Joe Bravo

A third-generation jockey, "Jersey Joe," a native of Long Branch, has been a dominant rider in his home state for 20 years. He has been the leading rider at Monmouth 13 times and the Meadowlands champion nine times. His first Grade 1 winner was Formal Gold in the 1997 Donn Handicap. Bravo had a strong 2011 season, riding Sean Avery to a win in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt at Saratoga, a victory in the Grade 2 Belmont Futurity on Jack's in the Deck and three Grade 3 wins on Little Mike.

Bravo won a career-best six Grade 1 races in 2015, including two each with Sheer Drama and Big Blue Kitten, the latter the 2015 champion turf male. He also reached a new career top for purse earnings in a single season in 2015 as his mounts earned $8,398,877.

During 2018-19, Bravo paired up successfully with hard-knocking racemare Blue Prize. They won consecutive editions of the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes at Keeneland in those years and, after finishing fourth in the 2018 Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs, scored an upset win over Midnight Bisou in the 2019 Longines Distaff at Santa Anita Park. That 2019 Distaff win was Bravo’s first in the World Championships.