Joe Bravo (born September 10, 1971 in

Long Branch, New Jersey Long Branch is a beachside City (New Jersey), city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 30,719,< ...

) is a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

in American

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in t ...

. The son and grandson of jockeys, he began his professional career in Thoroughbred

flat racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

Calder Race Course Calder Casino is a casino located in Miami Gardens, Florida. It includes slots, electronic table games, and bingo. The casino opened in 2010 and features a gaming floor with 1,100 slot machines, including video poker, as well as electronic r ...

Miami Gardens, Florida Miami Gardens is a city in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is located north of Downtown Miami with city boundaries that stretch from I-95 and Northeast 2nd Avenue to its east to Northwest 47th and Northwest 57th Avenues to its west ...

during the latter end of 1988. Nicknamed "Jersey Joe", Bravo has won 22 riding titles in his career at racetracks in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

—13 at

Monmouth Park Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with ...

and nine at the Meadowlands. He got his big break in 1997 when he rode

Formal Gold Formal Gold (foaled April 20, 1993 in Ontario) is a retired Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who raced in the United States. He is famous for defeating Hall of Fame champion Skip Away in four of their six meetings, with major stakes wins incl ...

to his victories that year. Bravo has won the

Jersey Shore Breeders' Cup Stakes {{Infobox horseraces , class = Ungraded , horse race = Jersey Shore Breeders' Cup Stakes , image = , caption = , location = Monmouth Park RacetrackOceanport, New Jersey, United States , inaugurated = 1992 , r ...

five times, including three straight from 2004 through 2006. In 2019, Joe Bravo won the

Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or ...

, his first victory after 21 career mounts at the

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

. In June 2021, Bravo announced that he would be relocating to ride in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

, starting at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

. He will be represented by agent Matt Nakatani, the son of retired jockey

Corey Nakatani Corey S. Nakatani (born October 21, 1970 in Covina, California, United States) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He got his big break in 1990 when he rode Itsallgreektome to win big stakes races. Nakatani has long resided on the S ...

. 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 Riding is a homonym of two distinct English words: From the word ride * In equestrianism, riding a horse * Riding animal, animal bred or trained for riding * Riding hall, building designed for indoor horse riding From Old English ''*þriðing'' ...

implemented by the New Jersey Racing Commission. He returned in 2022.

References

Joe Bravo NTRA Profile

Year-end charts

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bravo, Joe 1971 births Living people American jockeys People from Eatontown, New Jersey People from Long Branch, New Jersey People from Aventura, Florida