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Alex O. Solis (born March 25, 1964) is a Panamanian jockey based in the United States. He lives in Glendora, California and rides predominantly in Southern California. He got his big break and his first gained national prominence when he won the 1986 Preakness Stakes with Snow Chief. In 2014, he was elected to the horse racing hall of fame and on January 1, 2015, became the 29th jockey in North American history to have 5,000 wins.
He won the 2004 Dubai World Cup on Pleasantly Perfect, and the 2006 Santa Anita Derby aboard Brother Derek. In 2010, Solis rode Mandurah to a new world record for a mile on the turf at Monmouth Park, 1:31.23, breaking the previous record of 1:31.41 set by Mister Light in 2005 at Gulfstream Park.
His first two sons, Alex Solis II and Andreu Solis, both became bloodstock agents and purchase and sell horses for various clients, some of whom his father has ridden in races. In 2009, Solis won the Sham Stakes aboard The Pamplemousse, a horse who was part-owned by Alex II, and in 2012 rode the filly Irish Mission to victory on the turf at Woodbine to capture the Breeders' Stakes. The win marked his first ever victory in a Canadian Triple Crown race.
Solis' most serious riding injury was a broken back in 2004, when he was out eight months following surgery that included two titanium rods and eight screws. He has also had broken knees, fingers, toes, ribs and his left leg. He was one of the jockeys featured in Animal Planet's 2009 reality documentary, Jockeys, something he enjoyed doing, but felt that the end product did not accurately portray the life of a jockey. He commented, " They put more drama–or a different type of drama–into horse racing. The sport is already full of drama with all the hardships that jockeys have to go through, such as breaking bones. So they didn't need to add more drama."
In 2002, Solis was inducted in the Calder Race Course Hall of Fame. In 2010, Solis was inducted into the Panama Racing Hall of Fame. He was elected to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in 2014 and earned his 5,000th North American racing win at Santa Anita Park on January 1, 2015, becoming only the 29th jockey in North American history to do so. His 5,000th win came on a horse named Lutine Belle, owned partly by trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and part-owned by Solis' son Alex II.
On April 30, 2015, Solis was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the California Horse Racing Board to fill the seat vacated by Bo Derek. His appointment must be confirmed by the State Senate. He plans to continue riding horses while serving on the board.
On November 26, 2017, he announced his retirement from riding horses and is currently working with his son Andreu and Matt Weinmann at Equine Analysis finding future G1 Winners and Champions.
Alex Solis has a son named Austin who is also a jockey.
Year-end charts
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2000 11 National Earnings List for Jockeys 2001 8 National Earnings List for Jockeys 2002 8 National Earnings List for Jockeys 2003 4 National Earnings List for Jockeys 2004 9 National Earnings List for Jockeys 2005 14 National Earnings List for Jockeys 2006 12 National Earnings List for Jockeys 2007 35 National Earnings List for Jockeys 2008 37 National Earnings List for Jockeys 2009 30 National Earnings List for Jockeys 2010 66 National Earnings List for Jockeys 2011 28 National Earnings List for Jockeys 2012 91 National Earnings List for Jockeys 2013 77 National Earnings List for Jockeys 2014 175
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