Yedsit Hazlewood reaches for great heights
Linda Dougherty- December 3, 2025
Over the years, Maryland racing has been the base for many talented apprentice jockeys who not only earned Eclipse Award honors but also went on to successful careers as journeyman riders. Four of the last 12 Eclipse winners spent significant time in Maryland as student champions.
Of the dozens of Eclipse-winning students from Maryland, two have been inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame: Chris McCarron and Kent Desormeaux. Jeremy Rose won more than 2,700 races, including two classics, while Mike Luzzi won more than 3,500 races and more than $100 million in purses by the time he retired.
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Those lofty heights are what Yedsit Hazlewood, Maryland’s newest student sensation, hopes to reach. Hazlewood’s career has taken off like a rocket since his first victory in April, propelling him to the top of the Laurel jockey rankings and making him a leading Eclipse Award candidate.
“Winning the Laurel title is huge,” said Hazlewood, 17, a native of Panama, “but winning the Eclipse Award is my dream.”
Hazlewood’s rise is due to the help and guidance of Jose Corrales, a Maryland trainer and former jockey who has a proven track record of taking students under his wing and transforming them into top riders.
Beneficiaries of the Corrales student development program include Eclipse student winners (Eric Beitia, 1980 and Art Madrid, 1985); an Apprentice Champion in Britain (David Egan, 2017); two Breeders’ Cup winners (Elvis Trujillo, 2007 and Geraldo Corrales, 2023), and three title winners (Michael Baze, Hollywood Park and Del Mar, 2006; JG Torrealba, Laurel, 2019, and Walter Rodriguez, Turfway, 2023).
“I love teaching, and I love seeing success,” said Corrales, 65.
Corrales, like Hazlewood, a native of Panama, said the youngster attended jockey school and came to the United States at the age of 16.
“When I arrived, I had to learn to drive differently,” Hazlewood said. “In Panama they teach you to ride bareback, and Jose helped me adapt to the way they ride here.”
He also credits his mentor with instilling confidence in himself.
Initially, Corrales arranged to gallop horses on Fair Hill. When he turned 17 and got his working papers, Corrales started getting him ready for racing.
“I cleaned it,” Corrales said. “It took about three months and then he got his driver’s license. Right from the start I saw his talent and I told people he was going to be my next Eclipse Award winner.”
Hazlewood got off to a slow start of 0 for 12, but went on to win two races on April 4 at Laurel and two more on April 5 to kick his career into gear. His first victory came aboard the Corrales-trained Addy’s Laddy TNT in a starter/optional claimer.
However, his momentum was interrupted on June 10 when he suffered multiple injuries in a car accident on Interstate 95. Hazlewood and JG Torrealba were returning to Maryland from New York when their car overturned after cutting the guardrail. Although Torrealba was unharmed, Hazlewood underwent surgery to place a plate in his broken wrist and also broke several ribs.
“After the accident, I told him, ‘You need to focus on this case, and maybe God has woken you up,’” Corrales said. “That accident could have ended not only his career, but also his life.”
Hazlewood took Corrales’ words seriously and worked hard and when his career resumed at Delaware Park on August 14, he promptly won the sixth event for trainer Gary Capuano.
Other highlights since the accident include capturing the Timonium riding title this summer and scoring a four-bagger, including his first two stakes events, on the Maryland Million card in Laurel on Oct. 11.
Both Maryland Million victories, aboard Onyx Ten in the Distaff and with Big Cuddle in the Nursery, came for trainer Gary Capuano. Known for employing student riders, Capuano has become one of Hazlewood’s most important connections, and the two have teamed up for additional stakes wins with Doc’s Miracle in Laurel’s Smart Halo and with Ready to Dial in the Blue Mountain at Penn National.
“He’s a really good rider, and he’s getting better and better,” Capuano said after the Maryland Million Distaff. “He has a bright future, so I have confidence in him, and that’s what I need.”
Corrales certainly agrees.
“He’s young and he has a bright future,” Corrales said. “He could be a top rider like one of the Ortiz brothers (Irad and Jose), he is that good. He sits low in the saddle, he can change the whip like no other, he is strong at the end, he is a good grass rider, he is the right size and weight and has a great personality.”
The gregarious Corrales also gave Hazlewood some words of wisdom to reflect on as his career progressed.
“I said to him: ‘Look at Messi, he’s aiming for the goal and it’s in. When you’re cycling, the wire is the goal,’” he said. “Don’t look at the money you earn, make sure you are number one in the world.”
Hazlewood plans to remain in Maryland for the rest of the year, but if an opportunity arises that is right for him, Corrales said they will consider it.
“Going up will be a big thing,” Corrales said. “But if you go to a bigger circuit and fail, you come back to Earth very quickly.”
Working with agent John DiNatale, Hazlewood has a record 100 wins from 462 starts (22 percent) through December 2, with earnings of nearly $3.4 million. At the current Laurel competition he has almost clinched the rider title with 51 victories out of 226 starters, 18 victories more than his nearest pursuer.
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