Musical mounts: See which Kentucky Derby contenders will have new jockeys Saturday.
Editor’s Note: The Herald-Leader’s annual Kentucky Derby preview special section was published in Friday’s print edition. Please be sure to get your hands on a copy before Saturday night’s race.
The Kentucky Derby is not only a contest for the most talented 3-year-old Thoroughbreds in the horse racing industry, it’s also a showcase for the most gifted jockeys on the planet, all vying to add to their biography an iconic victory.
With such high stakes, it’s common each year for riders to switch mounts ahead of their trip to Churchill Downs as they seek to best position themselves for a shot at winning the Run for the Roses.
The coronavirus pandemic has further scrambled the jockey carousel ahead of this year’s race. Because of travel protocols related to COVID-19, many jockeys who are not based in Kentucky will have to quarantine themselves upon returning home, during which time they’ll not be able to race.
As a result, some of the sport’s top riders have opted to skip this year’s Derby. Flavien Prat, who steered 2019 winner Country House, is out, along with brothers Irad and Jose Ortiz. Joel Rosario, who rode Orb to victory in the 2013 Kentucky Derby and has twice won the Belmont, will also be absent from Churchill Downs on Saturday.
With those defections adding to the typical shuffle, half of the runners in the 16-horse field will be guided by jockeys who did not ride them in their most recent race. Here’s a look at those eight contenders and their new jockeys:
Authentic
Odds: 8-1
The three-time graded stakes victor will be switching out Hall of Famers, as he’ll be ridden by two-time Kentucky Derby champion John Velazquez. His jockey last time out when he won the Haskell in July was Mike Smith, who will instead steer Honor A. P. on Saturday.
Thousand Words
Odds: 15-1
Four-time Breeders’ Cup winner Florent Geroux will ride the $1 million yearling and three-time stakes victor who shares a sire with American Pharoah. During his win in the Shared Belief in August, Thousand Words was ridden by Abel Cedillo, who does not have a Derby mount this year.
Max Player
Odds: 30-1
The Withers Stakes winner will be guided on Saturday by 28-year-old Ricardo Santana, champion of the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Sprint. During his last two races — third-place finishes in the Travers and Belmont — Max Player was ridden by Joel Rosario.
Storm the Court
Odds: 50-1
Seven-time Breeders’ Cup winner Julien Leparoux will ride the champion of last year’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, who has finished outside the superfecta just twice in nine career starts. Flavien Prat rode Storm the Court in his previous three races, all graded stakes.
Necker Island
Odds: 50-1
Peruvian-born Miguel Mena, who is approaching 1,300 career wins, will take over aboard Necker Island, who has finished fifth or better in six career stakes races. He was last ridden during a third-place effort in the Ellis Park Derby by Mitchell Murrill, who has earned more than $20 million during his career but is not scheduled to compete in the Kentucky Derby.
Mr. Big News
Odds: 50-1
Gabriel Saez, a 22-year-old from Panama, will seek his first American Classic victory aboard Mr. Big News, who won the Oaklawn Stakes at 46-1 odds in February. Saez rode Mr. Big News during that upset, but last time out in a sixth-place effort in the Blue Grass he was ridden by Mitchell Murrill.
South Bend
Odds: 50-1
Tyler Gaffalione, a 24-year-old phenom who will celebrate his birthday exactly one week after the Derby, will hop on South Bend and attempt to follow up last year’s Preakness victory with another Triple Crown win.
South Bend, the winner of the Street Sense Stakes at Churchill last November who was added to the Derby field on Tuesday, was guided to a fourth-place finish by Jose Ortiz last time out in the Travers.
Money Moves
Odds: 30-1
Javier Castellano, the four-time Eclipse winner for outstanding jockey who was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 2017, will chase his first Kentucky Derby victory aboard Money Moves.
Having won twice in three career races against non-stakes competition, Money Moves will face a new caliber of opponent on Saturday. In all three of his previous contests, Money Moves was ridden by Luis Saez, who does not have a mount in this year’s Run for the Roses.
2020 Kentucky Derby
When: 7:01 p.m. Saturday
Where: Churchill Downs in Louisville
TV: NBC-18
Distance: 1 1/4 miles
Purse: $3 million
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 7:45 AM.
