Title: Meet the Jockeys Competing in the 150th Preakness Stakes
An exciting Kentucky Derby (G1) is in the books, and now a solid field of 3-year-old racehorses is lined up to compete in the historic 150th running of the Preakness Stakes (G1) May 17 at Pimlico Race Course. The jockeys assigned to ride in the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown are an eclectic group, including three Preakness winners and four jockeys making their first start in the race. Let’s meet them.
Nik Juarez
Age: 31
Originally from: Westminster, Md.
Previous rides in the Preakness Stakes: none
Best finish: n/a
2025 Preakness horse: American Promise
Nik Juarez earned his first Kentucky Derby mount two weeks ago aboard American Promise, and he stays aboard the Justify colt for his first Preakness appearance. It will be a very special day for Juarez, who was born and grew up in Westminster, Md., about 30 miles northeast of Pimlico in suburban Baltimore. Juarez has built a successful career riding in various tracks over the past 10 years, most recently at Oaklawn Park, where he established a relationship with American Promise’s legendary trainer, D. Wayne Lukas. Juarez’s agent is retired jockey and three-time Preakness winner Gary Stevens, a Hall of Famer.
Raul Mena
Age: 33
Originally from: Chile
Previous rides in the Preakness Stakes: none
Best finish: n/a
2025 Preakness horse: Pay Billy
Raul Mena began his riding career in his native Chile after being introduced to horse racing by his father and getting his first job as a groom at age 14. He overcame a 2011 spill resulting in serious injuries and earned his first win in the U.S. in 2015. Mena, who was mentored by retired Hall of Fame jockey and fellow Chilean Jose Santos early during his U.S. career, has become a mainstay at tracks such as Tampa Bay Downs and more recently Laurel Park and Delaware Park. He’s off to a strong start this year as the regular rider for Mid-Atlantic standout Pay Billy, who’s won three of four 2025 starts and heads to the Preakness having won two straight stakes races.
Irad Ortiz Jr.
Age: 32
Originally from: Puerto Rico
Previous rides in the Preakness Stakes: 6
Best finish: 2nd in 2021 (Midnight Bourbon) and 2023 (Blazing Sevens)
2025 Preakness horse: River Thames
Perennial leading jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. nearly added a Woodlawn Vase replica trophy to his crowded mantle in 2023 when Blazing Sevens came up a head short to National Treasure in the 148th Preakness. He’s off to a typically strong start to his 2025 season, locked in a tight early battle for the North American lead in wins with Paco Lopez and his younger brother, Jose, after ranking first in that category for an impressive eight years straight. Irad took the mount on River Thames for the first time in the colt’s most recent start and nearly guided him to a win in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1), finishing third by three-quarters of a length. Despite qualifying for the Kentucky Derby, River Thames bypassed the May 3 classic and could be ready to produce a top effort in the Preakness.
Jose Ortiz
Age: 31
Originally from: Puerto Rico
Previous rides in the Preakness Stakes: 5
Best finish: 1st in 2022 (Early Voting)
2025 Preakness horse: Clever Again
Jose Ortiz is off to one of the best yearly starts in what is shaping up as a Hall of Fame-worthy career. He finished up his first full-time meet riding at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots as the runaway wins and purse earnings leader, and he has continued that hot streak in Kentucky at Keeneland and early in Churchill Downs’ meet. Ortiz rode Sandman to a seventh-place finish in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago but was already tabbed to ride fast-rising colt Clever Again Saturday when Sandman was belatedly redirected toward a start in the Preakness. The 2022 Preakness winner will stay aboard Clever Again after piloting him to two consecutive wins for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, most recently in the Hot Springs Stakes.
Saffie Osborne
Age: 23
Originally from: Great Britain
Previous rides in the Preakness Stakes: none
Best finish: n/a
2025 Preakness horse: Heart of Honor
At age 23, Saffie Osborne will be in the international spotlight as she makes her first start in the United States—in a Triple Crown race. She grew up immersed in the sport through her parents, Jamie and Katie. Jamie, a former National Hunt jockey, transitioned into training during the 2000s, while Katie is an equine and nature artist. Saffie began her own riding career as an apprentice in 2020, and after becoming a professional, tallied her first group stakes win in 2023. Last year, she made headlines by becoming the first woman to win a race at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, and earlier this year at that track, she rode Heart of Honor (trained by her father) to very close runner-up finishes in Dubai’s two marquee races for 3-year-olds. Now, Saffie has a chance to become the first female jockey to win the Preakness.
Flavien Prat
Age: 32
Originally from: France
Previous rides in the Preakness Stakes: 2
Best finish: 1st in 2021 (Rombauer)
2025 Preakness horse: Goal Oriented
Flavien Prat has continued to ride at an elite level in 2025 after setting North American records for stakes wins and graded stakes wins last year, a campaign that earned him his first Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey. Prat earned his first Preakness win four years ago aboard Rombauer, his debut mount, and he finished third in his second appearance last year on Catching Freedom. The big-race rider will be aboard Goal Oriented Saturday after Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert decided to wheel the colt back in two weeks following an allowance win on the Kentucky Derby undercard May 3.
Umberto Rispoli
Age: 36
Originally from: Italy
Previous rides in the Preakness Stakes: none
Best finish: n/a
2025 Preakness horse: Journalism
He’s been one of California’s best jockeys for the past five years or so, but in 2025, Umberto Rispoli is fast becoming a national presence thanks to his success aboard Journalism. They’ve paired up for three graded stakes wins since December and one runner-up finish, that coming two weeks ago in the Kentucky Derby, where horse and rider overcame some early difficulty and battled gamely with winner Sovereignty before settling for second. Journalism went off as the post-time favorite in the Kentucky Derby and figures to do so again in the Preakness Stakes, giving Rispoli another great opportunity to pick up his first win in a Triple Crown race.
Luis Saez
Age: 32
Originally from: Panama
Previous rides in the Preakness Stakes: 4
Best finish: 2nd in 2018 (Bravazo)
2025 Preakness horse: Gosger
Luis Saez will aim for his first Preakness win two days before he turns 33. One of the nation’s most successful jockeys, he has ranked in the top 10 on the North American earnings list every year since 2015 and recently finished the competitive Keeneland meet with an impressive win rate of 23%. Saez rode Bravazo to a close second-place finish in the 2018 Preakness behind eventual Triple Crown winner Justify on a day when fog permeated the grounds at Pimlico. He’ll hope for a clear path to victory Saturday aboard Gosger, who won the Lexington Stakes (G3) last month.
John Velazquez
Age: 54
Originally from: Puerto Rico
Previous rides in the Preakness Stakes: 13
Best finish: 1st in 2023 (National Treasure)
2025 Preakness horse: Sandman
Two years ago, Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez won his first Preakness by giving National Treasure a perfect pacesetting journey, harnessing the colt’s speed and setting easy fractions in order to save energy for what turned out to be a very close finish where he fended off Blazing Sevens by a head. Now, the universally admired rider is back after a year’s absence aboard a contender with a completely opposite running style in Sandman. He was named to ride the Arkansas Derby winner May 12 and will team up with the deep closer for the first time. Velazquez’s experience in this race, where he’s finished second three times and third once in addition to his 2023 win, should be an asset Saturday evening.
