Many of the most successful riders in Breeders’ Cup history continue to ride today and are slated to compete on prominent entries during the impending Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland on October 30-31. Wagering on entries handled by riders with established track records in this event is a highly sensible strategy. Relying on horses paired with seasoned, historically triumphant Breeders’ Cup jockeys provides a solid edge when deciding between close contenders and can significantly elevate your handicapping analysis.
Historical performance suggests that top-tier options in the Breeders’ Cup frequently feature jockeys such as Mike Smith, John Velazquez, Irad Ortiz Jr., Joel Rosario, and William Buick. Which riders represent the elite tier at this event? Which notable names struggle to deliver? Below is a detailed breakdown examining how world-renowned jockeys have fared when racing on horse racing’s premier stage.
Top Breeders’ Cup Jockeys – Premier Performers
Climbing the Breeders’ Cup victory standings faster than anyone else is Irad Ortiz Jr., who captured his maiden Breeders’ Cup title in 2014 and has amassed 23 lifetime wins, including 20 over the past eight championship events. He has likewise risen to third place in all-time purse money earned by a rider with $31,590,345. At the 2025 event, Ortiz scored three victories across 11 rides, matching his three-win tallies from 2023 (13 rides), 2022 at Keeneland (13 rides), and 2021 (11 rides). His personal single-year benchmark remains his four-victory performance in 2019. With 23 wins from 122 lifetime rides, Ortiz boasts an outstanding 18.9% winning rate.
European riders have posted exceptional results across the last four Breeders’ Cups spanning 2022 to 2025. During the recent Del Mar meet, international jockeys captured six out of 14 contests, featuring five European riders taking five of six turf events. Back in 2024, European jockeys collected five of 14 titles, led by a pair of wins from Ryan Moore, who stands as one of the event’s premier historical riders with 16 victories in 104 starts (15.4%). Although a fractured leg kept Moore out of the 2025 championship, he is expected to be back in action riding Aidan O’Brien’s Coolmore fleet in the upcoming edition.
Among European competitors, William Buick boasts the most impressive Breeders’ Cup track record, sporting a remarkable 23.8% winning efficiency. Representing Godolphin and conditioner Charlie Appleby, Buick has logged 10 victories out of 42 starts, highlighted by his 2025 triumph in the Breeders’ Cup Mile riding Notable Speech. Buick has effectively conquered four of the previous five runnings of the Mile, and Notable Speech is slated to return to defend the crown in 2026.
Flavien Prat secured two victories during the 2025 Breeders’ Cup, matching his two-win performance from 2024. Prat has claimed two of the previous four Classic events (steering Sierra Leone in 2024 and Flightline in 2022), compiling six victories over the last four years alone. This streak lifts his lifetime tally to nine wins out of 110 rides, pushing his winning metric slightly above 8%.
Junior Alvarado added to his accolades in 2025 by guiding Scylla to victory for trainer Bill Mott in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, bringing his record to four wins across 23 starts. Alvarado previously pulled off a double at the 2023 event, piloting Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish in the Dirt Mile and leading Just F Y I to glory in the Juvenile Fillies. He will enter this year’s series with fresh opportunities to bolster his stats, notably riding Sovereignty in the Classic.
Mike Smith remains the undisputed all-time leader in Breeders’ Cup victories, having secured 27 wins across 157 lifetime starts (17.2%). Smith went unplaced on all four of his entries in 2025, and his sole win since 2017 occurred during the 2021 Juvenile aboard Corniche.
John Velazquez is another seasoned veteran positioned to make a major mark on the 2026 event. Velazquez has accumulated 22 Breeders’ Cup wins since his first in 1998, most recently taking the 2025 Juvenile with Ted Noffey. “Johnny V.” also struck gold in 2024 riding Straight No Chaser in the Sprint and in 2023 with Fierceness in the Juvenile, demonstrating his ongoing status as an elite big-race pilot. He occupies the top spot in career Breeders’ Cup purse earnings at $42,060,275, while his 22 victories rank third historically behind Smith and Irad Ortiz Jr.
Joel Rosario represents another established rider who has consistently produced results at the Breeders’ Cup. With 16 career victories and earnings reaching $30,012,535, Rosario sits fourth on the all-time earnings list. Notably, Rosario managed to win at least one Breeders’ Cup event every single season between 2014 and 2021.
Though sidelined for 2026 due to an injury, Florent Geroux warrants recognition. Amassing eight Breeders’ Cup titles from a mere 45 attempts, Geroux ranks near the top of active jockeys in win rate at 17.8%. His latest victory came with Idiomatic in the 2023 Distaff.
Underperforming Breeders’ Cup Jockeys
A number of highly accomplished, star jockeys have struggled to match their everyday dominance when competing in the Breeders’ Cup, highlighting just how difficult it is to score frequent victories on this championship stage and putting the top leaders’ achievements into perspective.
The list of underperforming Breeders’ Cup riders includes surprising figures, spearheaded by Jose Ortiz, a top contender for the 2026 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey. Despite his extensive career accolades, broad success in the Breeders’ Cup has continued to elude him. His record stands at 6 victories from 98 tries (6.1%), highlighted by an 0-for-10 run in 2025. He also went winless across five rides in 2023 and nine rides in 2022, with his sole recent victory occurring in 2024 aboard More Than Looks in the Mile.
Tyler Gaffalione is another rider whose Breeders’ Cup numbers lag behind expectations, given his routine dominance of Kentucky riding titles. Aside from his standout 2022 performance at Keeneland—where he captured the Turf Sprint on Caravel and the Juvenile Fillies on Wonder Wheel—he has struggled to win. Those two triumphs remain his only Breeders’ Cup wins to date. After going winless in eight attempts combined across 2024 and 2025, his lifetime mark sits at 2-for-71 (2.8%).
Perhaps the most prominent name on this list of marquee riders still seeking consistent Breeders’ Cup success is Luis Saez. Despite claiming meet titles at premier venues like Saratoga, Keeneland, and Gulfstream Park, Saez holds just a single Breeders’ Cup victory across 75 attempts (going 0-for-22 collectively between 2023 and 2025). His solitary win occurred in 2020 riding Essential Quality in the Juvenile.
Could 2026 mark a breakthrough turning point at the Breeders’ Cup for jockeys such as Saez, Gaffalione, and Jose Ortiz, or will historical titans like Irad Ortiz Jr. and John Velazquez maintain their reign? Catch all the action on October 30-31 to see how it unfolds. Have fun with the races and best of luck with your wagers.
