Jockey Joel Rosario came into the final month of 2021 with a trio of records well within his sights.
Unfortunately, a fractured rib suffered in a Dec. 2 fall ended his quest for a monumental season. Yet when the year came to an end, it was clear that one prize would not elude Rosario's grasp.
After a year in which he chased the single-season record for earnings, stakes, and graded stakes wins, the 37-year-old Rosario was honored Feb.10 as the Eclipse Award-winning jockey of 2021.
"It's very well-deserved," Rosario's agent Ron Anderson said about the rider's initial Eclipse Award. "He's been a consistent, top echelon rider for years. With the year he had, it's very gratifying."
Though he was sidelined from Dec. 3 until Jan. 14, Rosario still managed to top all riders with 2021 earnings of $32,944,478. The regular rider for likely 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go , he fell shy of Irad Ortiz Jr.'s 2019 record of $34,109,019.
Rosario also led in stakes wins (69) and graded stakes (49), but missed the record 76 stakes wins by Garrett Gomez in 2007 and Jerry Bailey's 55 graded stakes wins in 2003.
"I had calls in at least six stakes before he got hurt and I'm sure he would have broken all three records. It didn't work out but we can look forward to 2022," Anderson said.
Ortiz and Flavien Prat were the other finalists.
