Umberto Rispoli: 2025 Belmont Stakes Jockey Profile

Key Takeaways:

• Umberto Rispoli is a top jockey with experience in Italy, Hong Kong, and North America, earning 623 wins and nearly $50 million in purse earnings.
• He excels in turf racing with multiple Grade 1 victories, but his recent Triple Crown success, including a Preakness win aboard Journalism, has put him in the spotlight.
• The 2025 Belmont Stakes marks Rispoli’s first ride in the race and at Saratoga, introducing uncertainty and excitement.
• Rispoli's ride on Journalism showcased grit, overcoming a tough Preakness trip to win, positioning him as a strong contender for the Triple Crown's final leg.

Umberto Rispoli has been a professional jockey for two decades, but he has never been in the spotlight as much as this year. He is the regular rider of Journalism: second behind Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, and the fearless winner of the Preakness Stakes two weeks later at Pimlico Race Course.

He started his career in Italy and then moved on to ride in Hong Kong. He came to Canada a few times during his Hong Kong career to ride in turf stakes at Woodbine, with his best finish in those occasional visits coming with Scalo in the 2012 Sky Classic Stakes (G2), third behind Forte Dei Marmi. His biggest win in Hong Kong came the same year, when he won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) at Sha Tin with Rulership.

Umberto Rispoli moved his tack to the United States in 2019, when he set up in Southern California and began riding at the winter meet at Santa Anita. He quickly established himself as a strong rider, particularly on turf. So far in North America, Rispoli has won 623 races, with purse earnings approaching $50 million.

Rispoli came close to a graded-stakes win the very first day he rode races in California: in the 2019 Mathis Brothers Mile (G2), he rode Originaire to a second-place finish behind Mo Forza. He would earn his first North American graded-stakes win in June with Red King in the San Juan Capistrano (G3).

Rispoli won at the Grade 1 level in the United States for the first time with Rock Your World in the 2021 Santa Anita Derby. He has 13 North American wins at the top level so far, including two with Journalism, his mount in the Belmont Stakes. Journalism and Rock Your World are his only Grade 1 winners on the dirt; his top-level winners on the lawn include the horses Formidable Man, Johannes, Anisette, Ocean Road, Going to Vegas, and Smooth Like Strait.

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Umberto Rispoli in the Belmont Stakes

The Belmont Stakes is new territory for Umberto Rispoli: he has yet to ride in the third jewel of the Triple Crown, either at Belmont Park or at Saratoga. He also has yet to ride in the Travers (G1), the marquee 1 ¼-mile race for three-year-olds at Saratoga, which is run over the same course and distance as the relocated Belmont Stakes in 2024 and 2025.

In fact, this is a new adventure for Rispoli: his rides during the 2025 Belmont Stakes racing festival will be his first at Saratoga.

Umberto Rispoli in the Triple Crown

To say a Triple Crown race is something new for Rispoli does not mean one should count him out. After all, he had never ridden in the Preakness Stakes until 2025, and he guided Journalism to victory with a fearless ride after a troubled trip. Rispoli had never ridden at Pimlico until Preakness day 2025—and in three mounts, he racked up two wins, with Journalism and with long shot Charlene’s Dream in the Gallorette (G3) on the lawn.

Rispoli has a bit more experience in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. His first ride in the Kentucky Derby came in 2021 when he finished 14th with long shot Brooklyn Strong. He returned to the Run for the Roses in 2024 to ride Endlessly for trainer Michael McCarthy—who also conditions Journalism. Endlessly went on to finish ninth behind Mystik Dan. His better form has come on synthetic and turf, however, and Rispoli will ride Endlessly for McCarthy again in the Manhattan (G1) on Belmont Stakes Saturday. Rispoli’s third visit to the Kentucky Derby, his most successful to date, came in 2025 when he finished second with Journalism.

Umberto Rispoli and 2025 Belmont Stakes contender Journalism

Umberto Rispoli rides frequently for trainer Michael McCarthy, and has had good horses from his barn since early in the Southern California phase of his career. Rispoli has been Journalism’s regular rider, in the irons for all but one of his seven career starts.

Kentucky Derby trail

Journalism debuted on October 27 in a six-furlong maiden special weight sprint with Rispoli in the irons. He showed some promise, closing up some late ground to finish third, 2 ¾ lengths behind long shot winner Smooth Cruisein. However, with Journalism being by Curlin out of the two-turn Uncle Mo mare Mopotism, sprints always seemed unlikely to be Journalism’s best game.

The next race, a one-mile maiden at Del Mar on November 17, was the only one Rispoli didn’t ride. Ricardo Gonzalez guided Journalism to victory, while Rispoli finished a no-match third on Brother Tony for trainer Peter Miller.

Journalism’s maiden win earned him a ticket to the Kentucky Derby trail, and Rispoli was back in the irons for the Los Alamitos Futurity the next month. That day he stalked, pounced, and galloped clear to win by 3 ½ lengths over Bob Baffert’s more experienced Getaway Car.

After a freshening, Journalism returned for his sophomore debut March 1 in the San Felipe, with Rispoli riding again. Barnes was the buzz horse for Bob Baffert, but Journalism carried the day, winning by 1 ¾ lengths over Barnes in stalk-and-pounce fashion. Next out, in the Santa Anita Derby, Journalism stamped himself the putative Kentucky Derby favorite. Not only did he beat a good group of horses, including Baeza and Citizen Bull, but Rispoli stayed calm despite Journalism getting bottled up and got him home in time.

Kentucky Derby

After proving over and over again that he was best in the west, Journalism was bet down to 3-1 favoritism in the Kentucky Derby. Journalism sat further off the pace than usual in the Kentucky Derby, a smart tactical move by Rispoli, given how fast the early fractions went. He made a smart-looking move around the far turn, but Sovereignty was coming as well from just a little further back. They battled through midstretch, but Sovereignty was going just the better of the two. Journalism was still game enough late, however, to hold off a closing Baeza by a neck to keep the place.

Preakness Stakes

After Journalism came out of the Kentucky Derby well, McCarthy brought Journalism to Pimlico for the Preakness, and Rispoli joined him as well. Rispoli and Journalism had already proven in the Santa Anita Derby that they could handle trouble, but that paled in comparison to the things they had to overcome in the Preakness.

They settled off an honest pace and began to make up ground around the far turn. He slipped through between Goal Oriented around the turn. But, coming into the lane, Journalism had nowhere to go: pacesetter Clever Again was stopping right in front of him, and he was boxed in between Goal Oriented and the fence. Gosger was getting away.

It got worse in upper stretch. There was briefly room for Journalism to start slipping between Clever Again and Goal Oriented, but just as he was getting in, Goal Oriented veered right in on Journalism. Rispoli didn’t panic. When Goal Oriented was straightening out, Rispoli got Journalism through, with a clear run. Time was running out, but Journalism showed all the heart in the world, fighting on and getting up over Gosger in the final strides. It was a great Triple Crown feat, a great feat in general—and a testament to the talent and tenacity of both Rispoli and Journalism.

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