How Big Are Kentucky Derby Jockeys? (Height & Weight of 2023 Participants)

Kentucky Derby 2023 jockey information, including height, weight, winnings and more top questions answered.
Kentucky Derby 2023 jockey information, including height, weight, winnings and more top questions answered. / ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Jockeys are pretty unique as far as pro athletes go. While most sports favor size, strength and athleticism, horse racing actually favors smaller athletes. Jockeys are famously some of the smallest athletes around, and not just by the standard of pro sports -- they're also much smaller than the average population.

In fact, at the Kentucky Derby there's even a maximum weight for jockeys, as they must weigh a maximum of 126 pounds when including their gear.

Here's a full list of the Kentucky Derby 2023 jockeys, including their height and weight. (Note: not all jockeys have officially listed heights and weights, but those will be updated as they become available).

How Big Are the 2023 Kentucky Derby Jockeys? (Height and Weight)

Post Number

Horse

Jockey

Jockey Height

Jockey Weight

1

Hit Show

Manny Franco

5'1"

112 lbs

2

Verifying

Tyler Gaffalione

5'3"

112 lbs

3

Two Phil's

Jareth Loveberry

-

-

4

Confidence Game

James Graham

5'2"

115 lbs

5

Tapit Trice

Luis Saez

5'2"

111 lbs

6

Kingsbarns

Jose Ortiz

5'7"

112 lbs

7

Reincarnate

John Velazquez

5'6"

112 lbs

8

Mage

Javier Castellano

5'1"

114 lbs

9

Skinner

Juan Hernandez

-

-

10

Practical Move

Ramon Vazquez

-

-

11

Disarm

Joel Rosario

5'2"

109 lbs

12

Jace's Road

Florent Geroux

-

-

13

Sun Thunder

Brian Hernandez Jr.

-

-

14

Angel of Empire

Flavien Prat

-

-

15

Forte

Irad Ortiz Jr.

5'3"

112 lbs

16

Raise Cain

Gerardo Corrales

-

-

17

Derma Sotogake

Christophe Lemaire

-

-

18

Rocket Can

Junior Alvarado

5'6"

113 lbs

19

Lord Miles

Paco Lopez

5'0"

113 lbs

20

Continuar

Ryusei Sakai

-

-

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2023 Kentucky Derby Jockey FAQ

Who is the tallest jockey in the 2023 Kentucky Derby?

The tallest jockey among those with official information listed for the 2023 Kentucky Derby is Jose Ortiz, who stands 5 feet 7 inches and weighs in at 112 lbs. He will be riding Kingsbarns.

Who is the shortest jockey in the 2023 Kentucky Derby?

The shortest jockey in the 2023 Kentucky Derby (among those with officially listed heights) is Paco Lopez, who stands 5 feet 0 inches and weighs 113 pounds. He will be riding Lord Miles.

Who is the heaviest jockey in the 2023 Kentucky Derby?

The heaviest jockey in the 2023 Kentucky Derby is James Graham, who weighs 115 pounds and stands 5 feet 2 inches. He will be riding Confidence Game. Note that the official height and weight are not available for all jockeys yet.

Who is the lightest jockey in the 2023 Kentucky Derby?

The lightest jockey with an officially listed weight for the 2023 Kentucky Derby is Joel Rosario, who weighs 109 pounds and stands 5 feet 2 inches. He will be riding Disarm.

How much do jockeys weigh?

Different races have different weight requirements for jockeys. At the 2023 Kentucky Derby, male horses will be carrying 126 pounds and fillies will be carrying 112 pounds. This means that jockeys must weigh less than this limit, even with their gear (which weighs roughly 7 pounds). The average weight among 2023 Kentucky Derby jockeys is 112.3 pounds.

How tall are jockeys?

There are no height limits or restrictions on jockeys, but because of the very low weight limits most jockeys are quite short, typically falling in a range between 4-foot-10 and 5-foot-6. The average height of the jockeys in the 2023 Kentucky Derby is 5-foot-3.

How much does a jockey make?

As with any sport, jockey payouts are incredibly variable. Jockeys are independent contractors who ride many different horses, and they typically make a base "mounting fee" for each race they ride. On top of that, jockeys earn a percentage of the prize money if they finish in first, second or third place. This means that winning races not only earns the jockey more money, but can also help attract the interest of owners of more competitive horses, allowing the jockeys to race for bigger stakes and earn even more.

Below are a list of the top 10 jockeys in 2023 earnings.

Jockey

Earnings

Starts

Wins

Places

Shows

Irad Ortiz Jr.

$10,440,178

566

146

97

94

Luis Saez

$7,767,434

516

103

66

73

Flavien Prat

$7,310,540

233

49

46

38

Tyler Gaffalione

$5,961,226

470

86

64

59

Manuel Franco

$5,386,953

372

100

65

47

Jose L. Ortiz

$5,098,183

524

81

92

82

Joel Rosario

$5,052,569

286

34

42

38

Cristian A. Torres

$4,928,995

412

82

77

50

Juan J. Hernandez

$4,507,998

276

67

49

52

Francisco Arrieta

$4,282,478

321

74

54

40

How much does the jockey win in the 2023 Kentucky Derby?

The winning jockey receives 10% of the winning payout for the 2023 Kentucky Derby, which will be $186,000 (10% of $1.86 million for the winning team).

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