Cornelio H. Velásquez (born September 28, 1968, in Panama City, Panama) is a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or 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 to describe the individual ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Thoroughbred horse racing. He was introduced to horse racing at age fifteen by trainer Carlos Salazar Guardia in his native Panama and enrolled in the national jockey school. In his first year of racing he was his country's top apprentice jockey and was the leading rider again in 1994 and 1995. In 1996 Cornelio Velasquez emigrated to the United States to race at Elmont, New York's

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

. During the ensuing ten years he competed at meets at tracks in Kentucky and Florida, winning several riding titles. His big break came in 2003 when he won his first Breeders' Cup on

Cajun Beat Cajun Beat (March 26, 2000 – January 18, 2020) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2003 Breeders' Cup Sprint at 25–1. Owned by Padua Stables Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' ...

in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. A two-time winner of Breeders' Cup races, in 2005 Velasquez rode Closing Argument to a second-place finish in the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

and in 2007 is scheduled to compete on the well-regarded colt, Nobiz Like Shobiz.

References

Cornelio Velasquez at the NTRA

Year-end charts

{{DEFAULTSORT:Velasquez, Cornelio 1968 births Living people Sportspeople from Panama City Panamanian jockeys American jockeys Panamanian emigrants to the United States