Race to the Triple Crown: Latin American Jockeys Dominate Kentucky Derby Marcus Harun - NBC News
go to original May 1, 2014

Mexican jockey Mario Gutierrez holds roses after winning the 138th Kentucky Derby with I'll Have Another at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, May 5, 2012. (Reuters/John Sommers II)

Fans from around the United States will be cheering when John Velazquez rides in the Kentucky Derby this weekend, but his biggest fans - his relatives - will be nearly 2,000 miles away.

“It feels great to come to another country, and I’m blessed enough to ride here,” said Velazquez, 42. “I feel blessed to help my family back in Puerto Rico.”

He's not alone when it comes to a distant fan base - more than half of the jockeys in Saturday's Kentucky Derby are Latino. (Watch the race Saturday on NBC - coverage begins at 4p ET.)

And they're not just racing, they're winning. Latin American immigrants have dominated the sport in recent years: Venezuela native Javier Castellano set the single season earnings record ($25.64 million) last year; Latin Americans filled the top six spots on the list of jockeys with the most wins in 2012; and seven Latinos are on the top earning jockey list for 2014, according to racing information website Equibase. The last 3 winners of the Kentucky Derby were from Latin America - Joel Rosario from the Dominican Republic (2013), Mario Gutierrez from Mexico (2012) and John Velasquez from Puerto Rico (2011).

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