Betting News - Top Jockey

While oftentimes horses win or lose races on their own, jockeys and trainers can play a key role in giving their horse the best chance to run to their potential. While horseplayers can look up jockey win percentages in a number of places across the web, Betting News jockey analysis tool provides a more in depth analysis of where jockeys may have a stronger impact on the outcome of a race.

Race setups are very different based on distance and surface. A sprint on dirt may require different tactics than a sprint on turf or a route on dirt. Even though a jockey may have an overall low percentage, they may get a disproportionate number of their wins or in-the-money finishes at a specific distance on a specific surface. If you can find this jockey you may be able to cash on a horse that other players are throwing out. Inversely, if you can find a high percentage jockey with bad stats in today's conditions, that can be equally as profitable.

With Betting News jockey analysis tool you can break down jockey stats by distance, surface, track, claiming level, and even post position to find these hidden angles that can be crucial elements in selecting winners at a price. As you adjust the filters the ratings will also adjust to reflect the jockey's past ability to finish in the top 3 placings in races under the selected conditions.

Don't forget to check out the trainer analysis tool to give yourself a further edge on the competition!

Track

Surface

Condition

Distances

Race Types

Posts

Top Jockeys

Name Starts Win % Show % DHP
1st/2nd/3rd
4th or 5th
6th +
Timothy Thornton 2818 21% 52% Great
1462
670
686
Diego Saenz 1495 25% 60% Great
890
320
285
Joe Stokes 1346 13% 44% Avg
595
348
403
Gerard Melancon 1273 17% 50% Good
635
319
319
Ricardo Hernandez Jr 1180 12% 37% Bad
436
300
444
Devin H Magnon 1164 11% 40% Avg
463
374
327
Ubaldo Luna 1079 12% 35% Poor
382
319
378
Colby J Hernandez 984 23% 55% Great
537
219
228
Everardo Rodriguez 968 18% 47% Avg
457
223
288
Joel Dominguez 952 16% 47% Good
451
265
236
Thomas L Pompell 916 12% 41% Poor
374
247
295
Rolando Cabrera 890 11% 40% Poor
354
226
310
Ashley Broussard 881 12% 39% Poor
347
249
285
Vicente Del-Cid 873 23% 56% Great
489
199
185
Roberto Morales 862 13% 42% Avg
359
251
252
Casey Fusilier 826 13% 39% Poor
319
220
287
Wallynette Rodriguez 826 11% 38% Poor
317
219
290
CJ J McMahon 782 17% 48% Good
376
211
195
Leonardo Rodriguez 744 15% 47% Avg
349
191
204
Kevin J Smith 724 10% 34% Bad
249
208
267
Arturo Alvarez 707 12% 36% Poor
255
206
246
Elio J Barrera 677 15% 45% Avg
305
189
183
Antonio Quiles 670 11% 35% Poor
235
206
229
Juan Francisco Garcia Jr 649 20% 45% Avg
293
159
197
Luciano Duenez 632 11% 35% Bad
224
161
247
Jansen Melancon 631 13% 39% Poor
247
172
212
David A Alvarez 623 17% 44% Avg
277
164
182
Guadalupe Lucio Jr 601 14% 42% Avg
255
151
195
Carlos L Marquez 577 10% 28% Bad
160
163
254
Jose Ariel Rodriguez 568 9% 33% Bad
185
172
211
Gilbert Ortiz 544 12% 42% Poor
227
134
183
Jose Andres Guerrero 525 12% 34% Bad
179
137
209
Chris R Rosier 511 8% 31% Bad
158
125
228
Noe Castaneda 506 13% 40% Poor
204
129
173
Juan P Vargas 482 14% 43% Avg
207
132
143
Louis A Stokes 458 6% 27% Bad
122
137
199
Jose Luis Rodriguez 438 13% 40% Poor
176
102
160
C.J. McMahon 438 16% 42% Poor
183
105
150
Jarred Journet 433 6% 24% Bad
103
116
214
Pedro L Cotto Jr 433 21% 54% Great
234
95
104
Theodrick Ledet 430 3% 18% Bad
78
110
242
Treylon S Albert 424 5% 22% Bad
93
122
209
Alexis X Batista 382 6% 26% Bad
100
98
184
Luis L Vivanco 364 19% 50% Good
181
79
104
Damian I Martinez 346 12% 38% Bad
131
84
131
J R Ramirez 321 10% 31% Bad
98
72
151
Alfredo Contreras 311 5% 25% Bad
78
92
141
Ty Kennedy 310 14% 38% Poor
119
81
110
Paulina Ramirez 303 13% 42% Avg
127
83
93
Josean Rivera 298 4% 21% Bad
64
81
153

Why Jockeys Matter?

Jockeys are pivotal for a couple of different reasons in a horse race. First, jockeys are responsible for positioning horses once the gates open. This may include getting them to the lead or dropping them into the proper position based on the horses preferred run style.

The second responsibility that jockeys have is to help the horse understand when to rate their energy and when to run. A jockey with a bad internal clock can leave his horse with too much to do late or chase after a pace that is way too fast for his horse.

The final role of the jockey is steering the horse into the path that will allow them to have the strongest finish to the wire. For all of these reasons having a good jockey on the horse you’re backing can be a great asset for any horse player.

Why is the Top Jockey Tool Helpful?

Horses can be upgraded or downgraded based on their jockeys, but many people will look at the overall percentage of a jockey and make their decision. However, jockeys tend to be specialists. There are very few that excel over all surfaces and distances. The DHP top jockey tool can help you break down jockeys by track, surface, condition, distance, level, and post position to better determine how they are likely to impact the horse’s race.

Using the Top Jockey Tool for a Race

To use the top jockey tool follow the steps below:

  1. Change the drop down menus to match any or all of the conditions for the race you are handicapping.
    • Track: Different tracks have different configurations. A jockey with success at the track could mean that they have a better understanding of how to ride there as opposed to riders who more recently shipped in.
    • Surface: Dirt and turf races are run in exact opposite dynamics. A good gate rider is likely to upgrade a horse on dirt because the race tends to reward early speed. Conversely on turf the best riders are good at knowing when to time their acceleration as the horses tend to run the fastest in the last part of the race.
    • Condition: This factor plays the biggest role when the ground is not fast or firm. A lot of tracks will drain water in different ways and a jockey with a good score on an off track could suggest they know how to avoid tiring paths on the track.
    • Distance: Horse races are often classified as either sprints (less than 8 furlongs) or routes (one mile and over). However, dynamics can change dramatically depending on the various lengths within each of these categories.
    • Race Types: Not all horses are the same. Knowing how a jockey does in a particular condition can be very important. For example, a gate rider might be better in a maiden race because those horses haven’t learned to win and may be hesitant to pass other horses. If you have a jockey that can get to the lead in these races that may suggest they can steal the race. A jockey who performs well in stakes races may suggest the jockey know how to get the most out of talented horses.
    • Barriers/Post Positions: Post positions can also be a vital factor in picking your jockey. Riders with success in post 1-3 are typically good at getting horses out quickly so as to avoid horses trying to merge down closer to the rail and avoid ground loss. Riders better in outer posts may be more adept at getting horses positioned correctly behind speed horses for a final run to the finish.
  2. Once you have set any or all of the filters, select the “Refresh Charts” button to see the updated data which reflects your race.

Using the Top Jockey Tool for an Individual Jockey

While the top jockey tool is extremely effective for looking at all the jockeys side by side, another useful tool is looking up an individual jockey.

This can be done from the top jockey charts. Simply find the jockey you want to look up and click their name. You will now see a report of their rating and percentages at every one of the filters from the top jockey tool.

Using this view you may be able to identify spots where you can beat a high percentage jockey. For example, the leading rider in the country Irad Ortiz Jr. is rated “Great” in most categories, except when his horses break from posts 10+. From these posts he is rated as “Poor”.