Top Jockeys and Trainers

Kentucky Derby Top Trainers

In Kentucky Derby odds and betting, the trainer for a horse is probably the first thing you should look to. The best trainers with the most consistent wins naturally go with the top owners and jockeys – and the best horses.

Among the Kentucky Derby top trainers to back are:

Kentucky Derby Top Jockeys

Some of the Kentucky Derby top jockeys to back are:

Kent Desormeaux

Hall of Fame Jockey, Kent Desormeaux is the 2008 Kentucky Derby winner on Big Brown and has won the event a total of 3 times. In 1989, he re-wrote the US record books winning the most races in that year. He came close to a Triple Crown win in 1998, winning both the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Derby, but lost out on the Belmont Stakes to Victory Gallop by just a nose!

Calvin Borel

LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 15: Jockey Calvin Borel fields questions from the media after riding Street Sense during his morning workout May 15, 2007 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Borel will ride this year's Kentucky Derby winner in the Preakness, the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown this weekend. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Winner of the 2007 Kentucky on Street Sense, Calvin Borel has also won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (2006) and the Travers Stakes (2007). In 2007, he became the sixth jockey in the history of Churchill Downs to win six races on a single race card. Borel is known for his ability to stick to the rail to save ground.

John Velazquez

Top jockey John Velazquez has had more than 3,000 winners in his 25 years as a jockey. His major victories include six Breeders’ Cup races, the Belmont Stakes in 2007, and races such as the Kentucky Oaks, Blue Grass Stakes, Dubai World Cup, E. P. Taylor Stakes (twice) and Woodbine Mile. In 2004 and 2005, he was the United States Champion Jockey and took the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey.

Robby Albarado

Robby Albarado has ridden in a total of eight Kentucky Derbys. In 2006, he secured a third place with Steppenwolfer, and in 2007, he took third again with Curlin. Albarado and Curlin went on to win the 2007 Preakness Stakes. Robby Albarado won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 2004.

Mario Pino

In 2007, Mario Pino became the 15th US jockey ever to clock up 6,000 career wins. In the 2007 Kentucky Derby, he rode second-place winner Hard Spun. He went on to achieve a third position in the Preakness Stakes.

Corey Nakatini

Corey Nakatani has won more than 3,000 races. In 2006, he was ranked as the sixth top US jockey. Wins by Nakatini include seven Breeders’ Cup victories, the Kentucky Oaks twice, the Canadian International Stakes, and the Dubai Golden Shaheen.

David Flores

David Flores has had three Breeders’ Cup victories. Riding for the famous Godolphin Stables, he won the UAE Derby in 2001. Flores had achieved over 3,000 race wins in his career.

Edgar Prado

By 2004, Edgar Prado had clocked up a total of 5,000 race wins. Some of his notable victories include the 2006 Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes twice (in 2002 and 2004), the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (2005) and the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (2005).

For the 2009 running, remember that Kentucky Derby top trainers and jockeys go with the top horses!