Jose Ortiz stuck with Todd Pletcher-trained Tapwrit for the Blue Grass opening the mount on Practical Joke. Chad Brown named Joel Rosario on Practical Joke.
Rosario had been riding Irish War Cry for Graham Motion and he is scheduled to run the same day in the Wood Memorial. Motion named Rajiv Maragh to ride.
Brian Hernandez Jr. is the regular rider for both Girvin and McCracken, and has yet to commit to either for the Run for the Roses.
While normally you can’t read into rider choices, The Kentucky Derby is an exception. It is every jockey’s dream, and most trainers understand this and give them a lot of leeway. Often jockeys and their agents have gone the wrong way, but at least you know the decision is likely based on who they think has the best chance, and not prior commitments and relationships.
