Ortiz chose to stay on Golden Tempo. Luis Saez rides Knightsbridge, and Rafael Bejarano replaces the suspended Ricardo Santana Jr. on Hymn.
• Irad Ortiz Jr., second on the all-time Breeders' Cup wins list with 23, broke his ankle at Keeneland on October 22nd and will miss the event. His mounts went to Jose Ortiz, Tyler Gaffalione, Luis Saez and Flavien Prat.
• Prat has the busiest book of the weekend with 13 mounts, including four morning-line favorites: Hughes, Libertango, Ways and Means and Further Ado.
• Ryan Moore's five mounts are all in turf routes, where all 14 of his Breeders' Cup wins since 2011 have come.

The 2026 Breeders' Cup jockeys lineup has changed more than usual since the draw. Irad Ortiz Jr. is out with a broken ankle, Ricardo Santana Jr. has been suspended, and six horses have been scratched, all before the first race at Keeneland on Friday, October 30th. Here's who's riding every contender in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and across all 14 races, the late switches bettors need to know, and the riders worth following on both days.

Naturally, you can bet which horses will win their Breeders’ Cup races at FanDuel Racing. Also, discover 2026 Breeders’ Cup odds and bet the Breeders’ Cup with exclusive bonuses and promos.

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic jockeys

This is updated as of Wednesday, October 28th. See the full Longines Breeders' Cup Classic entries, post positions and morning-line odds.

Breeders' Cup wins and Classic records via America's Best Racing.

The Classic jockeys split into two groups. Prat, Velazquez, Castellano and Sakai have all won the race, and Sakai is the only one who has ridden his horse in every career start. Alvarado, Ortiz, Saez and Kimura are still looking for a first Classic win, and Ortiz's record is the strangest of the bunch: he has finished fourth in five of his six Classic rides.

Who is riding Magnitude in the Breeders' Cup Classic?

Flavien Prat rides Magnitude (#6, 6-1). It will be Prat's first ride on the colt in a race. Jose Ortiz rode Magnitude to his two biggest wins this year, the Dubai World Cup (G1) over Forever Young and the Stephen Foster (G1) over Sovereignty, but he chose to stay on Golden Tempo, whom he has ridden in all seven starts. His agent, Steve Rushing, pointed to the long term: Golden Tempo stays in training in 2027, while the Classic is expected to be Magnitude's final race. "Yes, I was surprised," trainer Steve Asmussen said of the decision.

Magnitude didn't get the worse end of the deal. Prat is a two-time Classic winner, with Flightline (2022) and Sierra Leone (2024), and he was second in the race last year. He was also the 2025 Eclipse Award-winning jockey, and his nine Breeders' Cup wins include two last year at Del Mar.

Who is riding Knightsbridge in the Breeders' Cup Classic?

Luis Saez rides Knightsbridge (#7, 9-2). Junior Alvarado rode Knightsbridge to his 6 ¼-length win in the Pacific Classic (G1), but Alvarado also rides Sovereignty for the same trainer, Bill Mott, and he's staying with the reigning Horse of the Year. That opened the door for Saez, who reached 4,000 career wins on the same day Knightsbridge won the Pacific Classic (G1). Prat also rode Knightsbridge once, in his 10 ¼-length Monmouth Cup (G3) win in July.

Saez has one Breeders' Cup win, with Essential Quality in the 2020 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance here at Keeneland, and he came within a nose of winning the 2013 Classic on Will Take Charge. Knightsbridge is a pace horse who should make his own trip, which takes some of the pressure off the rider switch.

Who is riding Hymn in the Breeders' Cup Sprint?

Rafael Bejarano rides Hymn (#4, 15-1) in the Cygames Breeders' Cup Sprint. Ricardo Santana Jr., who rode Hymn to his win in the Forego (G1) at Saratoga on August 29th, was suspended by Kentucky regulators on October 27th regarding legal issues. "Ricardo will not ride for us in the Breeders' Cup," trainer Ron Moquett said, and he named Bejarano. Santana was also taken off Foie Gras in the Filly & Mare Sprint; trainer Mike Maker had not named a replacement as of Wednesday.

Hymn has won four of seven starts this year. Before the Forego (G1), where he beat T Kraft by three-quarters of a length, he was second to Built in the Vanderbilt (G1). He's a big price in a Sprint led by 4-5 favorite Englishman, but he's a Grade 1 winner who can fill out exotics.

Late jockey switches and scratches

This is updated as of Wednesday, October 28th. We'll update this section with any changes on Friday and Saturday.

Irad Ortiz Jr. is out

Irad Ortiz Jr. was unseated when his mount stumbled leaving the gate at Keeneland on October 22nd, and he broke his left ankle. He won the Bill Shoemaker Award as the leading rider at last year's Breeders' Cup, his sixth, so that title won't be defended. His Breeders' Cup mounts have new riders:

The biggest change is on Rhetorical. Irad won the Coolmore Turf Mile (G1) on him in both 2025 and 2026, and Rhetorical is a front-runner who depends on a confident ride. Jose Ortiz takes over in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile Presented by PDJF; see our FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile odds and picks for the full race.

Scratches that cost riders a mount

• Flavien Prat: Lost Zulu Kingdom (Mile), so the Mile is the only race in which he has no mount.
• Manny Franco: Lost Gaudreau (Juvenile, fever), but picks up also-eligible Popcorn in the Juvenile Turf.
• Luis Saez: Lost Scottish Lassie (Distaff).
• Junior Alvarado: Lost Induction (Juvenile Turf).
• Pietro Moran: Lost Go For Launch (Juvenile Fillies Turf). David Egan picks up also-eligible Silent Beauty in that race.
• Mickael Barzalona: Lost Evershed (Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf). Adam Beschizza rides also-eligible Vina Arana in that race.

For more on the scratches, see Zulu Kingdom scratched from the Mile, Gaudreau scratched from the Juvenile and Scottish Lassie scratched from the Distaff.

Who rides the Breeders' Cup favorites

Breeders' Cup jockey betting angles

Flavien Prat's book

Prat rides in 13 of the 14 races, and four of his mounts are morning-line favorites, including Hughes (1-1) in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Further Ado (2-1) in the Dirt Mile. Two more are second choices: Miss Monica (5-2) in the NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and Fully Subscribed (8-5) in the Distaff. On top of that, he has Magnitude in the Classic. That puts his mounts at the center of most multi-race wagers, but the prices on his best mounts are short, so the value in his book is more likely to come from Magnitude and Avec Toi (10-1) in the Juvenile Turf than from the favorites.

The Ortiz brothers become one

With Irad out, Jose Ortiz has 12 mounts, including the favorites in the Sprint (Englishman, 4-5) and the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (Nitrogen, 6-5), plus his brother's ride on Rhetorical. Jose has six Breeders' Cup wins, and his record splits sharply by surface. According to In The Money's 2011-2025 data, he is 4-for-36 in turf routes but 1-for-33 in dirt routes. That's worth remembering with Golden Tempo and Nitrogen, who both run in dirt routes.

Ryan Moore on turf

Ryan Moore missed last year's Breeders' Cup with a stress fracture, and he returns with 16 career wins at the event. All 14 of his wins since 2011 have come in turf routes, and he's 0-for-29 in everything else (In The Money). This year all five of his mounts are in turf routes: Sun Goddess (6-5) in the John Deere Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, Great Barrier Reef (4-1) in the Brown Advisory Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Precise (7-2) in the Filly & Mare Turf, Puerto Rico (10-1) in the Mile and Benvenuto Cellini (6-1) in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf. All five are trained by Aidan O'Brien, who is tied with Bob Baffert at 21 Breeders' Cup wins. For more on his Friday rides, see our Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf picks.

The other European riders

• William Buick (10 Breeders' Cup wins from 42 rides, a 23.8% strike rate) has ridden Notable Speech in all 19 of his starts. He also rides Oscar in the Juvenile Turf and El Cordobes in the Turf.
• Christophe Soumillon won the Juvenile Turf on Gstaad last year, 20 years after his first Breeders' Cup win. He rides Turf favorite Diamond Necklace and Haffner in the Juvenile Turf.
• Colin Keane won the 2020 Turf at Keeneland on Tarnawa as a late substitute. He rides Filly & Mare Turf favorite Blue Bolt and Amusingly in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
• Oisin Murphy has eight mounts, the most of any European-based rider.

Experience counts

Mike Smith is still the all-time leader with 27 Breeders' Cup wins, and he rides Cabo Spirit (30-1) in the Mile. John Velazquez (22 wins) is the all-time earnings leader and has 11 mounts, including Napoleon Solo in the Classic. At the other end of the scale, Luis Saez is 1-for-75 at the Breeders' Cup since 2011, according to In The Money, though he has nine mounts this year, including Knightsbridge, Shisospicy, the defending champion in the Prevagen Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, and Built.

Most mounts at the 2026 Breeders' Cup

Counts are net of Wednesday's scratches and include also-eligibles drawing in.

Every Breeders' Cup jockey by race

Here is every runner and rider across the 14 Breeders' Cup races, with Wednesday's scratches and rider changes applied. Morning-line odds are in parentheses.

Juvenile Turf Sprint (Friday, Race 6, 2:55 PM ET)

#1 Moonrise (12-1): Oisin Murphy; #2 Good To Be King (12-1): Jose L. Ortiz; #3 Libertango (5-2): Flavien Prat; #4 Brickyard Belle (3-1): Manuel Franco; #5 Mussab (15-1): Oisin Orr; #6 Velozee (20-1): Tyler Gaffalione; #7 Crownbreaker (20-1): John R. Velazquez; #8 Force Noir (8-1): David Egan; #9 Final Objective (8-1): James Doyle; #10 Harper's Corner (8-1): Paco Lopez; #11 Hell Of A Spin (15-1): Mikey Sheehy; #12 Primetime Emmy (15-1): Mickael Barzalona.

NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (Friday, Race 7, 3:35 PM ET)

#1 Scarlett Begonia (20-1): Manuel Franco; #2 Domain Expansion (6-1): Adrian Escobedo; #3 Foxiest (15-1): Junior Alvarado; #4 Rum Twist (15-1): John R. Velazquez; #5 Miss Monica (5-2): Flavien Prat; #6 Revenge Of The Sis (20-1): Edgard J. Zayas; #7 Lexi's Charm (15-1): Jose L. Ortiz; #8 Manuka Honey (10-1): Luis Saez; #9 Badittude (30-1): Joel Rosario; #10 Emphatic (9-5): Tyler Gaffalione; #11 Voyager (12-1): Javier J. Castellano; #12 Life Changing (30-1): Juan J. Hernandez.

John Deere Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (Friday, Race 8, 4:15 PM ET)

#1 Green Empress (10-1): Dylan Browne McMonagle; #3 Curracloe (12-1): Ben Coen; #4 Serenas Ghost (20-1): Luis Saez; #5 De La Renta (30-1): Kazushi Kimura; #6 Alwaysanangel (15-1): Oisin Murphy; #7 Vanta (20-1): Umberto Rispoli; #8 Citrus Springs (15-1): Manuel Franco; #9 Sun Goddess (6-5): Ryan Moore; #10 Amusingly (7-2): Colin Keane; #11 Scommessa Sicura (30-1): Billy Loughnane; #12 Domestic Agenda (8-1): Flavien Prat; #13 Seneca Park (30-1): Brian J. Hernandez, Jr.; #14 Ballinea Star (30-1): Tyler Gaffalione; Silent Beauty (also-eligible, draws in): David Egan. Scratched: Go For Launch.

FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile (Friday, Race 9, 4:55 PM ET)

#1 Damavand (20-1): Luis Saez; #3 Salahudin (6-1): Tyler Gaffalione; #4 Earth Song (20-1): Junior Alvarado; #5 Hughes (1-1): Flavien Prat; #6 American History (9-2): John R. Velazquez; #7 Coach Pope (4-1): Jose L. Ortiz; #8 He Is No Lie (15-1): Joel Rosario. Scratched: Gaudreau.

Brown Advisory Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (Friday, Race 10, 5:35 PM ET)

#2 Avec Toi (10-1): Flavien Prat; #3 Florida Bay (20-1): Wayne Lordan; #4 Haffner (8-1): Christophe Soumillon; #5 How's Al Today (3-1): Brian J. Hernandez, Jr.; #6 Pikachu (30-1): David Egan; #7 Let Em Know (20-1): Edgard J. Zayas; #8 Liam's Law (20-1): Jose L. Ortiz; #9 Sale Shark (30-1): Oisin Murphy; #10 Folsom Blues (7-2): Dylan Browne McMonagle; #11 Man's Best Friend (15-1): Colin Keane; #12 Oscar (15-1): William Buick; #13 Agate (10-1): Tyler Gaffalione; #14 Great Barrier Reef (4-1): Ryan Moore; Popcorn (also-eligible, draws in): Manuel Franco. Scratched: Induction.

Filly & Mare Sprint (Saturday, 1:10 PM ET)

#1 Look Forward (20-1): Umberto Rispoli; #2 Ways And Means (7-5): Flavien Prat; #3 Praying (30-1): John R. Velazquez; #4 R Disaster (8-1): Tyler Gaffalione; #5 Foie Gras (20-1): to be named; #6 Majestic Oops (15-1): Francisco Arrieta; #7 Evanescence (15-1): Luis Saez; #8 Kerry's Kiss (20-1): Edwin Gonzalez; #9 Sweet Azteca (8-1): Juan J. Hernandez; #10 Simply Joking (30-1): Manuel Franco; #11 Explora (4-1): Jose L. Ortiz; #12 Kilwin (8-1): Javier J. Castellano; #13 Nooni (30-1): Mario Gutierrez.

Prevagen Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (Saturday, 1:48 PM ET)

#1 John The Beer Man (30-1): Kendrick Carmouche; #2 Shisospicy (15-1): Luis Saez; #3 Bacio (5-2): Juan J. Hernandez; #4 Roja (30-1): Manuel Franco; #5 Time To Dazzle (20-1): Oisin Murphy; #6 Yellow Card (8-1): Flavien Prat; #7 Comanche Brave (3-1): Billy Loughnane; #8 Possiblemente (12-1): Jose L. Ortiz; #9 In Our Time (20-1): Micah J. Husbands; #10 Cy Fair (8-1): John R. Velazquez; #11 Joe Shiesty (10-1): Fernando De La Cruz; #12 Sorrento Sky (12-1): Umberto Rispoli; #13 Starlust (20-1): Rossa Ryan; #14 Miss Yechance (15-1): Jack Nicholls.

Dirt Mile (Saturday, 2:26 PM ET)

#1 Further Ado (2-1): Flavien Prat; #2 T Kraft (15-1): Junior Alvarado; #3 Full Serrano (10-1): Joel Rosario; #4 Chunk Of Gold (8-1): Jaime A. Torres; #5 Coal Battle (6-1): Juan P. Vargas; #6 Lord Fons (15-1): Kazuo Yokoyama; #7 Bracket Buster (7-2): John R. Velazquez; #8 Moonlight (15-1): Manuel Franco; #9 Forged Steel (15-1): Edwin Gonzalez; #10 Owen Almighty (10-1): Luis Saez; #11 Iron Man Cal (12-1): Tyler Gaffalione.

Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (Saturday, 3:04 PM ET)

#1 Gimme A Nother (10-1): John R. Velazquez; #3 Classic Q (20-1): Javier J. Castellano; #4 Red Letter (12-1): Dylan Browne McMonagle; #5 Kathynmarissa (5-1): Jose L. Ortiz; #6 Thought Process (15-1): Manuel Franco; #7 Bless The Broken (20-1): Oisin Murphy; #8 Jancis (20-1): Billy Lee; #9 Eccentric (30-1): Walter A. Rodriguez; #10 Expensive Queen (15-1): Luis Saez; #11 Precise (7-2): Ryan Moore; #12 Blue Bolt (5-2): Colin Keane; #13 Lush Lips (12-1): Tyler Gaffalione; #14 Stellify (12-1): Flavien Prat; Vina Arana (also-eligible, draws in): Adam Beschizza. Scratched: Evershed.

Cygames Breeders' Cup Sprint (Saturday, 3:42 PM ET)

#1 Mad House (30-1): Paco Lopez; #2 Dark Saffron (20-1): Connor Beasley; #3 Liam Smith (20-1): Manuel Franco; #4 Hymn (15-1): Rafael Bejarano; #5 Listenupshance (12-1): Emisael Jaramillo; #6 American Stage (30-1): Oisin Murphy; #7 Built (10-1): Luis Saez; #8 Little Thunder (30-1): John R. Velazquez; #9 Nakatomi (12-1): Tyler Gaffalione; #10 Roll On Big Joe (30-1): Julien R. Leparoux; #11 T O Elvis (7-2): Ryusei Sakai; #12 Stradale (20-1): Flavien Prat; #13 Englishman (4-5): Jose L. Ortiz.

FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (Saturday, 4:20 PM ET)

#1 Deterministic (8-1): Kendrick Carmouche; #2 Lake Forest (6-1): Cieren Fallon; #3 Facteur Cheval (30-1): Manuel Franco; #4 Cabo Spirit (30-1): Mike E. Smith; #5 Ask Ikigomi (20-1): Ryusei Sakai; #7 Qirat (30-1): Colin Keane; #8 Notable Speech (7-5): William Buick; #9 Rhetorical (8-1): Jose L. Ortiz; #10 Lugal (30-1): Oisin Murphy; #11 Formidable Man (15-1): John R. Velazquez; #12 True Love (8-1): Wayne Lordan; #13 Brilliant Berti (30-1): Brian J. Hernandez, Jr.; #14 Puerto Rico (10-1): Ryan Moore. Scratched: Zulu Kingdom.

Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (Saturday, 4:58 PM ET)

#1 Immersive (30-1): Junior Alvarado; #2 Nitrogen (6-5): Jose L. Ortiz; #3 Regaled (20-1): Joseph D. Ramos; #4 Fully Subscribed (8-5): Flavien Prat; #6 Measure (20-1): Manuel Franco; #7 Super Corredora (15-1): Joel Rosario; #8 Splendora (9-2): Tyler Gaffalione; #9 Eunomia (30-1): Micah J. Husbands. Scratched: Scottish Lassie.

Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (Saturday, 5:36 PM ET)

#1 Ethical Diamond (10-1): Dylan Browne McMonagle; #2 Benvenuto Cellini (6-1): Ryan Moore; #3 Minaret Station (15-1): Jose L. Ortiz; #4 Far Bridge (20-1): John R. Velazquez; #5 El Cordobes (15-1): William Buick; #6 Burnham Square (8-1): Brian J. Hernandez, Jr.; #7 Hotazhell (15-1): Shane Foley; #8 Test Score (30-1): Manuel Franco; #9 Johanna Walsh (12-1): Mickael Barzalona; #10 Tiffany (10-1): Luke Morris; #11 Survie (15-1): Flavien Prat; #12 Diamond Necklace (3-1): Christophe Soumillon; #13 Bay City Roller (5-1): Oisin Murphy; #14 Deep Monster (30-1): Tom Marquand.

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (Saturday, 6:16 PM ET)

#1 T O Password (30-1): Kazushi Kimura; #2 Sovereignty (5-2): Junior Alvarado; #3 Golden Tempo (5-1): Jose L. Ortiz; #4 The Puma (10-1): Javier J. Castellano; #5 Forever Young (2-1): Ryusei Sakai; #6 Magnitude (6-1): Flavien Prat; #7 Knightsbridge (9-2): Luis Saez; #8 Napoleon Solo (15-1): John R. Velazquez.

Classic jockey angles as bets

Example Ticket: Longines Breeders' Cup Classic

Win bet: $10 to win on #6 Magnitude with Flavien Prat. At 6-1, that returns $70 if the odds hold.

The switch exacta: $1 exacta box, #3 Golden Tempo (Jose Ortiz) and #6 Magnitude (Prat), the two horses at the center of this year's biggest jockey decision. Two combinations for $2.

Past winners trifecta: $1 trifecta box, #4 The Puma, #5 Forever Young, #6 Magnitude, #8 Napoleon Solo, the four horses ridden by jockeys who have already won the Classic. 24 combinations for $24.

Payouts are based on morning-line odds; your actual return depends on the final odds at post time. Jockey changes can still happen up to post time, so see the latest Breeders' Cup odds for updated prices and riders. For the stories behind the Classic field, see our Longines Breeders' Cup Classic storylines, and for where to watch, see how to watch the 2026 Breeders' Cup.

For the full card, see the latest Breeders' Cup odds and every race at Keeneland on FanDuel Racing.

Odds are morning lines from the Oct. 26 draw and are subject to change.

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