Javier Castellano is a jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

 in American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Thoroughbred horse racing

Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide 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 National Hunt racing...

.

Castellano began his riding career in his native Venezuela in 1996 and in June 1997 moved to the United States where rode at race track

Race track

A race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or athletes. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses. Some motorsport tracks are called speedways.A racetrack is a permanent facility or building...

s in southern Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 until 2001 when he moved to race on the New York State racing circuit.

In 2004, Javier Castellano got his big break when he was the rider for Frank Stronach's

Frank Stronach

Frank Stronach, CM is an Austrian-Canadian businessman. He is the founder of Magna International, an international automotive parts company based in Aurora, Ontario, Canada, and Magna Entertainment Corp., which specializes in horse-racing entertainment...

 colt Ghostzapper

Ghostzapper

Foaled in Kentucky on April 6 in the year 2000, the thoroughbred racehorse Ghostzapper won the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2004, outdistancing Roses in May by three lengths in a stakes record of 1:59.02...

 on whom he won several major races including the 2004 Breeders' Cup Classic

Breeders' Cup Classic

The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...

. Ghostzapper was voted the 2004 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year

Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year

The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....

 and named the World's Top Ranked Horse

World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings

The World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings are compiled by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities , an organization established in 2003 with headquarters in Paris, France made up of members from around the world....

. In 2006, Castellano rode Bernardini

Bernardini

Bernardini is a thoroughbred race horse foaled on March 23, 2003 at Darley Stable in Kentucky. A son of A.P. Indy, he is out of Cara Rafaela who won almost a million dollars over the course of her racing career...

 for Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum , also Sheikh Mohammed, , is the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates , and absolute monarch of Dubai.-Personal life and education:...

 Darley Racing

Darley Racing

Darley Racing is a one of the world's preeminent thoroughbred horse racing operations. It is controlled by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates....

. Among his wins with Bernardini was the Preakness Stakes

Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...

, and the Jockey Club Gold Cup

Jockey Club Gold Cup

The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers Stakes is of the...

.

Javier Castellano currently lives with his wife, Abby, and 2 daughters in Garden City, New York

Garden City, New York

Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...

.

Selected wins

• Beldame Stakes
  Beldame Stakes
  The Beldame Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares three-years-old and up. Inaugurated in 1939, it was run as a handicap prior to 1960...
  
   (2001 & 2004)
• Gazelle Handicap
  Gazelle Handicap
  The Gazelle Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race raced annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York. Open to three-year-old fillies, it is a Grade I event run over a distance of one and one-eighth miles on dirt...
  
   (2001 & 2006)
• Clark Handicap
  Clark Handicap
  The Clark Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late November/early December at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Among the oldest races in the United States, it was first run in 1875, the year the racetrack opened for business...
  
   (2003)
• Secretariat Stakes
  Secretariat Stakes
  The Secretariat Stakes is a Grade 1 flat horse race in the United States for three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1¼ miles . Held annually in mid August, it is the brother of both the Arlington Million and the Beverly D...
  
   (2003)
• Vosburgh Stakes
  Vosburgh Stakes
  The Vosburgh Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Run at the end of September/early October, it is open to horses three-years-old and up of either gender...
  
   (2003)
• Lane's End Breeders' Futurity
  Lane's End Breeders' Futurity
  The Breeders' Futurity Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Currently offering a purse of $500,000, the race is open to two-year-old horses and is run at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the...
  
   (2003)
• Bertram F. Bongard Stakes
  Bertram F. Bongard Stakes
  The Bertram F. Bongard Stakes is an ungraded stakes race for Thoroughbred two-year-olds run in the fall at Belmont Park, New York.At a distance of 7 furlongs, it will be in its 32nd running in 2009. The Bongard is a major prep race for up-and-coming young horses and offers a purse of $100,000...
  
   (2004)
• Beaugay Handicap
  Beaugay Handicap
  The Beaugay Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run at Aqueduct Racetrack on Long Island in New York in the spring of the year. The Grade III turf event is for fillies and mares three-year-olds and older, and is set at a distance of one and one-sixteenth of a mile.In its 32rd running...
  
   (2004)
• Breeders' Cup Classic
  Breeders' Cup Classic
  The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...
  
   (2004)
• Discovery Handicap
  Discovery Handicap
  The Discovery Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the latter part of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York...
  
   (2004)
• Woodward Stakes
  Woodward Stakes
  The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...
  
   (2004)
• Sport Page Breeders' Cup Handicap
  Sport Page Breeders' Cup Handicap
  The Sport Page Handicap was an American thoroughbred horse race run annually at Aqueduct Race Track in Ozone Park, Queens, New York for three-year-olds and up...
  
   (2004)
• Dubai Golden Shaheen
  Dubai Golden Shaheen
  The Dubai Golden Shaheen is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,200 metres on the dirt course at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai in late March....
  
   (2005)
• Jamaica Handicap
  Jamaica Handicap
  The Jamaica Handicap is American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run annually on the turf at Belmont Park in Elmont on Long Island, New York...
  
   (2005)
• Coolmore Lexington Stakes
  Coolmore Lexington Stakes
  The Lexington Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Open to three-year-old horses, the Grade III event is contested on dirt over a distance of 11/16 miles...
  
   (2005)
• Wood Memorial Stakes
  Wood Memorial Stakes
  The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, New York. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....
  
   (2005)
• Forward Gal Stakes
  Forward Gal Stakes
  The Forward Gal Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of January at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida...
  
   (2005)
• Jockey Club Gold Cup
  Jockey Club Gold Cup
  The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers Stakes is of the...
  
   (2006)
• Withers Stakes
  Withers Stakes
  The Withers Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds willing to compete one mile on the dirt. Held at Aqueduct Racetrack every year at the end of April , it is a Grade III event, and offers a purse of $150,000...
  
   (2006)
• Preakness Stakes
  Preakness Stakes
  The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
  
   (2006)
• Travers Stakes
  Travers Stakes
  The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.First held in 1864, it was named for William R. Travers, the president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. His horse, Kentucky, won the first running of the Travers...
  
   (2006)
• Jim Dandy Stakes
  Jim Dandy Stakes
  The Jim Dandy Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. The Grade II race has been held annually since 1964 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is open to horses age three, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. It carries a purse of $500,000. Prior...
  
   (2006)
• Ben Ali Stakes
  Ben Ali Stakes
  The Ben Ali Stakes is an American race for thoroughbred horses run in the Spring of each year at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. For 4-year-olds and up, it is a Grade III event set at a distance of one mile and one eighth mile on the dirt...
  
   (2006)
• Gallant Bloom Handicap
  Gallant Bloom Handicap
  The Gallant Bloom Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in laste September at Belmont Park on Long Island, New York. A Grade II event open to fillies and mares age three and up, it is contested at a distance of six and a half furlongs on the dirt.Gallant Bloom won the...
  
   (2006)
• Vagrancy Handicap
  Vagrancy Handicap
  The Vagrancy Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the end of May/early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The event is open to fillies and mares, age three and older...
  
   (2007)
• Sabin Stakes
  Sabin Stakes
  The Sabin Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for older fillies and mares and is run at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. A Grade III stakes race, it's set at a distance of 1 mile on the dirt, and offers a purse of $100,000.The Sabin is named for the multiple Grade I stakes...
  
   (2007, 2008)
• Kelso Breeders' Cup Handicap
  Kelso Breeders' Cup Handicap
  The Kelso Stakes is an American race for Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late September/early October at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A Grade II event open to horses, age three and up, it was contested on turf over a distance of one mile from 1988-2008. The race was moved to the dirt...
  
   (2007,2008)
• Canadian International Stakes
  Canadian International Stakes
  The Canadian International Stakes is a $2 million Grade I Canadian stakes race on Turf for thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and up held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario....
  
   (2008)
• Travers Stakes
  Travers Stakes
  The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.First held in 1864, it was named for William R. Travers, the president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. His horse, Kentucky, won the first running of the Travers...
  
   (2010) riding Afleet Express

Year-end charts

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (2000–present)
!Peak
position
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2000
| style="text-align:center;"|32
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2001
| style="text-align:center;"|28
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2002
| style="text-align:center;"|16
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2003
| style="text-align:center;"|15
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2004
| style="text-align:center;"|6
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2005
| style="text-align:center;"|6
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2006
| style="text-align:center;"|11
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|10
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2008
| style="text-align:center;"|10
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2009
| style="text-align:center;"|17