1. Florent Geroux was born on July 16,1986 and is a French jockey who has earned over 1,700 wins in American thoroughbred horse racing, including the 2017 Breeders' Cup Classic on Gun Runner, two Breeders' Cup Distaff wins with Monomoy Girl, and the 2021 Kentucky Derby on Mandaloun.
Florent Geroux's father Dominique was a jockey and later a trainer in France.
At age 13, Geroux was accepted into the French riding academy, Afasec.
Florent Geroux later started riding in France and became a leading apprentice.
Florent Geroux secured his first win on May 6,2004, at Longchamp on Chopyluz.
Florent Geroux married Kasey Spindler, whose father was a Chicago-based jockey, Louis Spindler.
On May 23,2018, Florent Geroux became a US citizen, taking the Oath of Allegiance at the naturalization ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky.
Florent Geroux came to the United States for the first time in early 2007, working with trainer Patrick Biancone for a few months before returning briefly to France.
Florent Geroux recuperated in France for several months then returned to the States with Chicago as his home base.
Florent Geroux enjoyed some success over the next years, finishing tenth in the Arlington jockey standings in 2010 and winning the 2011 Hawthorne meet.
Florent Geroux earned his first stakes wins on Zoeling in the 2010 Leemat Stakes at Presque Isle Downs.
In 2010, Florent Geroux changed agents to Doug Bredar and gradually climbed the jockey ranks in the Chicago area.
In 2014, Florent Geroux scored his first Grade I victory in the Breeders' Cup Sprint aboard Chicago-based Work All Week.
Florent Geroux won the Arlington Million with The Pizza Man and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with Catch a Glimpse and the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint with Mongolian Saturday.
Florent Geroux had a career best year in 2016, with earnings of $17,690,013 and 217 wins, including two Grade I wins on I'm a Chatterbox.
Florent Geroux picked up the mount on Gun Runner at the start of the year and rode him to a win in the Louisiana Derby and a third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.
In 2017, Florent Geroux was ranked in the top ten of North American jockeys.
In 2021, Florent Geroux rode Mandaloun to a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.