Sonny Leon is a Venezuelan jockey (born 1989 or 1990 in

Aragua Aragua State ( es, Estado Aragua, ) is one of the 23 States of Venezuela, states of Venezuela. It is located in the north-central region of Venezuela. It has plains and jungle (terrain), jungles and Caribbean beaches. The most popular are Cata a ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

). He rode

Rich Strike Rich Strike ( foaled April 25, 2019) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 2022 Kentucky Derby, racing at 80–1 odds. Rich Strike is the second-biggest longshot to have won the Kentucky Derby after Donerail (91–1 odds) in 1913 ...

to victory in the

2022 Kentucky Derby The 2022 Kentucky Derby (officially, the 148th Running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve) took place on Saturday, May 7, 2022, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. It was the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby, a Grad ...

and the second largest payout to win in history of the Derby. Rich Strike's victory was the second for a Venezuelan jockey at the Derby, 51 years after

Gustavo Ávila Gustavo Ávila (born June 14, 1938, in Caracas, Venezuela) is a retired jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. He is best known as the jockey who rode Canonero II to victory in two of the 1971 U.S. Triple Crown series, the Kentucky Derby and Preak ...

rode

Canonero II Cañonero II (April 24, 1968 – November 11, 1981) was a Venezuelan champion Thoroughbred race horse that may be best remembered for winning the first two legs of the 1971 U.S. Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. After t ...

in 1971. The day before his victory in the Kentucky Derby, Leon jockeyed six races at

Belterra Park Belterra Park, formerly known as River Downs, is a racino located in Anderson Township, Hamilton County, Ohio, just outside the southeast limits of Cincinnati. It is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Boyd Gaming. History ...

. Leon has 770 career wins in the United States. ''

Últimas Noticias ''Últimas Noticias'' is a daily newspaper in Venezuela, currently British-owned and characterized by ''The Guardian'' as a "pro-Maduro tabloid". ''Últimas Noticias'' was founded in Caracas on 16 September 1941 after the pro-freedom measures i ...

'' described Leon as one of the winningest Venezuelan jockeys in the United States. He lives in

Florence, Kentucky Florence is a home rule-class city in Boone County, Kentucky, United States. Florence is the second largest city located in Northern Kentucky, after Covington, and part of the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Area. The population was 31,946 at ...

. Following his Kentucky Derby win, Leon served a four-day suspension for careless riding that dated back to an April 27 incident in a $28,000 allowance race. It was his 3rd suspension for careless riding in the last 9 months.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leon, Sonny Venezuelan jockeys Living people 20th-century births Year of birth uncertain Sportspeople from Aragua People from Florence, Kentucky