2022 Eclipse Awards: Joel Rosario

Joel Rosario was the Eclipse Award winner as outstanding jockey of 2021, and he’s made a significant case to defend his title for 2022.

Rosario was the regular rider on Jackie’s Warrior, Epicenter, Clairiere, and In Italian last year, and all are finalists for Eclipse Awards.

They helped lift Rosario to $29,250,139 in mount earnings for 2022, which ranked third among all riders in North America. The 37-year-old native of the Domincan Republic won 185 races from 915 starts last year, with 39 of his wins coming in graded races.

Epicenter established himself as one of the elite members of the 3-year-old class, with Rosario guiding him to victories in the Runhappy Travers, Louisiana Derby, Risen Star, and Jim Dandy. The pair also finished second in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.

:: Full list of 2022 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories

Rosario in July celebrated a Saratoga record with Jackie’s Warrior, who became the first horse to win a Grade 1 race for three consecutive years at the historic track. Rosario has been the regular rider of Jackie’s Warrior since he was 2.

“He’s a special horse,” Rosario told Daily Racing Form after the Vanderbilt. “These horses don’t come along every day, and he’s just incredible. He’s always there for me. I know when I ask him to go, he’s there for me.”

Rosario’s list of Grade 1 wins also included the Ogden Phipps with Clairiere and the First Lady and Diana with In Italian.

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