03/10/2026
En unos momentos donde hacemos el trabajo de rescatar nuestros heroes de la comunidad, parte el gran Eddie Belmonte de Shangay Puerto Rico!!
REST IN PEACE, EDDIE BELMONTE 🇵🇷
Today, Puerto Rican horse racing mourns the loss of one of its great pioneers.
Eddie Belmonte has passed away at the age of 83.
Born in Puerto Rico in 1943, Belmonte began riding in 1961 and quickly established himself among the island’s best, leading Puerto Rico in victories in both 1963 and 1964.
Then he took his talent to the United States.
In 1966, aboard Ex*********st, Belmonte became the first Puerto Rican jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby. Four years later, he made even greater history.
On May 16, 1970, Belmonte guided Personality to victory in the Preakness Stakes, defeating My Dad George by a neck. With that victory, he became the first Puerto Rican jockey to win a race of the American Triple Crown.
His success extended far beyond that historic afternoon at Pimlico. Among his major victories was the 1969 Santa Anita Handicap aboard Nodouble, one of the premier races in American racing.
But perhaps just as important as what Belmonte won was who he helped along the way.
When a young Angel Cordero Jr. was struggling to establish himself in New York, Belmonte encouraged him to stay and keep fighting for his opportunity. Years later, Belmonte was also one of John Velazquez’s instructors at Puerto Rico’s Escuela Vocacional Hipica.
That is a remarkable legacy: making history himself while helping influence two Puerto Rican jockeys who would later become Hall of Famers.
From Puerto Rico to the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness winner’s circle and some of America’s greatest racetracks, Eddie Belmonte left a lasting mark on the sport.
Rest in peace, Eddie. 🇵🇷🏇
A pioneer. A history-maker. A mentor.
A piece of Puerto Rican racing history.
