Race-riding was a natural career fit for John Hiraldo, the son of a jockey. Hiraldo won more races than any other apprentice in North America last year to establish himself as an Eclipse Award finalist for outstanding apprentice jockey of 2021. Hiraldo also ranked second in earnings, with his mounts banking $2,178,769. Hiraldo is the son of jockey Joel Hiraldo. The younger rider won 81 races from 638 mounts in 2021. And beyond the winners, he showed consistency in the saddle with 89 runner-up finishes and 94 third-place finishers. Hiraldo is a 20-year-old native of Puerto Rico. “When I was growing up, my dad was a jockey so he was the person I would always look up to,” John Hiraldo told publicity at Laurel Park. “I would go to school and always think about riding. I didn’t care about the grades, I just wanted to go to be a jockey when I grew up.” John Hiraldo’s winners last year largely came at Mid-Atlantic tracks, while he closed his year with a riding double on a Dec. 19 card at Oaklawn. Hiraldo’s first win came with a $69 winner, Flat Rate on Dec. 31, 2020, at Laurel. :: Full list of 2021 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories “I’m very happy,” Hiraldo told Laurel officials at the time. “I have to thank God for always watching over me and all the other riders. I’m just very happy. I’ve worked so hard for this moment and I’ve dreamed about it since I was a little kid.” Another highlight came this past October, when Hiraldo won the first stakes race of his career with Red Hot Mess in the White Clay Creek at Delaware Park.