Halis Karataş (born 2 October 1972; Gürün, Sivas) is a professional Turkish jockey renowned in the history of Turkish horse racing for breaking numerous records, achieving countless victories, and attaining international success. Known among racing enthusiasts as "The Magician," Karataş has participated in over 25,000 races, secured more than 7,000 first-place finishes, and won the Gazi Koşusu—the most prestigious race in Turkish horse racing—seven times. His career is closely associated with the successes he achieved with the thoroughbred horse "Bold Pilot".

^{Halis Karataş (AA)}

Halis Karataş was born on 2 October 1972 in the district of Gürün, Sivas, as one of six children in a family with limited financial means. His family includes three sisters and three brothers. Karataş’s connection to horse racing stems from his family’s profession; his father tended horses during winter and farmed during summer, and both his father and uncles served as jockeys in the Franko eküri between 1975 and 1976. Additionally, his older brother’s career as a jockey provided him with early exposure to horses.

Although Karataş showed interest in other sports such as tennis and football during childhood, he chose to become a jockey despite his mother’s objections, who argued, “One jockey per family is enough.” Beginning his riding career in local village races, Karataş moved to Istanbul in 1980 at the age of 14, abandoning his primary education to pursue a professional jockey career. At age 13, encouraged by his uncle, he began working in the horse racing industry and first rode a thoroughbred named "Cemre".

Halis Karataş began his career as an apprentice jockey and quickly rose to prominence due to his physical endurance and exceptional communication with horses. He won his first official race on 20 June 1987 aboard the horse "Benhur." Within a short time, he achieved 50 victories, qualifying him for the professional jockey title.

^{Halis Karataş, 2014 (AA)}

His distinctive racing style at a young age attracted the attention of trainers and horse owners, leading him to work with Turkey’s leading figures in the early 1990s. In 1991, he was named “most successful jockey” at the Asian Horse Racing Conference and met Özdemir Atman, owner of the Atman eküri, beginning his association with that stable.

Throughout his career, Halis Karataş has achieved a win rate of 27 percent, securing over 7,000 first-place finishes in 25,659 races. He reached the milestone of his 7,000th victory on 21 December 2022 aboard the thoroughbred "Aslan Luigi," marking an extraordinary achievement. By 2014, he had ridden more than 18,000 horses in Turkey, and by August 2016, after riding 21,028 different horses, he had accumulated 5,740 first-place finishes.

^{Halis Karataş wins the Presidency Race with "Kumbey" (Burak Enes)}

One of his most remarkable records occurred on 20 July 2012 at the Veliefendi Hipodromu in Istanbul, where he won all seven races held that day. This feat tied him with the renowned jockey Frankie Dettori, who achieved the same feat at the Ascot Festival in England on 28 September 1996.

Halis Karataş has won the 2,400-meter Gazi Koşusu, a race exclusively open to three-year-old British thoroughbreds, seven times. The horses and years of his victories, in chronological order, are as follows:

• 1996: With "Bold Pilot," owned by Özdemir Atman.
• 2005: With "Popular Demand," owned by Gülsüm Eliyeşil.
• 2006: With "Hızel Beyi."
• 2011: With "Anatoly," owned by Osman Hattat.
• 2012: With "Matador Yaşar," owned by Ahmet Göçmen.
• 2014: With "Blaze To Win," owned by Levent N. Gelgin.
• 2026: With "Bay Nalçakan," owned by Emrah Nalçakan (100th Gazi Koşusu).

In particular, his winning time of 2:26.22 aboard "Bold Pilot" in the 70th Gazi Koşusu in 1996 became the fastest distance record in Turkish horse racing history and remains unbroken to this day.

^{100th Gazi Koşusu (AA)}

In the 100th Gazi Koşusu held in 2026, he won the race for the seventh time aboard "Bay Nalçakan," recording a time of 2:29.49.

The thoroughbred "Bold Pilot," one of the most famous racehorses in Turkish racing history, holds a central place in Halis Karataş’s career. Karataş first rode Bold Pilot on 26 February 1994, when the horse was only two years old, and chose to work exclusively with this horse, declining opportunities to ride others.

Together, the pair won 21 of their 30 races between 1996 and 1998, including an unprecedented streak of 11 consecutive victories. One of their notable wins came in the 1996 International Boğaziçi Koşusu, on a heavy turf course due to rain, where they defeated the favorite German horse Galtee. Another remarkable performance occurred in the Ergin Talay Koşusu, where Bold Pilot won despite losing two front shoes after the start.

^{Halis Karataş at Bold Pilot’s grave (AA)}

It is well known that Bold Pilot disliked rainy weather and became agitated when entering the starting gate, prompting spectators to fall silent to avoid startling the horse and risking injury. After a serious tendon injury to his hind leg, Bold Pilot retired from racing in 1998. He celebrated his 20th birthday in 2013 and passed away in 2015 at the Atman Harası.

In an interview, Karataş noted that Bold Pilot had a crooked nasal bone due to repeatedly pressing his head against the stable door, and that his own nose was similarly crooked, creating a symbolic bond between them.

Halis Karataş has achieved significant results not only in Türkiye but also on the international stage, representing the country at major venues such as Ascot Racecourse in England, racecourses in France and Qatar, the Dubai World Cup events, and the Turffontein Racecourse in Johannesburg, South Africa. In international races, he finished third aboard Romantic Girl, fifth aboard Sonic Gang, sixth aboard Memory, fifth aboard First Impression, and second aboard Trip Master.

Among other successful horses he has ridden during his career are:

• Ribella: Ridden for S. Selman Taşbek, he won the Kısrak Koşusu, Anadolu, Vehbi Koç, Fehmi Simsaroğlu, Ayizi, and Aliağa races, as well as races at the Dubai Meydan Hipodromu.
• Turbo: This Arab horse, owned by Erdin Düzarat, won numerous Group 1 races including the Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi, Malazgirt, Niğbolu, and İstiklal Savaşı races.
• As of 2024, he has won numerous cups riding horses such as "Fedai," "Comeback Is Real," "Cazator De Osos," "Age Of Fire," "Alihan," "Gözpınarı," "Oppenheimer," and "Kapriz," including the Çorlu Belediye Başkanlığı Koşusu, Anafartalar Koşusu, Yavuz Sultan Selim Koşusu, and İstanbul’un Kurtuluşu Koşusu. He has more than 1,000 Group race victories in his career.

Halis Karataş is known among racing fans as "The Magician" and "The Jockey of the Underdogs." The nickname "The Magician" stems from his ability to win races with horses considered unlikely to succeed based on prior training and race data, using precise in-race tactics. He is called "The Jockey of the Underdogs" because the horses he rides are often not favorites, yet he consistently delivers victories for bettors with modest stakes.

^{Halis Karataş (AA)}

Karataş places great importance on his identity as an athlete and adheres to a strict discipline, sacrificing proper nutrition due to the demands of his profession, enduring intense training and travel schedules. He holds a negative view toward the use of the whip as a tactical tool, prioritizing harmony with the horse over physical coercion. Despite suffering multiple falls during races—breaking his spine, ribs, and collarbones—he has consistently emphasized his conscious efforts to protect the horses he rides. He manages all horses with equal responsibility, whether in major races or maiden races for horses that have not yet won.

Halis Karataş met Begüm Atman, daughter of Özdemir Atman, in 1991; their friendship gradually developed into a romantic relationship. The couple married in 2003, three years after Özdemir Atman’s death. They have two children, Azra and Özdemir. Begüm Atman Karataş was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 and, after a long battle, passed away on 28–29 March 2014 at the age of 48. After her death, Karataş considered retiring from racing but gathered himself for the sake of his children and won the 2014 Gazi Koşusu three months later, dedicating the victory to his late wife.

The life of Halis Karataş and Begüm Atman Karataş, along with the legendary story of the horse Bold Pilot, was adapted into a film in 2018, directed by Ahmet Katıksız and released under the title "Bizim İçin Şampiyon, Bold Pilot." The film reached over 2.5 million viewers in cinemas, and Karataş participated behind the scenes during its preparation. Additionally, he appeared in the music video for the song "Yorgundum" by musician Soner in 2016.

Halis Karataş has received numerous prestigious awards for his national and international achievements. His major honors include:

• Turkish Jockey Club Special Awards: Awarded multiple times for his contributions to Turkish horse racing and his Gazi Koşusu victories.
• Most Successful Jockey Awards: Recognized multiple times as the year’s most successful jockey based on annual performance evaluations.
• International Jockey Achievement Awards: Presented for his successful representation of Türkiye in international races.
• Bold Pilot Track Record Award (1996): Awarded for the unbroken track record set in the Gazi Koşusu.
• Outstanding Achievement Award (2012): Awarded by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock for winning seven consecutive races at the Veliefendi Hipodromu on 20 July 2012; as part of the award, Karataş was presented with a 140-year-old antique whip.