Julien R. Leparoux

A native of France and the son of the late jockey-turned-trainer Robert Leparoux, Julien Leparoux has risen to prominence since beginning his riding career in 2005. He won the Eclipse Award as the outstanding apprentice rider of 2006, when he led the nation with 403 victories, and earned a second Eclipse in 2009 as the outstanding jockey.

After spending two years as an exercise rider for trainer Patrick Biancone, he made his debut as a jockey at Saratoga Race Course. He won six races on a single racing program at Churchill Downs in 2007 and won three Breeders' Cup races in 2009. In 2011, he was sixth among North American jockeys by purse earnings with $13,874,620 and he ranked seventh in purse earnings in 2012.

Leparoux earned his seventh career win at the Breeders' Cup World Championships in 2016 when he guided Classic Empire to victory in the Sentient Jet Juvenile. Leparoux's other Breeders' Cup wins through 2019: 2015 Breeders' Cup Mile, Tepin; 2009 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Furthest Land; 2009 Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, She Be Wild; 2009 Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, Informed Decision; 2008 Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, Forever Together; 2007 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Nownownow.

Leparoux finished second in the 2008 Preakness Stakes on Macho Again and runner-up again in the 2017 Preakness on Classic Empire. Leparoux has finished third in the Belmont Stakes on two occasions.

On June 4, 2022, Leparoux became the fifth rider to win 1,000 races at Churchill Downs when he guided Walkathon to victory in the Grade 3 Regret Stakes.