Meet the Stars of Netflix’s “Race for the Crown ”(Including the Jockey Favored to Win the 2025 Kentucky Derby!)

Netflix’s Race for the Crown has been released from the starting gate.

The six-episode docuseries — which follows horse owners and jockeys during the 2024 Triple Crown racing season — premiered on April 22, just weeks before the 2025 Kentucky Derby starts on May 3.

Popularized in the 1930s, the term “Triple Crown” refers to a series of three thoroughbred horse races: the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May, the Preakness Stakes on the third Saturday in May and the Belmont Stakes, which takes place on either the first or second Saturday in June.

Three-year-old thoroughbreds are eligible to participate in the Triple Crown races, meaning a horse has just one opportunity in its lifetime to win all three races in a single season. To date, a mere 13 horses have secured the elusive title.

Race for the Crown takes audiences behind the scenes of the horse racing business. It’s a rare look at the often eccentric owners who have invested millions in top-notch trainers, daredevil jockeys and the world’s finest thoroughbreds.

“When your horse is coming to the line at a Triple Crown race, there’s nothing like it,” owner Michael Iavarone said in the docuseries. “They call it Derby dreaming — 20,000 horses born every year, 20 in that starting gate. That math is tough.”

Here’s everything to know about the cast of Race for the Crown.

Michael Iavarone

Iavarone is a horse owner from New York. He appears on Race for the Crown alongside his wife, Jules.

Known for turning heads at the race track in his flashy suits and signature sunglasses, Iavarone was first introduced to horse racing at 15 years old when he attended his first race, per FanDuel Racing.

In his early career, Iavarone sold penny stocks on Wall Street for four firms. In 1999, the National Association of Securities Dealers fined Iavarone $7,500 and suspended him for 10 days for allegedly buying and selling $22,000 in stock without the permission of his clients, per The New York Times.

In the early 2000s, Iavarone launched International Equine Acquisitions Holding (IEAH), a thoroughbred horse racing stable, according to FanDuel Racing. He solidified his place in racing history when his horse, Big Brown, won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in 2008.

Michael Repole

Horse owner Michael Repole is a successful entrepreneur.

He’s best known for co-founding brands including BODYARMOR and Glaceau — the maker of Vitaminwater and Smartwater. Those were sold to Coca-Cola for $5.6 billion and $4.1 billion, respectively. As of April 2025, Repole has a net worth of $1.6 billion, per Forbes.

The son of Italian immigrants, Repole was born and raised in Queens, N.Y., according to a 2018 interview with The New York Post. He bought his first horse in 2004 and won the Belmont Stakes with Mo Donegal in 2022, achieving his dream of winning that race.

“If you could only give me one, I might be the only person ever who says, ‘I want to win the Belmont Stakes,’ ” he told The New York Post. “It’s my New York roots. I grew up going to Aqueduct and Belmont Park. I’m always going to be Mike from Queens.”

Jayson and Julia Werth

Horse owner Jayson Werth is a former MLB outfielder. He appears on Race for the Crown alongside his wife, Julia.

Over his 15 professional seasons, Werth played for the Toronto Blue Jays, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals. He even won the World Series alongside the Phillies in 2008.

Upon his 2017 retirement, Werth started Two Eight Racing, a horse stable. In 2024, he told the Associated Press that his former hobby had “turned into a passion.” That year, his horse Dornoch won the Belmont Stakes.

Kenneth and Sherri McPeek

Kenneth “Kenny” McPeek is a thoroughbred trainer and bloodstock agent. He appears in Race for the Crown alongside his wife Sherri, who shares his passion for horses.

Growing up, Kenny’s father owned several thoroughbreds, which stoked his interest in racing. After graduating from the University of Kentucky with a degree in business administration, McPeek took an entry-level job with a stable and retained his trainer’s license, per Keeneland.

Now, Kenny owns Magdalena Farm in Lexington, Ky. He also developed the Horse Races NOW app, which allows users to watch racing on their mobile devices.

Brian Hernandez Jr.

Brian “B.J.” Hernandez Jr. is an American jockey hailing from Louisiana.

He won the 2024 Kentucky Derby on Mystik Dan.

Frankie Dettori

In his 50s, Frankie Dettori is one of the oldest jockeys still competing in the sport. He was born in Italy but spent most of his career in the U.K. His most famous achievement is riding all seven winners in seven races at Ascot Racecourse in September 1996.

In December 2022, Dettori announced that he would retire at the end of the 2023 season, but has since reversed that decision and moved to compete in the United States, per NBC Sports.

Katie Davis

Born in N.Y., jockey Katie Davis is among the few women in the sport. She has never won a Triple Crown race, however, she has more than 300 wins to her name.

Davis is the daughter of jockey Robbie Davis, who won 3,382 races from 1981 to 2002.

Umberto Rispoli

Umberto Rispoli is a jockey from Italy. He is favored to win the 2025 Kentucky Derby on the horse Journalism, per the Courier Journal.

During past Derby appearances, he finished 14^th on Brooklyn Strong in 2021 and ninth on Endlessly in 2024. 

Antonio Fresu

Antonio Fresu is a jockey from Italy. The 2024 Kentucky Derby marked his first Triple Crown race, where he finished seventh on Stronghold.

John R. Velazquez

John R. Velazquez, who was born in Puerto Rico, is one of the most accomplished jockeys in the sport with six Triple Crown race victories, including three wins at the Kentucky Derby, two at the Belmont Stakes and one at the Preakness Stakes.

Velazquez is also North America’s all-time leader in purse earnings, with $493,711,522 in winnings, per the National Museum of Racing.

Florent Geroux

Also hailing from France, Florent Geroux entered jockey school at age 13 and began competitively riding four years later, per New Orleans Magazine.

He won the 2021 Kentucky Derby with Mandaloun.

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