The 2025 horse racing season will reach its gripping conclusion in November as the Breeders’ Cup will be staged at Del Mar.
You can stay up to date with the odds and entries ahead of the season-deciding event here: https://www.twinspires.com/breeders-cup/odds/
However, which jockeys will be in the running between now and the end of the calendar year to top the earnings charts in the U.S.? You can find the top jockeys by net worth so far this calendar year right here.
Flavien Prat
It has been a sensational year in the saddle for French-born jockey Flavien Prat. The 33-year-old is a constant winner at the highest level in the U.S., winning a staggering six editions of the G1 Bing Crosby Stakes during his career.
Prat is also a winner of Triple Crown races, having landed the 2019 Kentucky Derby and the 2021 Preakness Stakes. But, his 2025 season could go down as one of his best. So far this year, Prat has amassed prize money of over $29 million, registering victories in 217 of his 907 rides.
His highest earning horse in 2025 has been Ole Crazy Bone, who was a notable winner of the G2 Kentucky Turf Cup. Meanwhile, he will have a number of chances at the Breeders’ Cup later this year, including Sierra Leone, who was the winner of the Classic in 2024.
Irad Ortiz Jr
Irad Ortiz Jr has long-been regarded as one of the most talented riders in the United States, having amassed over 4,000 winners during his time in North America. Ortiz has won virtually every major race on the calendar, which included a success in the Belmont Stakes in 2022 aboard Mo Donegal.
His prize money is likely to increase as the season progresses, especially considering his excellent record at the Breeders’ Cup, having won 20 races at the event since 2014. At present, Ortiz is the second-highest earning jockey in the United States in 2025, having won a staggering $27 million.
He has rode 238 winners from 1,156 rides, which includes victories in some of the biggest races in the diary. His biggest victories this year have come aboard Mindframe, White Abarrio and Shisospicy. He will head to Del Mar with an excellent book of rides in 2025.
Jose Ortiz
Jose Ortiz regularly ranks among the money leaders in the United States, and has constantly been the opting big-racer rider by some of the leading yards in North America.
Ortiz’s big breakthrough came when winning the Belmont Stakes in 2017, before later adding Kentucky Oaks and Preakness Stakes glory to his CV in 2019 and 2022. Ortiz has regularly been trusted to take the rides on high-quality horses, including Early Voting, Tapwrit, and Good Magic.
So far this year, the jockey has accumulated over $25 million in prize money, taking wins in 242 of his 1,066 starts. His biggest earners in 2025 have come in the form of Nitrogen and Sandman, with the former winning over $1.4 million in stakes races so far this year. Like many of the top jockeys in North America, he will hold a number of leading chances at the Breeders’ Cup in 2025.
Luis Saez
Luis Saez has been a trusted rider by some of the leading trainers in the United States throughout his career, riding a total of 3,500 victories during his esteemed career. Saez’s big Triple Crown breakthrough was denied in 2019 following Maximum Security’s disqualification in the Kentucky Derby.
However, he would later back amends after riding the same horse to victory in the Saudi Cup in 2020. His major breakthrough season in Triple Crown races would come in 2021, landing the Belmont Stakes with Essential Quality.
A second victory in the final Triple Crown race would come in 2024 when aboard Dornoch. So far this year, Saez has won over $21 million in prize money, with his biggest earner coming in the form of Kentucky Oaks star Good Cheer.
Manuel Franco
Manuel Franco has been one of the stars of the weighing room since making his breakthrough at the highest level in 2013. A first stakes victory would arrive in 2015, before a first Grade One was achieved 12 months later.
To date, Franco has amassed over 2,000 winners in the saddle, with his best moment coming aboard Tiz The Law in the 2020 Belmont Stakes. Franco is also a one-time winner at the Breeders’ Cup. The jockey has enjoyed another stellar year on track in 2025, accumulating prize money of over $14 million.
His biggest earner has been Test Score, who defied the odds to land the Belmont Derby earlier in the summer. Franco has also rode some other high-class horses this year, including Spirit of St. Louis and Crazy Mason. He could be a standout chance to score a second Breeders’ Cup win in 2025.
