2011 Belmont Stakes Favorites: 8 Jockeys to Watch on Race Day
In thoroughbred racing, the horses are the stars of the show. But they cannot perform alone.While the trainer and his team are the ones fully responsible for getting the horse ready to perform on race day, it’s the jockey the one responsible during the race for the horse's performance.
"It takes two to tango," says the common idiomatic expression that could best describe the relationship of the horse and the jockey. The jockey leads, and the horse follows. So if the jockey makes the wrong lead move, the horse will follow, and their shot at victory could diminish.
There are many factors outside of a jockey's control that influence the outcome of the race, such as the horse just not feeling well that day, a bad jump at the start, the horse breaking down, another jockey or horse’s unexpected move, etc. But in the end, the jockey's decision on his horse during the race is the key.
In this year's Belmont, the jockey talent pool is very strong. We have four Eclipse Award winners, including two that are two-time winners. Others have won riding titles at their home tracks. All of them are very talented. Here you will see the riders you must be watching on the Belmont Stakes.
8. Javier Castellano
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HORSE: Stay Thirsty
ODDS: 20-1
Castellano began riding in 1996 in his native Venezuela. He is known for his work with two great horses.
In 2004, he won several major races including the 2004 Breeders' Cup Classic, with Ghostzapper. In 2006, he won the Preakness Stakes and the Jockey Club Gold Cup with Bernardini.
Javier is a very smart and versatile jockey who always gets the best of his horse. Here at the Belmont Stakes, he's aboard Stay Thirsty, a son of his former ride, Bernardini. He rode him in the 2010 Breeders Cup Juvenile and is one of Todd Pletcher’s prime jockeys.
Stay Thirsty has shown the ability to run upfront. With Shackleford, the true speed of the race, on the outside post and Stay Thirsty on post two, Javier could go for the lead and use his ability to relax horses, trying to stretch him out and eventually hold off the trailers at the end.
7. Joel Rosario
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HORSE: Brilliant Speed
ODDS: 15-1
Born in the Dominican Republic, where he started riding in 2000, Joel is a jockey who seems to do everything effortlessly. He is based in California, which maybe the reason why, even when he’s been near the top of the earnings lists the past two years, he may not be as known on the East Coast. He is currently third in earnings in 2011.
His most important win to date is the 2009 Breeders Cup Sprint with Dancing With Silks. He also was Blind Luck’s jockey last year during her memorable last minute wins over Havre De Grace. His best performances are with late runners, timing the finish line, taking the race at the wire.
Brilliant Speed fits that bill. He rode him for the first time in the Blue Grass Stakes and took him to the winner’s circle. He had to come from last to first, winning by a nose over Twinspired, and was his rider when he finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby through traffic.
The Belmont Stakes is a race that is almost always decided in the final furlong and strides, and he can very well do that with Brilliant Speed.
6. Shaun Bridgmohan
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HORSE: Santiva
ODDS: 15-1
A Jamaican native, Bridgmohan started riding in Calder on 1997, and in 1998, he won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey.
He has now won Stakes such as the Gotham (1999), the Jockey Club Gold Cup (2002), the Jerome (2004) and the Louisiana Derby and the Risen Star (2008), but is still looking for that elusive first classic win.
He is aboard Santiva, whom he rode to a sixth place in the Kentucky Derby, and to Santiva’s only win to date in last year’s Kentucky Jockey Club. He is currently 13th in earnings in 2011, and he is sitting on a classic win anytime now.
This will be only Santiva’s third race this year, and in the previous two, he improved. Shaun knows him very well, and when he won with him last year, he stalked the pace setter from second place and made his move to bat Astrology, the Preakness third place finisher, by half-a-length.
I think Shaun will be making a carbon copy of that race, stalking the pace closely, then making his move early and holding off the trailers.
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5. Garrett Gomez
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HORSE: Master of Hounds
ODDS: 10-1
One of the two big race jockeys in the Belmont, Garrett is a two-time Eclipse Award winner for Outstanding Jockey, back-to-back in 2007 and 2008, and was the earnings leader from 2006 through 2009.
He holds the record for most stakes victories in a season, when he broke Jerry Bailey’s record by winning 76 stakes races in 2007. He has won twelve Breeders Cup races, including his biggest win so far in last year’s Classic when he defeated Horse of the Year Zenyatta aboard Blame.
His resume is still incomplete because he has not won a Triple Crown race. In 2007, he was Rags to Riches' jockey, but when he committed to Hard Spun in the Belmont Stakes, John Velazquez picked up the mount and won it, defeating Curlin in a photo finish for the ages.
This year with Master of Hounds, he has another golden opportunity to capture that elusive Triple Crown race victory. He has everything in his favor, including the inside post, which has produced the most winners, and a rested and capable horse, that this time, should not see as much traffic as he did in the Derby, and have a shot at winning the Test of a Champion.
Garrett is an extremely smart jockey, and he knows that he has to keep Animal Kingdom behind. He will try to make his move ahead of Animal Kingdom and make him catch up. If he does that, he might finally scratch one of the big ones from his bucket list.
4. Ramon Dominguez
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HORSE: Mucho Macho Man
ODDS: 10-1
Another great jockey to come from Venezuela, Ramon started riding there in his native country in 1992 and in the United States in 1996. He won the 2010 Eclipse Award winner as Outstanding Jockey and led all jockeys in earnings.
He led the jockeys in wins in 2001 and 2003. He is just a winning machine, and all his rides are sound and perform well. He is the regular rider for Gio Ponti, winning six Grade I stakes with him. His lone Classic win came in 2004 in the Breeders Cup Turf with Better Talk Now.
In the Belmont, he replaces Rajiv Maragh on Mucho Macho Man. With Mucho Macho Man, he has a horse that everyone is still waiting for that breakthrough performance. With all due respect to Rajiv, who is a very good jockey, the change to Ramon can do just that.
Ramon could ride Mucho Macho Man just like he used to do with former contender Boys At Tosconova. In Mucho Macho Man, he now has a horse that he can place near the pace in stalking mode, which he does so well, and start pressing from the final three furlongs down.
If Mucho Macho Man can finally perform up to his potential, Ramon Dominguez can get the best out of him. Ramon has the horse that, with his riding skills and style, gives him the best chance to win his first Triple Crown race win.
3. Jesus Castañon
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HORSE: Shackleford
ODDS: 9-2
Jesus started riding back in his native Mexico in 1989. He went to the United States that same year and won the Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar. He has been riding in both Canada and the United States since and has won over 2000 races.
He is probably the least heralded of all the jockeys in the Belmont. He exemplifies what a lot of jockeys are right now. Like him, there are a lot of strong and capable jockeys with skills who just need that chance at a top ride to showcase themselves at the bigger stage.
After his Preakness Stakes win, Jesus is no longer just another name in the jockey pool. He rides Shackleford once again, now with bigger stakes at hand and much more spotlight.
The Belmont Stakes is a very tactical race. The jockeys play a big part on the outcome of it. A lot of people doubt that Shackleford can stretch to a-mile-and-a-half, especially with the outside post. That puts a lot of pressure on Jesus to go out and make all the right moves to win.
It’s uncertain if anyone will try to challenge Shackleford for the lead, so Jesus' decisions on him are the key. He must decide early on where to place him, relax him like he did in the Preakness, and hold on. I can expect Jesus mirroring a race like Alan Garcia on Da’Tara did back in 2008.
He is definitely worth watching. He will literally have his hands full.
2. Corey Nakatani
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HORSE: Nehro
ODDS: 4-1
California based veteran jockey Corey Nakatani began racing in 1988. He has won over 3,000 races and multiple riding titles in Del Mar, Oak Tree, Hollywood Park and Santa Anita.
Although he has never won a Triple Crown Race, he is no stranger to big time races and horses. He has won seven Breeders Cup races, including four in the Sprint Cup. He has also been the regular rider of champions Itsallgreektome, Jewel Princess, Lit de Justice, Possible Perfect, Reraise, Wandesta, and Sweet Catomine.
Corey is very versatile and has a knack for front runners. In the Belmont, he has the mount of late runner Nehro, whom he rode to second place finishes in the Arkansas Derby and the Kentucky Derby.
In the Arkansas Derby, Corey rode Nehro from tenth through traffic to finish second losing by just a neck to Archarcharch. In The Kentucky Derby, posting way outside in gate 18, he did something some have criticized, but was very smart on his part in reality.
Corey identified the phantom pace and placed Nehro sixth on the clear just three lengths behind the pace setters and was just a length behind Shackleford at the top of the stretch, and only Animal Kingdom was able to pass by him.
With Animal Kingdom’s exception, no other late runner got to him. In the Belmont, the pace should be slowed down again due to the distance, and it will be up to Corey, once again, to decide where to place Nehro.
Which pace will he run? Will he repeat the Arkansas Derby ride or the Kentucky Derby ride? His decision will have a direct impact on Nehro’s chances. That is why we will be watching Corey.
1. John Velazquez
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HORSE: Animal Kingdom
ODDS: 2-1
Born in Puerto Rico, he began riding there in 1990, and moved later that year to the United States under the guidance of Hall of Famer, fellow Puerto Rican, Angel Cordero Jr.
He is a two-time Eclipse Award winner for Outstanding Jockey in back-to-back years, 2004 and 2005, when he also led the jockeys in earnings. He has won twenty-four riding titles in the New York Circuit of Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga.
Like Garrett Gomez, JohnnyV, like he is known, is the other big race jockey in the Belmont. He has won eight Breeders Cup races, one Dubai World Cup and the Belmont Stakes, which he won aboard Rags to Riches in 2007.
His first win in the Kentucky Derby came this year with Animal Kingdom. He finished second with him in the Preakness and repeats the mount for the Belmont.
Johnny is a very patient rider, but this doesn’t mean he can’t be aggressive when called for. He always finishes well and makes smart decisions, which is why he is so sought after in big races.
Some have questioned whether Animal Kingdom was too far behind in the Preakness. The reality is that his horse didn’t break as well as in the Derby and reacted unexpectedly to the sand being thrown at his face and got pushed back farther than what Johnny wanted.
Like I expressed before, those are some of the circumstances out of a jockey’s control. The horse now has more experience on dirt, and Johnny finally worked him in his workout on Monday. They know each other better, and Belmont is a track Johnny knows very well.
Expect Johnny to take an approach in this race similar to the one he had with Rags to Riches. Keeping Animal Kingdom in the clear and wait for his main competition to make their move and go from there. Because this is a tactical race, is always great to see the approach of a tactical jockey like John Velazquez.
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