Junior Rafael Alvarado (born May 20, 1986) is a Venezuelan

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 ...

who competes in the sport of American Thoroughbred horse racing. He rode the winning horse in the

2025 Kentucky Derby The 2025 Kentucky Derby (branded as the 151st Running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve for sponsorship reasons) was the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby. It took place on May 3, 2025, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentuc ...

and the

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 ...

Background

His father, Rafael Alvarado, was also a jockey in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. He had intended to record his son's birthname as Rafael Alvarado Jr., but it was mistakenly registered as Junior Rafael Alvarado.NYRA bio
Retrieved September 26, 2018

Career

Alvarado rode his first winner as a jockey on 30 December 2005, at La Rinconada Hippodrome near

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

, Venezuela, before moving to ride in the United States in 2007 where he got his first winner on 17 February 2007, at

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park is a Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida, Hallandale Beach, Florida, United States. It is among the most important venues for ...

Hallandale Beach, Florida Hallandale Beach (formerly known simply as Hallandale) is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, the son of a Swedish worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. It is al ...

. In the

2012 Preakness Stakes The 2012 Preakness Stakes was the 137th running of the Preakness Stakes thoroughbred horse race. The race took place on May 19, 2012, and was televised in the United States on the NBC television network. The post time was EDT ( UTC). I'll Have ...

, Alvarado ran fourth aboard the horse Zetterholm. He also rode Mohaymen to a fourth-place finish in the 2016 Kentucky Derby. In 2025, Alvarado rode Sovereignty to a first-place finish in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. In May 2025, Alvarado was fined $62,000, or 20% of his winnings from the Kentucky Derby, and was banned for two Kentucky racing days by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority for using his whip on a horse more than allowed. HISA determined he struck Sovereignty eight times during the Kentucky Derby, above the six-strike maximum. The usual fine of 10% was doubled to $62,000 due to a prior offense within the preceding 180 days. The earlier violation occurred at Churchill Downs on 1 December 2024.

References

1986 births Living people American jockeys Venezuelan jockeys Sportspeople from Barquisimeto Animal cruelty incidents {{Venezuela-sport-bio-stub