Did winning Kentucky Derby jockey John Velazquez turn down a White House invitation, saying he didn't want to see "a horse's ass"? No, that's not true: The quote is fake. Calling the purported quote "ridiculous," Velazquez's agent told Lead Stories the jockey is unfailingly polite. "He wouldn't say anything derogatory about a fly. It's just not him," said Ron Anderson, the agent.
The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on May 3, 2021. The post included a brief introductory message, which said "Perfect lol," and appeared to be a screenshot of another Facebook post. The posts read:
BREAKING NEWS
Derby winner Medina Spirit's jockey John Velazquez turned down a White House invite today saying 'If I wanted to see a horse's ass I would of came in second.'
This is what the post looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Mon May 3 21:53:23 2021 UTC)
Lead Stories reached out to Ron Anderson, who represents Velazquez, to ask about the claim. He said it was "ridiculous." During a phone call with Lead Stories on May 3, 2021, Anderson, referring to Velazquez, asked:
Who's the classiest person you think you've ever met? He is classier than that person.
Anderson added:
He wouldn't say anything derogatory about a fly. It's just not him.
Anderson said that Velazquez has not received any invitation from the White House, but would be honored to be President Biden's guest, if invited.
On May 1, 2021, Velazquez rode Medina Spirit to win the Kentucky Derby, which can be watched below:
Medina Spirit is the winner of the @KentuckyDerby! 🏇🏆
-- NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 1, 2021
Watch the full #KyDerby race from start to finish. #DerbyAtHome
NBC Sports // @WhiteClaw pic.twitter.com/cHYh3VgXz8
