2025 Eclipse Awards: Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott had a family reputation to uphold when he launched his riding career, as he is the son of a Kentucky Derby-winning jockey in Stewart Elliott.

Safe to say, he has done the name proud.

Christopher Elliott is an Eclipse Award finalist for outstanding apprentice jockey of 2025 for a season in which he ranked third in mount earnings among his peers and fourth in wins, all while having stakes success in New York, New Jersey, and Iowa. Elliott is a 19-year-old native of Red Bank, N.J., whose father is best known for winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes aboard Smarty Jones.

The younger Elliott won his first race on April 21, 2024, at Lone Star Park and had his apprentice allowance through July 19, 2025. During the period he rode as an apprentice in 2025, he won 82 races from 602 starts, amassing mount earnings of $3,831,670.

:: Full list of 2025 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories

Elliott’s overall apprentice career yielded 139 wins and mount earnings of $5.7 million. His four stakes wins as an apprentice included the Rick Violette by a neck aboard Leon Blue on July 17 at Saratoga.

“The stakes win at Saratoga was huge,” said agent Jose Santos Jr., the son of Kentucky Derby-winning rider Jose Santos. “It was the week before he lost his apprenticeship – and a stretch duel with Flavien Prat in a turf stakes! I mean, it’s hard enough to get stakes mounts at Saratoga for any rider, so to get one as an apprentice and then pull off the win was huge.”

Other highlights for Elliott in 2025 included a three-win day June 21 at Aqueduct, during which he won a division of the New York Stallion Stakes.

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