The final Saratoga jockey standings place Manuel “Manny” Franco at the top of the 2026 summer meet. Franco recorded 73 victories from 370 starts, earning his first Saratoga riding title.
Flavien Prat finished second with 67 wins, while Jose L. Ortiz took third with 66. The meet concluded on September 7, 2026, so these are final rather than in-progress figures.
Final 2026 Saratoga Jockey Standings
| Rank | Jockey | Starts | Wins | Seconds | Thirds | Win rate | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manuel Franco | 370 | 73 | 49 | 59 | 19.7% | $8,460,130 |
| 2 | Flavien Prat | 319 | 67 | 66 | 45 | 21.0% | $8,235,370 |
| 3 | Jose L. Ortiz | 292 | 66 | 54 | 47 | 22.6% | $7,682,517 |
| 4 | Ricardo Santana Jr. | 317 | 45 | 45 | 35 | 14.2% | $4,894,963 |
| 5 | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 126 | 30 | 20 | 18 | 23.8% | $3,265,483 |
| 6 | Junior Alvarado | 177 | 22 | 23 | 28 | 12.4% | $3,193,872 |
| 7 | John R. Velazquez | 170 | 20 | 23 | 20 | 11.8% | $3,769,024 |
| 7 | Tyler Gaffalione | 156 | 20 | 13 | 19 | 12.8% | $2,479,497 |
| 9 | Kendrick Carmouche | 180 | 18 | 15 | 23 | 10.0% | $2,512,672 |
| 10 | Dylan Davis | 223 | 16 | 22 | 27 | 7.2% | $2,109,936 |
Statistics are based on the final official NYRA Saratoga leaderboards.
Who Won the 2026 Saratoga Riding Title?
Manny Franco secured the title with 73 wins, six more than Flavien Prat. His 370 mounts were also the most among Saratoga’s leading jockeys.
Franco finished in the top three in 181 races, representing 48.9% of his starts. He also led the jockey earnings table with more than $8.46 million.
The result gave Franco his first riding championship at Saratoga Race Course. It followed a productive 2026 season in which he had already led multiple New York meetings.
The Race Between Franco, Prat and Jose Ortiz
The top three riders were separated by only seven victories:
- Manny Franco: 73 wins
- Flavien Prat: 67 wins
- Jose Ortiz: 66 wins
Prat recorded 66 second-place finishes, the most of any jockey at the meet. He reached the top three in 55.8% of his starts and finished with a 21% win rate.
Jose Ortiz had fewer starts than either Franco or Prat but remained within seven wins of the championship. His 22.6% winning percentage and 57.2% top-three rate were both higher than the corresponding numbers of the two riders above him.
Franco’s advantage came from combining consistent results with a larger number of mounts throughout the meeting.
Which Jockey Had the Highest Win Percentage?
Irad Ortiz Jr. recorded the highest win percentage among the top ten riders, winning 30 of his 126 starts for a 23.8% rate.
His total number of mounts was substantially lower than those of the three championship leaders. This illustrates why the standings use total victories rather than win percentage to determine the riding title.
A jockey can have an excellent strike rate but finish below riders who compete in many more races.
How Are Saratoga Jockey Standings Calculated?
The primary ranking is based on the number of winning rides during the meet. The jockey with the most first-place finishes is the leading rider.
Other figures provide useful context:
- Starts show how many mounts the jockey received.
- Second and third-place finishes indicate overall consistency.
- Win percentage divides victories by total starts.
- Top-three percentage measures how often the jockey finished first, second, or third.
- Earnings represent purse money credited to the horses ridden, not the jockey’s personal take-home pay.
If two jockeys have the same number of victories, they may appear tied in the standings. John Velazquez and Tyler Gaffalione therefore shared seventh place with 20 wins each.
Why Jockey Standings Matter
Standings help show which riders are receiving competitive mounts and producing results during a particular meeting. They can also reveal relationships between leading jockeys and successful trainers.
However, the leaderboard should not be used alone to evaluate an upcoming race. A jockey’s chances also depend on the horse, trainer, distance, surface, post position, pace, class level, and competition.
A strong meet does not guarantee that every future mount will perform well. Standings summarize past results rather than predict the next winner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Saratoga’s leading jockey in 2026?
Manuel Franco won the 2026 Saratoga riding title with 73 victories from 370 starts.
Who finished second?
Flavien Prat finished second with 67 wins and earnings of approximately $8.24 million.
How many wins did Jose Ortiz have?
Jose L. Ortiz recorded 66 wins from 292 starts, finishing third in the standings.
Where did Irad Ortiz finish?
Irad Ortiz Jr. ranked fifth with 30 victories from 126 starts. His 23.8% win rate was the highest among the top ten.
Are the 2026 Saratoga standings final?
Yes. The Saratoga summer meet ended on September 7, 2026, and the figures shown here are final.
Final Answer
Manny Franco topped the final 2026 Saratoga jockey standings with 73 victories and more than $8.46 million in mount earnings. Flavien Prat finished second with 67 wins, followed closely by Jose Ortiz with 66. Franco’s combination of availability, consistency, and winning rides earned him his first Saratoga riding title.