Kentucky Derby: John Velazquez wins his third, agent Ron Anderson his fifth
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Authentic was the third Derby winner for Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez and his first with Ron Anderson as his agent. Velazquez, who previously won with Animal Kingdom (2011) and Always Dreaming (2017), donated a portion of his earnings to fellow rider Vinnie Bednar, who suffered lower-limb paralysis in an Aug. 22 spill at Los Alamitos.
The Derby was the 200th career Grade 1 victory for Velazquez, making him just the third jockey to reach that milestone, following Jerry Bailey and Mike Smith.
For Anderson, it was the fifth Derby win, one shy of what is believed to be the modern record (six) for agents held by Tony Matos. Anderson previously won two with Gary Stevens (Thunder Gulch, 1995, and Silver Charm, 1997); one with Chris Antley (Charismatic, 1999); and one with Joel Rosario (Orb, 2013), for whom he also still books mounts.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of gifted riders,” said Anderson, 65. “They make things easy. It’s great to have folks like Bob Baffert knocking on your door instead of the other way around.”
:: Click to learn about our DRF's Free Past Performance program.
Anderson began working for Velazquez in mid-March when Velazquez and his longtime agent and mentor, Angel Cordero Jr., split up. Cordero continues to work for Manny Franco, who rode Tiz the Law to his runner-up finish.
◗ There still hasn’t been a 100-1 shot in the Derby in nearly 20 years after none of the longshots even came close to that triple-digit threshold. Winning Impression, at 50-1, was the longest price when finishing 12th in a field of 15.
No Derby starter has been 100-1 since 2001. A Dragon Killer (seventh at 294-1 in 1958) remains the longest shot in race history.
◗ With Authentic having carried saddle towel No. 18 to victory Saturday, there’s still only one saddle towel (from 1 to 20) that has never been worn in the infield winner’s circle at Churchill. That’s No. 17, which was worn Saturday by Tiz the Law.
The lone prior victory for a No. 18 in the Derby was in 2015 by American Pharoah, also trained by Baffert.