Joe Bravo (born September 10, 1971) is an American jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. The son and grandson of jockeys, he began his professional career in Thoroughbred flat racing at Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens, Florida, at the latter end of 1988.
Nicknamed "Jersey Joe", Bravo has won 22 riding titles in his career at racetracks in New Jerseyโ13 at Monmouth Park and nine at the Meadowlands. He got his big break in 1997 when he rode Formal Gold to his victories that year. Bravo has won the Jersey Shore Breeders' Cup Stakes five times, including three straight from 2004 through 2006.
In 2019, Joe Bravo won the Breeders' Cup Distaff, his first victory after 21 career mounts at the Breeders' Cup.
In June 2021, Bravo announced that he would be relocating to ride in Southern California, starting at Santa Anita Park. He will be represented by agent Matt Nakatani, the son of retired jockey Corey Nakatani. Bravo has declined to ride in New Jersey since the start of the 2021 Monmouth Park meet in disagreement with new rules regarding the use of the riding crop implemented by the New Jersey Racing Commission. He returned in 2022.
References
- "Joe Bravo". Equibase. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ Ehalt, Bob (23 May 2021). "Riding Crop Rule Leads to Battle Over Safety in Jersey". The Blood-Horse. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "'Jersey Joe' Bravo Moves Tack Out West". The Blood-Horse. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
Year-end charts
Chart (2000โpresent) | Rank by earnings |
---|---|
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2000 | 26 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2001 | 42 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2002 | 294 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2003 | 43 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2004 | 18 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2005 | 25 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2006 | 24 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2007 | 31 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2008 | 23 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2009 | 33 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2010 | 26 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2011 | 23 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2012 | 31 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2013 | 29 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2014 | 28 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2015 | 17 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2016 | 27 |
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2017 | 33 |