After leading all North American riders by earnings for the second consecutive year in 2017, Jose Ortiz earned his first Eclipse Award for top jockey.
| JOCKEY | FIRST-PLACE VOTES | |
| JOSE ORTIZ | 189 | |
| Mike Smith | 45 | |
| Irad Ortiz Jr. | 10 | |
| Javier Castellano | 4 | |
| Voter Abstentions | 2 |
The 24-year-old native of Puerto Rican also captured his first Triple Crown race, the Belmont Stakes aboard Tapwrit, and won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) aboard champion 2-year-old male Good Magic, a leading contender for the 2018 Kentucky Derby.
Ortiz’s mounts earned $27,318,875 last year. He won his second consecutive riding title at Saratoga and along with brother Irad, Ortiz is blessed with a strong work ethic and appears poised to continue his success for many years.
Evin Roman made headlines last spring, becoming the first apprentice to capture the Santa Anita spring meet jockey title since 1949 after tying for the most wins, and he was recognized Thursday evening with the Eclipse Award for top apprentice.
| APPRENTICE JOCKEY | FIRST-PLACE VOTES | |
| EVIN ROMAN | 232 | |
| Katie Clawson | 4 | |
| Jenn Miller | 1 | |
| Voter Abstentions | 13 |
A native of Puerto Rico, the 19-year-old launched his riding career last January and won 41 races in a short span after shifting his tack to Santa Anita.
Roman finished with 166 wins from 912 starts and his mounts earned $5,118,077.
