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 +
Roman Cruz 276 17% 41% Poor
114
64
98
Cristian R Esqueda 222 9% 32% Bad
71
56
95
Cody Rodger Smith 217 12% 35% Bad
75
42
100
Mario Delgado 210 16% 48% Avg
101
40
69
Cordarelton J Benn 203 7% 29% Bad
59
59
85
Francisco Calderon 198 17% 46% Avg
91
46
61
Edwin G Escobedo 197 15% 41% Poor
80
38
79
Juan Pulido 192 27% 51% Good
97
35
60
Bryan Candanosa 191 12% 38% Bad
73
41
77
Ramiro Haro Garcia 188 12% 37% Poor
70
52
66
David Alvarez Jr 148 5% 26% Bad
39
44
65
Randy Vega 142 9% 24% Bad
34
36
72
James A Flores 125 13% 39% Bad
49
25
51
Gonzalo Gutierrez 125 14% 34% Bad
43
28
54
Angel O Ramirez 123 14% 32% Bad
39
28
56
Rolando Raudales 117 7% 32% Bad
37
22
58
Jesus Rios Ayala 104 13% 44% Poor
46
15
43
Erik N Esqueda 95 5% 23% Bad
22
18
55
Jonathan Dominguez 92 11% 46% Poor
42
16
34
F R Ramirez Jr 86 10% 34% Bad
29
20
37
Jimmy Dean Brooks 84 8% 29% Bad
24
21
39
F Fonseca-Soto 84 7% 20% Bad
17
24
43
Aram S Martinez 71 10% 28% Bad
20
10
41
J Hernandez-Gallardo 70 10% 26% Bad
18
23
29
Jorge Torres 69 4% 30% Bad
21
18
30
Jaime Mata 61 10% 28% Bad
17
9
35
Juan Arellano 59 5% 32% Bad
19
17
23
Christian Cardenas 54 26% 59% Great
32
14
8
Armando Alvidrez 51 18% 41% Bad
21
7
23
Jose Vega 49 4% 27% Bad
13
10
26
Ricky Ramirez 45 0% 33% Bad
15
15
15
Nestor Duran 43 26% 49% Good
21
7
15
Giovany Estrada 40 5% 22% Bad
9
8
23
Mauro Jesus Rodriguez 40 10% 22% Bad
9
10
21
Bonifacio Quiroz 35 3% 20% Bad
7
8
20
Jacob Enriquez 31 6% 29% Bad
9
10
12
Ruben Castro 30 0% 20% Bad
6
14
10
Brayan Juarez 30 0% 20% Bad
6
7
17
O Quinonez-Lopez 29 0% 17% Bad
5
7
17
Miguel Josue Ramirez 27 4% 22% Bad
6
7
14
Gilberto Linares 25 4% 32% Bad
8
8
9
Jasten Pedraza 24 12% 38% Bad
9
5
10
John R Valenzuela Jr 19 16% 53% Avg
10
3
6
Oscar Jaquez 19 0% 21% Bad
4
5
10
Gaspar Garcia 18 6% 17% Bad
3
4
11
Jesus Olivas 18 33% 61% Great
11
4
3
Antonio G Perez 18 6% 11% Bad
2
3
13
Justine Klaiber 17 12% 35% Bad
6
4
7
Ryder Olmstead 17 0% 12% Bad
2
8
7
Jose Alonzo Lopez 17 6% 24% Bad
4
2
11

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”.