Ángel Tomás Cordero Jr. (born November 8, 1942) is a Puerto Rican

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 ...

. He is known for being one of the winningest

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

jockeys of the late 20th-century and the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the United States' Racing Hall of Fame. He led all jockeys in wins at

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, Saratoga Springs, New York (state), New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting v ...

for thirteen years. Cordero rode three

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 ...

winners and won over 6000 races in his career.

Early years

Cordero was born in Santurce,

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

where he began racing at a young age. His father, Ángel Cordero Sr., was a rider and Thoroughbred trainer. His grandfather and uncles were also riders and horse trainers. His hometown in America is on

Long Island, NY Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land area. The island exte ...

American Classic Races

Cordero was the first Puerto Rican jockey to win all three of the

American Classic Races In the United States, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, commonly known as the Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. The three r ...

, the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

, and

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

, though not all in the same year. In 1974, when he was 31, Cordero won the

aboard Cannonade. He won the Derby twice more, making him one of only eight jockeys to win the race three or more times in the Derby's history. In 1976, he won on

Bold Forbes Bold Forbes (March 31, 1973 – August 9, 2000) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the 1976 Kentucky Derby and 1976 Belmont Stakes. Background Bold Forbes was a bay horse bred in Kentucky by Lee Eaton. Bold Forbes' dam Comely Nel ...

and in 1985, on Spend A Buck. In 1976, Cordero won the

, and he won the

twice, once in 1980 aboard

Codex The codex (: codices ) was the historical ancestor format of the modern book. Technically, the vast majority of modern books use the codex format of a stack of pages bound at one edge, along the side of the text. But the term ''codex'' is now r ...

(his winning status was not overturned despite widely publicized accusations of illegal block-maneuvering and face-lashing of opponent-filly Genuine Risk with his whip) and the second time in 1984, aboard Gate Dancer. Among his other accomplishments, Cordero was the winner of four

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was ...

races and was the leading rider at

for thirteen years. In 1987, Cordero became the fourth jockey to win over 6,000 races. In 1992, Cordero's career was cut short after a fall which nearly cost him his life. His spleen was removed due to the accident that occurred at Aqueduct. However, against the wishes of his family and friends, in 1995, Cordero saddled up again to ride the Breeders' Cup once more.

Later years

Cordero has now retired from riding, but continues to be involved in the sport full-time. He was the agent of fellow Puerto Rican horse jockey,

John Velazquez John R. Velazquez (born November 24, 1971) is a Puerto Rican jockey in Thoroughbred horse race, Thoroughbred horse racing. He began his career in Puerto Rico and moved to New York in 1990. In 2004 and 2005 he was the United States Champion Jockey ...

. Cordero's wife, Marjorie Clayton Cordero, who was also a well-known figure in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

's thoroughbred racing, died on January 22, 2001. Cordero is the father of five children. Cordero was inducted into

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred horse racing, Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and Horse trainer, trainers. In 1955, the museum ...

in 1988 and in 2001, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame. In 2010 he was inducted into the African-American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame. In an interview in December 2021, Cordero spoke about his life-long friendship with

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

Hall of Famer

Orlando Cepeda Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes (; September 17, 1937 – June 28, 2024), nicknamed "the Baby Bull" and "Peruchin", was a Puerto Rican first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for six teams from 1958 to 1974, primarily the San Francisco G ...

, who he considers his brother. In 2021, Cordero was based in New York full-time and working with

Manuel Franco Manuel Franco (July 9, 1871 – June 5, 1919) was President of Paraguay from August 15, 1916, to June 5, 1919. Childhood and Youth Doctor Manuel Franco was born in Concepción, Paraguay, Concepción on June 9, 1871, in times of the government of ...

, a Puerto Rican jockey.

References

Angel Cordero Jr.'s profile at the United States' National Museum and Racing Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cordero, Angel Jr. United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Puerto Rican jockeys American Champion jockeys Eclipse Award winners Sportspeople from Santurce, Puerto Rico 1942 births Living people

Early years

American Classic Races

Later years

See also

References