Hall of Fame jockey coming to Mountaineer
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NEW CUMBERLAND, W.Va. -- Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who is scheduled to ride in the $400,000 Grade III West Virginia Derby and the $200,000 West Virginia Governor's Stakes on Sunday, August 9, at Mountaineer Casino, Resort & Races, recently reached a major milestone in his long career.
Velazquez, who has won more than 6,800 races since he began riding in Puerto Rico in 1990, on July 31 won his 800th graded stakes when he guided Local Knowledge to victory in the Grade II Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. It's quite an achievement for the 54-year-old rider, who is currently in the midst of another banner season.
Velazquez is named to ride Zihnal in the 1 1/8-mile West Virginia Derby and Bracket Buster in the 1 1/16-mile West Virginia Governor's Stakes. He visited Mountaineer last summer and finished second aboard McAfee in the Derby.
The milestone set at Saratoga came for trainer Todd Pletcher, for whom Velazquez has ridden for at least two decades.
"I'm very blessed with all the opportunities I've been given riding all these horses," Velazquez said. "One day, I'll look back and say, 'I enjoyed that.' Todd and I have been together for twenty-something years, and he has been very successful. We've been successful together, so doing it with him was definitely special."
"He's a remarkable man," Pletcher said. "It's unbelievable the level he has been riding at for so many years."
Velazquez won more than 200 races in a season 15 times, and in three of those years had more than 300 victories. He won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 2004 and 2005.
In Triple Crown competition, Velazquez won the Grade I Kentucky Derby three times; the Grade I Belmont Stakes twice, including with the filly Rags to Riches; and the Grade I Preakness Stakes once. He also has many seconds and thirds in the series.
In the annual Breeders' Cup championships, Velazquez has won 22 races, along with 23 seconds and 28 thirds. For his career thus far, his mounts have earned more than $525 million.
Post time for the West Virginia Derby program is 5 p.m. Admission tickets for Aug. 9 are required for attendance and are available online at the Mountaineer website, at the Mountaineer gift shop, or at the gate the day of the event. Doors open at 2 p.m., and there will be live entertainment from 2:30-4 p.m.