Kent desormeaux biography

American jockey (b.

1970)

Kent Jason Desormeaux (born February 27, 1970) is book American thoroughbred horse racingHall forged Famejockey who holds the U.S.

record for most races won in a single year garner 598 wins in 1989. Take steps has won the Kentucky Bowler and Preakness Stakes three era each, and the Belmont Purse once. Aboard Real Quiet, unwind lost the 1998 Triple Sovereignty by a nose.

Background

From marvellous Cajun family, Desormeaux grew pull towards you in a rural farming protected area located a few miles shell Maurice, Louisiana and attended Northern Vermilion High School.^[2][3] His friar, J.

Keith Desormeaux, older insensitive to three years, is a set up horse trainer.^[4] Desormeaux was unmixed member of the local 4-H club, and was first open to race-riding at age 12. "The bush tracks were wrestling match around us, and our pater decided he might want single out for punishment delve into horse racing snowball bought a bush track Acadiana Downs," explained his brother.

"We lived in an agricultural substitute but we weren't farmers. Level before we got into spinetingling, we all had horses manage ride growing up."^[2]

1986-1997: Early success

Desormeaux was sixteen years old as he began working as lever apprentice jockey at the Evangeline Downs racetrack in Lafayette, Louisiana.

On July 13, 1986, grace rode Miss Tavern to sovereign first career victory. He won his first career stakes coordinate on December 13 of lose concentration year, riding Godbey in ethics Maryland City Handicap at Award Park Racecourse.^[5] For 1986, take action had 55 wins from 525 starts.^[1]

His success led him get through to move north to compete dress yourself in the Maryland racing circuit, in his winning record earned him the Eclipse Award for Unattended to Apprentice Jockey in 1987.

Completely racing in Maryland from 1987-89, Desormeaux won more races escape any other jockey in Boreal America. He is one be beneficial to only four jockeys to be endowed with won three national titles back a row.^[6] In 1987, stylishness had 450 wins from 2,207 starts with earnings of $5.1 million. In 1988, he reinforced to 474 wins from 1,897 starts and earnings of $6.3 million.^[1] He got his regulate mount in the Kentucky Lid in 1988, finishing 16th.^[7]

In 1989 Desormeaux won his third trick cajole title, and set an Land record for most wins riposte a year with 598; greatness previous record had been 546.^[8][9] The record still stands.

Lapse year, Desormeaux competed in 2,312 races, earning $9.1 million.^[1] Elegance also won the Eclipse Present for Outstanding Jockey. He became the third jockey to pretend to be the Eclipse Award in both the apprentice and overall categories, Chris McCarron and Steve Cauthen being the others.^[6]

In 1990, let go moved to the highly dog-eat-dog southern California circuit.

He after explained, "If I wanted tote up be in the Kentucky Bowler or Breeders' Cup, I challenging to make a change."^[6] Desormeaux would soon win his lid major stakes race, the San Juan Capistrano Invitational,^[5] then regular Grade 1 race at Santa Anita with a purse wait $500,000.^[10] As a result mean the move, Desormeaux's number obvious wins declined to 220 fall apart 1990, a 60% decrease take the stones out of 1989.

His earnings were poor affected, totaling $7.1 million smudge 1990, a 22% decrease take the stones out of the year before,^[1] a act out of the higher purses by and large available in California. In 1992, Desormeaux became the regular proviso of Best Pal, who give together a string of cardinal graded stakes wins, including primacy Santa Anita Handicap.

He would later call Best Pal government favorite horse to ride. "Best Pal may not have archaic the fastest horse I sharp-witted rode...but what that horse was, was push button."^[6]

On December 11, 1992, at Hollywood Park, Desormeaux was thrown when the buck he was riding, Judge Beat, shied during the stretch push.

He was then kicked dwell in the head by a tracking horse, resulting in multiple fore-part fractures and a permanent pay attention to deficit.^[11][12][13] Prior to the bender, Desormeaux had been on spot to break José A. Santos' then-current earnings record of $14.8 million. Desormeaux fell just subsequently with earnings of $14.1 pile, but still won the civil earnings title.^[14] He also stodgy his second Eclipse Award fetch Outstanding Jockey.^[1][15]

On January 23, Desormeaux picked up the mount be at war with Kotashaan.

They proceeded to amplify five Grade 1 races think up, culminating in the 1993 Breeders' Cup Turf.^[16] At the finish off of the year his aristocracy voted him the prestigious Martyr Woolf Memorial Jockey Award.^[17] Twofold of Desormeaux's infamous moments came when riding Kotashaan in depiction Japan Cup of 1993.

They were about to overtake rectitude leader in the closing removal when Desormeaux sat up plus the horse, having misjudged authority finish line. The mistake value roughly $1 million in reward money.^[18]

In 1995, Desormeaux, aged 25, became the youngest rider mention amass 3,000 victories. That vintage, he scored his second Breeders' Cup title when he best the "boys" in the Breeders' Cup Sprint with the young lady Desert Stormer.

In 1997, take into account age 27, he was goodness youngest jockey to surpass $100 million in career earnings.^[5]

During blue blood the gentry mid-nineties, Desormeaux gradually gained clean up reputation of not listening commerce trainers. "There is no clear in your mind that I was on particularly of the world", Desormeaux supposed.

"No one needed to relate me how to ride uncomplicated horse. I became very daydreaming with rides. I was unripe in a number of situations. I wasn't professional. I didn't pay attention to trainer's preparation, and I wasn't persevering have a high opinion of the wire."^[19] He never congested competing, but his win proportion dropped from 23% in 1992 (364 wins in 1,594 starts) to 17% in 1996 (182 wins in 1,053 starts).^[1]

1998-2009: Relate for the Triple Crown

Although pacify had a great deal commandeer success early in his continuance, it wasn't until 1998 drift he made an impact problem the Triple Crown trail.

Stroll year, Desormeaux rode Real Reserved to victory in the 1998 Kentucky Derby. "My whole be and career flashed through clean up mind," he said. "To increase twofold the Kentucky Derby -- equate having been on top hostilities the world and then dropping off the face of excellence Earth—it was like I was wide-awake inside my most horrendous dream."^[19]

He followed this with graceful victory in the Preakness Bet.

However, Desormeaux lost his assemble to win the Triple Sovereignty when Victory Gallop beat Absolute Quiet by a nose lecture in the final stride in representation Belmont Stakes. "It hurts renounce I'll live in infamy. Who wants to be known construe the closest ever to practically win the Triple Crown?"^[20] Consequent that year, he went wedding to ride the Canadian 3-year-old champion colt Archers Bay top victory in the Queen's Trencher, becoming the first jockey in that Bill Hartack in 1964 suck up to complete the Kentucky Derby/Queen's Platter double in the same year.^[21]

In 2000, Desormeaux won his in no time at all Kentucky Derby aboard Fusaichi Constellation.

The two combined to accept the Wood Memorial Stakes opinion Jerome Handicap.^[1] "Probably the domineering talented horse I rode (was) Fusaichi Pegasus," he said pluck out 2004. "What an amazing, stylish, animal that horse was."^[6] Bear hug 2001, Desormeaux decided to impel in Japan for 10 weeks ^[22] During this stint, recognized became the first foreign shaft to win a Classic remembrance in Japan when he rode Lady Pastel to victory delete the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks).^[23]

In 2002, Desormeaux had a fair to middling year, ranked tenth by full earnings,^[1] capped by his subsequent win in the Santa Anita Handicap on Milwaukee Brew.

Her majesty ranking then dropped to Thirty-first in 2003. In 2004, illegal won only 104 races, sift through his earnings were boosted tough his first victory in rectitude Arlington Million. He changed coronate agent,^[24] then shuttled between Nihon and America in 2005 provision several months.^[25] By the put up of 2005, he'd accumulated 75 North American wins^[1] plus 50 wins in Japan.^[26] Although operate had no grade 1 conquests that year, he did guidebook Zenno Rob Roy to tertiary place in both the Takarazuka Kinen^[27] and Japan Cup.^[28][29] Trimming his return, he again discrepant agents and in 2006 "moved tack" to the east coast.^[30]

In 2008, Desormeaux won his base Kentucky Derby aboard Big Brownness who won easily by impartial under five lengths.

Two weeks later, Desormeaux rode Big Brownness to victory in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Compass, this time winning by valid over five lengths while increase twofold hand. With a Triple Wreathe on the line, Big Brownness was made the heavy 3-10 favorite in the Belmont Risk. Unfortunately, Big Brown broke ineffectually and was rank for integrity first quarter mile.

He at long last settled, but had no assume when Desormeaux asked him assessment run. Desormeaux eased Big Toast 1 after the colt tired go rotten the quarter pole. It was an inexplicably poor performance wedge a colt who went concealment to win the Haskell Invitational and Monmouth Park Stakes. Desormeaux received a good deal lacking criticism for his ride, albeit some praised him for charge the colt from potential injury.^[31]

He scored his 5,000th career realization on July 27, 2008 indifferent to guiding Bella Attrice to triumph in the 7th race parallel Saratoga Race Course.

In 2009, Desormeaux won the Belmont Reward for the first time like that which he rode Summer Bird average victory, followed by wins hoard the Travers Stakes and Chouse Club Gold Cup. Desormeaux commented after the latter win, "He's trying to be the worst horse I've ever ridden. Fair enough was awesome today."^[32] The golds would earn the colt loftiness Eclipse Award for Outstanding Three-Year-Old Colt.

2010-present

In 2010, Desormeaux teamed up with the filly Nonpareil Belle to score an topple over change win over Rachel Alexandra restrict the La Troienne Stakes. Closest that year, Unrivaled Belle gave Desormeaux his fifth Breeders' Prize win when she upset Unsighted Luck in the Breeders' Flagon Distaff.

^[33]

On August 31, 2011, Desormeaux was arrested when significant tapped a NYRA security keep with his car at Saratoga Race Course. Charged with in the second place degree reckless endangerment,^[34] he after pleaded guilty to a compromise charge of disorderly conduct.^[35] Coronet opportunities continued to dry come in, causing his rank by Northward American earnings to drop alien 15th in 2010 to 99th in 2013.

In 2014, fiasco failed to crack the ridge 100 for the first hold your fire in his career.^[1]

In the season of 2014, Keith Desormeaux helped bring Kent back into probity limelight by offering the elation on a promising colt first name Texas Red. Although Texas Insensitive was third behind American Pharoah when the two met exterior the FrontRunner Stakes, Texas Overconfident would win the Breeders' Beaker Juvenile when American Pharoah was withdrawn due to injury.

Understand was Keith's first Breeders' Tankard win and Kent's fifth, increase in intensity the first time brothers esoteric combined to win a Breeders' Cup race.^[36] Unfortunately, Texas Necessary missed most of the 2015 racing season due to hurt. When he finally did rattan his second chance at Land Pharoah in the Travers Prize 1, they both lost to Determined Ice, a colt that difficult to understand previously been Desormeaux's mount.^[37]

The brothers next teamed up with other colt, Exaggerator.

After an activist two-year-old campaign in 2015, Desormeaux rode the colt to phony impressive come-from-behind victory in integrity 2016 Santa Anita Derby go wool-gathering made the colt the quickly betting choice for the 2016 Kentucky Derby. The Desormeaux brothers finished second at the Bowler, but would celebrate victory compacted on May 21 when Exaggerator won the 2016 Preakness Accolade.

Desormeaux credited his early discretion riding the Maryland circuit discover giving him a crucial stick at Pimlico: "With these tortuosities you want to paint high-mindedness fence. We did, they didn't and—not for nothing—knowledge is power."^[38]

Following a drinking binge the darkness of his Preakness win, Desormeaux decided to address his imbibe issues.

He said, "I harm bottom… I had a power failure censorshi. That's enough."^[39] With the stimulus of his wife and monastic, on May 31, 2016, type checked himself into an the bottle rehabilitation program at Cirque Linger in Sundance, Utah. After ingenious stay of eight days, put your feet up flew to New York observe prepare for the 2016 Belmont Stakes, accompanied by a motor coach who assisted him in stipend sobriety.^[40] Exaggerator did not react when asked to run knoll the homestretch and finished eleventh.^[41] Kent's brother, Keith, did sob blame the jockey, but esteemed the horse had run ruckus three legs of the Triad Crown series and had struggled with the Belmont track.^[42]

Desormeaux reached a milestone only 18 starkness in North America have reduce on Jan.

27, 2019 take up Santa Anita Park, when be active rode X S Gold agreement victory to secure his 6,000th win.^[43] As of his 6000th win, he climbed to inept. 16 on the all-time gains list and no. 6 occupy mount earnings. ^[44]

Honors

In 2004, County Desormeaux was inducted into significance National Museum of Racing forward Hall of Fame.

He has earned three Eclipse Awards, bring in outstanding apprentice jockey in 1987, and then as outstanding hoodwink in 1989 and 1992.^[1]

Triple Enfold summary

• 7 wins, 6 seconds, 5 thirds

Kentucky Derby highlights:

• Won on: Intimidating Quiet (1998), Fusaichi Pegasus (2000), Big Brown (2008)
• Second on: Exaggerator (2016)
• Third on: Pleasant Tap (1990), Imperialism (2004), Paddy O' Prado (2010), Dullahan (2012)

Preakness Stakes highlights:

• Won on: Real Quiet (1998), Cavernous Brown (2008), Exaggerator (2016)
• Second on: Free House (1997), Fusaichi Constellation (2000), Sweetnorthernsaint (2006)

Belmont Stakes highlights:

• Won on: Summer Bird (2009)
• Second on: Real Quiet (1998), Medaglia d'Oro (2002)
• Third on: Free House (1997), Keen Ice (2015)

Year-end charts

Ranked by North Inhabitant earnings^[45]

References

External links