Three-time Kentucky Derby winning jockey Calvin Borel is among the individuals who were inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame on June 13. He joins Claiborne Farm’s Seth Hancock, Secretariat, and jockeys Pat Day and Steve Cauthen in the Hall of Fame.

Borel is a Louisiana native based in Louisville, Ky. 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”.

Borel is 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) and 116 pounds (53 kg). He lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife, Lisa Funk.

His riding career began to surge in June 2006 when he 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. That year was his big break when he won his first Breeders’ Cup on Street Sense in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

On July 5, 2007, Borel became the sixth jockey in the history of Churchill Downs to win six races on a single race card.

On May 16, 2009, Borel won the Preakness Stakes on Rachel Alexandra (after that horse was sold following the Derby). This accomplishment marked the first time that a jockey won the first two legs of the Triple Crown on different horses.

Borel was named the winner of the 2010 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award.

On June 4, 2010, Borel became only the second jockey to win 1,000 career races at Churchill Downs, joining Hall of Famer Pat Day.

Among his top victories were winning the Kentucky Derby with Street Sense in 2007, Mine That Bird in 2009, and Super Saver in 2010.

On March 7, 2013, Borel earned his 5000th victory at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas while riding Hezunusual in the 6th race. He dedicated the win to his agent of over 20 years, Jerry Hesson who is ill. Borel is the 26th North American jockey to reach 5000 victories.