2023 Eclipse Awards: Axel Concepcion

Axel Concepcion is an Eclipse Award finalist for outstanding apprentice jockey of 2023 after a year in which he led his division in both wins and mount earnings and also secured the spring riding title at Laurel Park.

Concepcion is an 18-year-old native of Puerto Rico. He compiled a record of 198 wins from 1,002 starts last year, for mount earnings of $5,172,124. He started 2023 with a Jan. 19 win at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, and by February was based in Maryland.

Concepcion nailed down his first career title in May, when a riding double on the final card of the Laurel spring meet locked up the top spot in the track’s overall standings. He became just the fourth apprentice in the last decade to win a title at Laurel, according to the Maryland Jockey Club.

:: Full list of 2023 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories

“The wins are coming and thank God for two wins today,” Concepcion told Laurel’s publicity department. “I ride all my horses with confidence. Thanks to all the owners and trainers that help me. In the morning I work very hard for this, my first meet that I win. I’m very grateful.”

Another high point for Concepcion came Aug. 19, when he won his first stakes race in the $75,000 Find at Laurel. He guided Field Pass to a neck victory. It was one of four winners on the card for Concepcion.

Concepcion’s season was not without some difficulty. He was handed a pair of 30-day suspensions by Delaware Park’s stewards for careless riding last fall.

The rider is a graduate of the Escuela Vocacional Hipica jockey school in Puerto Rico.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.