My Top 5 Up and Coming Jockeys

We all know who the best jockeys in the United States are. Javvier Castellano, the Ortiz brothers, both Jose and Irad, Gary Stevens, Mike Smith and Rafael Bejarano are all well known to horseplayers. But some jockeys have started to make their mark in thoroughbred racing. Here are 5 of those jockeys, not in any particular order, who ride hard and win races on a daily basis. Soon, these jockeys are going to show up in Grade 1 races with regularity.

Antonio Gallardo

ntonio Gallardo won the Grade 3 Jersey Shore Stakes at Monmouth Park this season. It was Gallardo's first graded stakes win. Gallardo's mounts won over $2 million in 2013. They won close to $4.6 million in 2014. Last year, Gallardo's mounts took home over $5.4 million. Antonio Gallardo has become a favorite of horseplayers to back at race tracks like Tampa Bay Downs where he routinely wins from 25% to 30%. Gallardo has started to turn into much more than a Tampa Bay Downs jockey. AG should start getting quite a few graded mounts in the very near future. He's earned it.

Emisail Jaramillo

Emisail has won 3 graded

stakes races in 2016. He took the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes aboard X Y Jet. He won the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida Stakes aboard Grand Tito. He won the Grade 2 Smile Sprint Stakes aboard Delta Bluesman. Jaramillo is ranked 27th from 1,421 jockeys on the money list this season. His mounts have already earned over $4.27 million. Jaramillo has earned a reputation for being one of the top riders at Gulfstream Park. He's particularly great aboard turf horses whom he has the ability to move up 2 to 3 lengths in most grass races.

Flavien Prat

Prat could break into the Top 5 soon. He's that good. Yet another in a long line of great French jockeys riding in the United States, Prat's mounts in 2016 have earned over an incredible $7.68 million so far. He's won 3 Grade 1 Stakes Races this year: aboard Taris in the Humana Distaff, aboard Illuminati in the Gamely and aboard Lord Nelson in the Bing Crosby. Flavien could add to the earnings list with an excellent Breeders Cup. He's already the choice jockey for hall of fame trainer Richard Mandella aboard Papa Mandella's horses not named Beholder.

Trevor McCarthy

McCarthy probably can't be

considered an up and coming jockey. He's already arrived. McCarthy's mounts earned over $3.65 million in 2013. They earned over $8.11 million in 2014. In 2015, McCarthy rode horses that earned $6.52 million. This year, McCarthy already has 145 first place, 143 second place, and 113 third place finishes. One of his wins includes riding Tin Type Gal in the Grade 3 Boiling Spring Stakes.

Tyler Gaffalione

Tyler G. has only been riding thoroughbreds since 2014.

In 2014, Gaffalione's mounts won 28 races. They earned $563,582. The next year, Gaffalione's mounts earned over $5.8 million. So far in 2016, Gafflione's mounts have earned over $2.9 million. Gaffalione doesn't have a graded stakes win in 2016. In 2015, he rode Cali Star to a win in the Grade 3 Rampart Stakes.

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