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 237 16% 41% Poor
97
54
86
Cristian R Esqueda 188 11% 30% Bad
57
48
83
Cody Rodger Smith 188 12% 37% Bad
69
36
83
Francisco Calderon 184 17% 47% Avg
87
40
57
Mario Delgado 183 17% 49% Avg
89
35
59
Cordarelton J Benn 174 7% 29% Bad
51
53
70
Bryan Candanosa 174 10% 36% Bad
62
40
72
Ramiro Haro Garcia 174 13% 39% Poor
67
49
58
Edwin G Escobedo 173 15% 39% Bad
68
33
72
Juan Pulido 156 26% 48% Good
75
27
54
Randy Vega 132 9% 24% Bad
32
32
68
David Alvarez Jr 130 4% 26% Bad
34
38
58
Angel O Ramirez 115 12% 30% Bad
35
27
53
Gonzalo Gutierrez 113 14% 32% Bad
36
29
48
James A Flores 105 14% 42% Poor
44
19
42
Rolando Raudales 95 5% 29% Bad
28
19
48
Jesus Rios Ayala 89 12% 47% Poor
42
14
33
Jonathan Dominguez 85 11% 48% Poor
41
13
31
F R Ramirez Jr 83 11% 33% Bad
27
18
38
Erik N Esqueda 79 5% 22% Bad
17
16
46
Jimmy Dean Brooks 75 4% 25% Bad
19
21
35
F Fonseca-Soto 72 8% 21% Bad
15
18
39
Aram S Martinez 67 10% 27% Bad
18
10
39
J Hernandez-Gallardo 62 10% 24% Bad
15
22
25
Christian Cardenas 60 23% 55% Great
33
15
12
Jaime Mata 54 9% 26% Bad
14
8
32
Juan Arellano 53 6% 34% Bad
18
17
18
Jorge Torres 52 6% 29% Bad
15
16
21
Armando Alvidrez 48 17% 42% Poor
20
7
21
Mauro Jesus Rodriguez 34 12% 21% Bad
7
9
18
Giovany Estrada 34 6% 24% Bad
8
7
19
Jose Vega 32 6% 28% Bad
9
6
17
Brayan Juarez 30 0% 20% Bad
6
7
17
Ricky Ramirez 29 0% 38% Bad
11
8
10
Jacob Enriquez 29 7% 28% Bad
8
9
12
Miguel Josue Ramirez 28 4% 21% Bad
6
7
15
Bonifacio Quiroz 26 4% 27% Bad
7
6
13
O Quinonez-Lopez 26 0% 19% Bad
5
5
16
Nestor Duran 24 25% 50% Good
12
4
8
Ruben Castro 21 0% 19% Bad
4
9
8
Gilberto Linares 21 5% 38% Poor
8
8
5
Jasten Pedraza 20 10% 40% Bad
8
4
8
Antonio G Perez 18 6% 11% Bad
2
3
13
Jesus Olivas 17 41% 71% Great
12
4
1
Ryder Olmstead 17 0% 12% Bad
2
8
7
Oscar Jaquez 17 0% 24% Bad
4
5
8
Jose Alonzo Lopez 17 6% 24% Bad
4
2
11
Alexis E Ramirez 15 7% 27% Bad
4
2
9
Gonzalo R Valles Jr 14 0% 43% Bad
6
1
7
John R Valenzuela Jr 14 21% 50% Avg
7
2
5

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”.