Brian Hernandez Jr.

Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr. (born November 3, 1985, in Lafayette, Louisiana) is an American Eclipse Award-winning jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. He began riding professionally in 2003 and got his first win on November 29 of that year at Louisiana's Delta Downs.^[2]

Brian Hernandez Jr.
Occupation	Jockey
Born	(1985-11-03) November 3, 1985 (age 37) Lafayette, Louisiana
Career wins	2,306 (2/25/2022)^[1]
Major racing wins
Louisiana Handicap (2004) Remington Springboard Mile Stakes (2004) Indiana Derby (2006, 2012) Edgewood Stakes (2007) Ack Ack Handicap (2012) Cornhusker Handicap (2012) Indiana Derby (2012) Indiana Oaks (2012, 2023) Whitney Handicap (2012) Beaumont Stakes (2013) Illinois Derby (2013) Opening Verse Stakes (2016, 2020) Breeders' Cup wins: Breeders' Cup Classic (2012)
Racing awards
U.S. Champion Apprentice Jockey (2004)
Significant horses
Fort Larned, Rachel Alexandra, McCraken

In 2004, Hernandez won 243 races and was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey. In 2009 he rode Rachel Alexandra to two wins in her first five starts.^[3] On August 18, 2012, he won the 1,000th race of his career at Ellis Park Race Course^[4] and on November 3, 2012, his 27th birthday, he won the most important race of his career aboard Fort Larned, in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park.^{[citation needed]}

Year-end charts Edit

Chart (2004–present)	Peak position
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2004	45
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2005	95
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2009	53
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2010	94
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2012	20
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2013	37
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2014	51
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2015	32

^ "Equibase". Equibase. Retrieved 2013-04-21.
^ Post Times. . Churchilldowns.com. Archived from the original on 2013-04-27. Retrieved 2013-04-21.
^ NYRA - Rachel Alexandria racing history^{[dead link]}
^ Thoroughbred Times - August 18, 2012