Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr. (born November 3, 1985 in

Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette ( , ) is the most populous city in and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, Lafayette Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located along the Vermilion River (Louisiana), Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's List of municipaliti ...

) is an American

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division. The trophy is made by a few small selected A ...

-winning

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and Horse industry, industry involving the Horse racing, racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter know ...

. He began riding professionally in 2003 and achieved his first win on November 29, 2003 at Louisiana's

Delta Downs Delta Downs Racetrack, Casino and Hotel is an American thoroughbred and quarter horse racetrack in Calcasieu Parish, near Vinton, Louisiana in the southwest portion of the state. The facility is owned by Boyd Gaming. History The track open ...

. As of May 2024, he has over 2,500 victories. In 2004, Hernandez won 243 races and was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey. In 2009, he rode

Rachel Alexandra Rachel Alexandra (foaled January 29, 2006) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse and the 2009 Horse of the Year. When she won the 2009 Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, she became the first filly to win the race in ...

to two wins in her first five starts. On August 18, 2012, he won the 1,000th race of his career at

Ellis Park Race Course Ellis Park is a thoroughbred racetrack near Henderson, Kentucky, along US 41 between the Twin Bridges and Evansville, Indiana. It is owned and operated by Churchill Downs Incorporated. While the track is located north of the Ohio River that form ...

and on November 3, 2012, his 27th birthday, he won the

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Champion ...

aboard Fort Larned at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious race ...

. In 2024, Hernandez became the ninth jockey in history and the first since

Calvin Borel Calvin H. Borel (born November 7, 1966) is an American jockey in thoroughbred horse racing and rode the victorious mount in the 2007 Kentucky Derby, the 2009 Kentucky Derby and the 2010 Kentucky Derby. His 2009 Derby win with Mine That Bird w ...

in 2009 to win both the

Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Frida ...

and the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

in the same year. He won the Oaks aboard

Thorpedo Anna Thorpedo Anna (foaled January 28, 2021) is a multiple-Grade 1-race-winning American Thoroughbred racehorse who in 2024 won the Grade I Kentucky Oaks, the Acorn Stakes and the Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga Racetrack and the Breeders' Cup ...

then won the Derby the following day on

Mystik Dan Mystik Dan ( foaled March 4, 2021) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Jockeyed by Brian Hernandez Jr., he won the 2024 Kentucky Derby by a nose, beating Sierra Leone and Forever Young with a time of 2:03.34. Background Mystik Dan is a ...

. Both horses were trained by Ken McPeek. In an

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

, Hernandez Jr. told

The Blood-Horse ''The Blood-Horse'' (also referred to simply as ''Blood-Horse'' and displayed on its nameplate in upright all-capital letters without hyphenation as BLOODHORSE) is a news magazine that originated in 1916 as a monthly bulletin of the Thoroughbred ...

"as a young kid, I'd always ride my bicycle around and tell my mom and dad that I'm going to win the Kentucky Derby".

Year-end charts

References

External links

Photo of Hernandez winning on Rachel Alexandra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez, Brian Jr. 1985 births American jockeys American Champion jockeys Eclipse Award winners Living people Sportspeople from Lafayette, Louisiana