Calvin Borel (born November 7, 1966, in St. Martinville, Louisiana) is an American jockey in thoroughbred horse racing and rode the victorious mount in the 2007 Kentucky Derby and lost the Preakness Stakes by a head to Curlin. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky with his fiancee, Lisa Funk. Calvin Borel hails from south Louisiana, the heart of Cajun Country famous for its production of many top jockeys during the last twenty years. Like Randy Romero, Kent Desormeaux, and Shane Sellers, Borel began racing horses in the bush tracks near his hometown of Catahoula. One such track was called Evangeline Downs in Carencro, Louisiana and is where Borel began riding in match races at the age of eight.
Calvin Borel's older brother, Cecil, had a brief career as a thoroughbred jockey but was not able to maintain his weight and turned to training horses at Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana. Calvin would later begin his professional riding career at Delta Downs.
Over a career that has spanned 25 years, Borel has become known for his tireless work ethic as well as an ability to slip up the rail to save ground; his colleagues and racing fans therefore frequently refer to him as "Calvin Bo-rail."
He is 5'4" and 116 pounds.
Borel's most significant career win to date came in the 2007 Kentucky Derby aboard Street Sense, guiding the colt to a 2 & 1/4 length victory over Hard Spun and then had a close second place finish in the Preakness Stakes to Curlin.
In June 2006, Borel won the $750,000 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs with 91-1 longshot Seek Gold, getting up in the final stride to win by a nose over Perfect Drift and paying $185.40 to win.
On July 5, 2007, Borel became the sixth jockey in the history of Churchill Downs to win 6 races on a single race card. With his victory in the July 5, 2008 Bashford Manor Stakes, Calvin Borel became the thirty-fourth jockey in North American Thoroughbred racing history to win 4,500 races.
Riding titles:
- Delta Downs (1985, 1986, 1987)
- Louisiana Downs (1991, 1992, 1994)
- Oaklawn Park (1995, 2001 )
- Ellis Park (1995)
- Churchill Downs (1998, 2006)
- Turfway Park (2000)
- Kentucky Downs (2005)
