Along with a few of the most achieved jockeys in the US, Japan’s prime riders even have 42 courses of driving.n.d. The highest three finishers from final 12 months’s Longines Traditional, additionally held at Del Mar, will run once more, with Sierra Leone, Fierceness and Japan’s Without end Younger all having the identical jockey.
Add in 4 of the highest 3-year-olds in 2025, led by Kentucky Derby Introduced by Woodford Reserve, Belmont Stakes Introduced by NYRA Betts, and DraftKings Travers Stakes winner Sovereignty, and two strong older horses in Thoughts Body and Antiquarian, and you’ve got the makings of a sensational traditional.
The jockey’s choices are of the utmost significance as these top-class thoroughbreds race round Del Mar’s grime observe over the so-called “traditional” distance of 1 mile and 1 / 4 mile (similar because the Kentucky Derby). Thankfully, the collective portfolio of Breeders’ Cup Traditional jockeys features a wealth of expertise on this race and equally prestigious stakes races. Let’s introduce this 12 months’s riders.
Junior Alvarado
12 months: 39
Birthplace: Venezuela
Breeders’ Cup wins: 3
Greatest ends in the Breeders’ Cup Traditional: 2022 2nd place (Olympic)
His 2025 Breeders’ Cup Traditional horses: sovereignty
At all times extremely regarded amongst his fellow jockeys, Junior Alvarado has reached the top of his profession over the previous 4 years. He rode Cody’s Want to his first World Championship victory in 2022, when the colt gained the Breeders’ Cup Dust Mile and completed second to Celebrity Flight Line within the Longines Traditional on the Olympics. A 12 months later, Alvarado and Cody’s Want once more gained the Dust Mile, and Cody’s Want was named the 2023 Horse of the Yr. Alvarado now has 5 prestigious stakes wins with the 3-year-old Sovereignty, together with wins within the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes, and counting by 2025. These three races have been contested over 1 1/4 miles, much like the Traditional.
Hector Berrios
12 months: 38
Birthplace: Chile
Breeders’ Cup wins: 0
Greatest ends in the Breeders’ Cup Traditional: Not relevant
His 2025 Breeders’ Cup Traditional horses: baeza
After a brief stint in the US within the early 2010s, Hector Berrios returned from his dwelling nation (the place he began driving at age 17) in 2022 and have become one of many mainstays of the Southern California jockey colony. 9 of his 10 world championship rides have been since then, and he virtually gained the 2022 Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff driving longshot runner-up Bluestripe. Berrios rode Baeza 3 times in early 2025, passing the reins to Flavien Prat within the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, and driving him once more within the colt’s final two races, together with a breakthrough stakes victory within the Pennsylvania Derby on September 20.
Florent Geroux
12 months: 39
Birthplace: France
Breeders’ Cup wins: 8
Greatest ends in the Breeders’ Cup Traditional: 2017 Winner (Gun Runner)
His 2025 Breeders’ Cup Traditional horses: the alternative mind-set
Florent Geroux has gained a few of the sport’s largest races through the years, together with the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Traditional at Del Mar aboard Corridor of Famer Gun Runner. Nonetheless, for this 12 months’s Traditional, “Opposite Pondering” was appointed as a horse with a distinct aim. The gelding is co-owned by Peter Brandt, who can also be co-owner of the earlier Traditional winner Sierra Leone. Opposite Pondering is within the Traditional making an attempt to construct a quick tempo to assist deep nearer Sierra Leone, so he is there to offer assists to his stablemate moderately than “actually making an attempt to win.” If all goes in accordance with plan, Jeru and Opposite Pondering will lead the Traditional for a few mile earlier than fading away.
Airado Ortiz Jr.
12 months: 33
Birthplace: puerto rico
Breeders’ Cup wins: 20
Greatest ends in the Breeders’ Cup Traditional: Winners in 2019 (Vino Rosso) and 2023 (White Avario)
His 2025 Breeders’ Cup Traditional horses: thoughts body
Capping off a usually spectacular 12 months, Airad Ortiz Jr. will likely be aiming for his third Longines Traditional win in seven years aboard Mindframe. On the Jockey Membership Gold Cup S on August thirty first, each the horse and the stallion narrowly escaped harm within the preliminaries, however Thoughts Body suffered the worst loss attributable to a sequence response of collisions, and Ortiz was unseated simply after exiting the beginning gate. Previous to that, Ortiz rode Thoughts Body to a powerful victory over Sierra Leone within the Stephen Foster Stakes in June. Regardless of having a five-time Eclipse Award winner underneath his belt, Thoughts Body could also be considerably neglected amongst later winners.
Jose Ortiz
12 months: 32
Birthplace: puerto rico
Breeders’ Cup wins: 6
Greatest ends in the Breeders’ Cup Traditional: He has completed in 4th place 4 occasions, most lately in 2020 (Tacitus).
His 2025 Breeders’ Cup Traditional horses: journalism
It is common for house owners and trainers to alter jockeys earlier than marquee races, however Jose Ortiz would be the beneficiary within the Breeders’ Cup Traditional. Prime class 3-year-old Journalism is ridden by Southern California-based jockey Humberto Rispoli, who has ridden him in 9 of his 10 profession races, together with an eight-game profitable streak highlighted by wins within the Preakness Stakes and NYRA Bets’ Haskell Stakes. However the stallion’s connections determined to make a change final week, and Journalism, who enters the Traditional with a second-place end behind Fierceness within the Pacific Traditional Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 30, may have the providers of a former Eclipse Award winner. Ortiz didn’t journey in final 12 months’s Traditional at Del Mar, however he rode Extra Than Appears within the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile offered by PDJF, scoring his sixth profession world championship win.
Flavien Prat
12 months: 33
Birthplace: France
Breeders’ Cup wins: 7
Greatest ends in the Breeders’ Cup Traditional: Winners in 2022 (Flightline) and 2024 (Sierra Leone)
His 2025 Breeders’ Cup Traditional horses: Sierra Leone
Jockey Flavien Prat is having fun with one more profitable season after profitable the Eclipse Award for Excellent Jockey for the primary time in 2024. He earned that distinction by setting single-season data for stakes wins and graded wins that very same 12 months, and continues to steer North American jockeys in these divisions in 2025. Pratt gained his second Breeders’ Cup final November with a well-timed journey by Sierra Leone at Del Mar. Traditional, and he plans to strive once more on November 1st with the assistance of Opposite Pondering from the Rabbit steady.
Luis Saez
12 months: 33
Birthplace: Panama
Breeders’ Cup wins: 1
Greatest ends in the Breeders’ Cup Traditional: 2n.d. 2013 (scheduled to be in cost)
His 2025 Breeders’ Cup Traditional horses: vintage collector
The truth that Luis Saez has solely gained one world championship is a deceptive statistic when his work as an entire. He has eight second-place finishes and eight third-place finishes, and practically gained the 2013 Traditional aboard champion Will Take Cost, who completed a nostril behind Mucho Macho Man in a thriller race. Persistently considered one of North America’s main jockeys in wins and cash, Saez is understood for his willingness to make use of his horse’s pure pace to realize advantageous early positions in races, a ability he’ll very seemingly make the most of at Antiquarian. He will likely be driving Jockey Membership Gold Stakes winner for the primary time in a Traditional and may dash out of his outdoors submit place as quickly because the beginning gate opens.
Ryusei Sakai
12 months: 28
Birthplace: Japan
Breeders’ Cup wins: 0
Greatest ends in the Breeders’ Cup Traditional: 2024 third place (Without end Younger)
His 2025 Breeders’ Cup Traditional horses: endlessly younger
A couple of 12 months in the past, the Breeders’ Cup highlight wasn’t as brilliant for Ryusei Sakai, who rode celebrity Japan-based racehorse Without end Younger to 3rd place within the Traditional. The younger jockey has already excelled in what’s going to seemingly be a good greater stage, the 2024 Kentucky Derby, the place he impressed Without end Younger to complete third, a neck behind the winner. Jockey Sakai is considered one of his nation’s main jockeys, and with Without end Younger returning to the Breeders’ Cup as the favourite to win, he has a very good probability to make a robust impression as soon as once more on American horse racing followers and betting lovers.
mike smith
12 months: 60
Birthplace: Roswell, New Mexico
Breeders’ Cup wins: 27
Greatest ends in the Breeders’ Cup Traditional: Winners in 1997 (Skip Away), 2009 (Zenyatta), 2011 (Drosselmeyer), and 2016 (Arrogate)
His 2025 Breeders’ Cup Traditional horses: nevada seashore
No jockey has had extra success within the Breeders’ Cup than “Huge Cash” Mike Smith. The Corridor of Famer has been a relentless presence on the World Championship because the early Nineteen Nineties, offering a few of the sport’s most memorable moments for champions like Skip Away, Zenyatta and Arrogate. Though Smith has reduce on his driving lately, he nonetheless has some huge wins, most lately within the Goodwood Stakes at Nevada Seaside the place he was educated by Bob Baffert. Aiming for his first Breeders’ Cup win since 2021, he’ll as soon as once more journey the quickly rising 3-year-old horse within the Traditional.
John Velasquez
12 months: 53
Birthplace: puerto rico
Breeders’ Cup wins: twenty one
Greatest ends in the Breeders’ Cup Traditional: 2020 award (real product)
His 2025 Breeders’ Cup Traditional horses: depth
At 53 years outdated, John Velasquez reveals no indicators of slowing down. Corridor of Fame jockeys do not journey as many horses in a day as youthful jockeys, however they nonetheless rack up main wins regularly. He completed the autumn meet at Keeneland Race Course (some of the aggressive occasions for jockeys) with seven wins, tying the file set by Pat Day in 1998. Jockey Velazquez has ridden Fierceness previously 11 races and gained the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 2023 as his first journey on the gifted colt. Since then, the 2 have teamed as much as compete within the Traverse Stakes and Pacific Traditional Stakes. The latter serves as a tune-up for Fierceness’ new problem within the classics. He completed second final 12 months underneath the usually nice driving of Velasquez.
