Jockey Bios

Joel Rosario

Born: January 14, 1985, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Record at Keeneland

Total Wins: 209

Stakes Wins: 42

Career Firsts

First Grade 1 Win: 2009 La Brea at Santa Anita on Evita Argentina

First Stakes Win: 2007 Luck of the Irish at Bay Meadows on Dealer Choice

First Graded Stakes Win: 2008 San Pasqual (G2) at Santa Anita on Zappa

First Career Win: July 2000 at the Galapagos Hippodromo V Centenario

Starters in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes

Year	Horse	Finish
2023	Raise Cain	5th
2021	Untreated	8th
2020	Enforceable	4th
2017	Practical Joke	2nd
2013	Dynamic Sky	9th
2012	Holy Candy	4th
2011	Brilliant Speed	Won

At Keeneland

First win came during the 2010 Fall Meet. First of 38 Keeneland stakes wins was the 2010 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) on Harmonious.

Won a Spring Meet record 38 races in 2013, surpassing the previous mark of 32 wins by Randy Romero from 1990.

Equaled a Spring Meet record with six stakes wins in 2021. On April 3, won four stakes: Central Bank Ashland (G1) on Malathaat, Madison (G1) on Kimari, Shakertown (G2) on Bound for Nowhere and Commonwealth (G3) on Flagstaff.

Rode Uni (GB) to win 2019-2020 First Lady (G1) Presented by UK HealthCare. Also won the race in 2022 aboard In Italian (GB).

Other stakes wins during the 2022 Fall Meet were the Hagyard Fayette (G2) on West Will Power, Rubicon Valley View (G3) on Sparkle Blue and Indian Summer (L) Presented by Keeneland Select on Private Creed.

During the 2023 Fall Meet, won the Woodford (G2) Presented by FanDuel on Arzak and the Bank of America Valley View (G3) on Surge Capacity.

Has additional Grade 1 wins in the 2011 Toyota Blue Grass on Brilliant Speed; 2014 Central Bank Ashland with Rosalind (dead heat with Room Service); 2015 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Wavell Avenue; 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on Vequist and 2020 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on Knicks Go.

Leading rider during the 2017 Spring Meet with 17 wins.

Recorded 2,000th win in U.S. and Canada on April 23, 2015, at Keeneland.

Career

Selected for induction in 2024 into the Racing Hall of Fame.

Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey: 2021

Triple Crown wins (3): 2013 Kentucky Derby on Orb; Belmont (Tonalist, 2014; Sir Winston, 2019)

Breeders’ Cup wins (15): 2009 Sprint on Dancing in Silks; 2010 Dirt Mile on Dakota Phone; 2014 Turf Sprint on Bobby's Kitten; 2015 Filly and Mare Sprint on Wavell Avenue; 2016 Mile on Tourist; 2017 Turf Sprint on Stormy Liberal; 2018 Classic on Accelerate, Juvenile on Game Winner and Juvenile Fillies with Jaywalk; 2019 Mile on Uni (GB) and Filly and Mare Sprint on Covfefe; 2020 Juvenile Fillies on Vequist and Dirt Mile on Knicks Go; 2021 Classic on Knicks Go and Juvenile Fillies on Echo Zulu

Has two wins during the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting in England, both in the Norfolk (G2) on horses trained by Wesley Ward: No Nay Never (2013) and Shang Shang Shang (2018)

Recorded 3,000th career win Nov. 13, 2020, aboard Hit the Woah to win the first race at Aqueduct.

North American career earnings exceed $319 million with 3,617 wins through May 12, 2024.

Click here for his Equibase career record.

Background

Joel was the leading rider in the Dominican Republic four times, and he won his first race at the Galapagos Hippodromo V Centenario there in 2000. He went to the jockey school in the Dominican Republic. Rosario came to the U.S. in 2006, riding initially at Fairplex and then in Northern California.