John R. Velazquez
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John R. Velazquez is a Puerto Rican jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. He pointed out in a 2026 interview that his legal first name is actually "Johnny," which is what is printed on his birth certif
Velazquez in 2016
Winning the Belmont on Union Rags
Tip Top Thomas and Velazquez at the 2025 Indiana Derby
Tip Top Thomas and Velazquez at the 2025 Indiana Derby
Kentucky Derby
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The Kentucky Derby is an American Grade I stakes race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles. Colts and geldings c
John R. Velazquez
…money-earning jockey in the history of the sport in 2014. A winner of fifteen Breeders' Cup and six Triple Crown races including 2011, 2017, and 2020 Kentucky Derbies, Velázquez has also won major graded stakes races such as the Kentucky Oaks, Metropolitan Handicap, Whitney Handicap, Pacific Classic Stakes, Dubai…
"The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" "The Run for the Roses" "The First Jewel of the Triple Crown"
Churchill Downs in 1901
Churchill Downs sign for the 2024 Kentucky Derby, its 150th running, with one of the twin spires in the background
Louisville Clock (often called the Louisville Derby Clock), which was dismantled in 2015