Lezcano attended the Laffit Pincay Jockey School in his native Panama before moving to the U.S. in January 2003 and launching his career at Gulfstream Park where he earned his first win in March 2004 aboard Cloudy Gray.
He carried that momentum into the 2009 Gulfstream Park meet and also earned a leading rider title there with 71 wins.
Jose Lezcano tied a Monmouth Park record on June 22, 2008, riding six winners – including Coli Bear in the Blue Sparkler Stakes – on one card.
[1] Rode Deputy Glitters, his first Triple Crown contender, to an eighth-place finish in the 2006 edition of the G1 Kentucky Derby.
Most recently, he rode reigning Horse of the Year Wise Dan to victory in the 2013 Breeders' Cup Mile as a mid-card replacement for the horse's regular jockey John Velazquez, who was hospitalised after a fall in the Juvenile Fillies race.