Jean-Luc Samyn
Jean-Luc Samyn (born November 6, 1956 in Bailleul, Nord

Bailleul, Nord

Bailleul is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is located in French Flanders near Lille.-Heraldry:-Media:...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

) is a jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

 in American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Thoroughbred horse racing

Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...

.

The son of a pastry chef

Pastry chef

A pastry chef or pâtissier is a station chef in a professional kitchen, skilled in the making of pastries, desserts, breads and other baked goods...

, Jean-Luc Samyn was one of three children. At age thirteen, he went to work for the stable of trainer John Cunnington at Chantilly

Chantilly Racecourse

Chantilly Racecourse is a Thoroughbred turf racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris....

, a racecourse about 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) north of Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 city center. He apprenticed for five years and on September 7, 1975 earned his first career win at the racecourse in Compiègne

Compiègne

Compiègne is a city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.The city is located along the Oise River...

.

After a visit to the United States, Jean-Luc Samyn returned permanently to compete. In 1976, he was the top apprentice jockey at Garden State Park

Garden State Park

Garden State Park was a harness and thoroughbred race track in Cherry Hill, Camden County, New Jersey. It is now the site of a high-end, mixed-use "town center" development of stores, restaurants, apartments, townhouses, and condominiums...

 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045, representing an increase of 1,080 from the 69,965 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census...

 and then at Keystone Racetrack

Philadelphia Park Racetrack

Parx Racing and Casino is a thoroughbred horse racetrack and racino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. It currently houses 3,300 slot machines.-History:...

 in Bensalem, Pennsylvania

Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania

Bensalem Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States which borders the northeast section of Philadelphia. The township is composed of many communities, including Bensalem, Trevose, Oakford, Cornwells Heights, Eddington, and Andalusia...

. In 1977, Samyn relocated to race at New York Racing Association

New York Racing Association

The New York Racing Association, Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse-racing tracks in the state of New York. It runs Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island , and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga...

 tracks where he has been based ever since. He and his wife Antoinette eventually made their home in Manhasset, New York

Manhasset, New York

Manhasset is a hamlet and neighborhood in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 8,080....

.

In New York, Jean-Luc Samyn immediately began winning important stakes races

Graded stakes race

A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...

 and in 1984 rode Play On to a 2nd place finish in the Preakness Stakes

Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...

 then won with the colt in that year's Withers Stakes

Withers Stakes

The Withers Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds willing to compete one mile on the dirt. Held at Aqueduct Racetrack every year at the end of April , it is a Grade III event, and offers a purse of $150,000...

. Samyn had a long a successful association with the late U.S. Racing Hall of Fame

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...

 trainer, Philip G. Johnson, winning more than four hundred races together.

On November 20, 1985, Jean-Luc Samyn rode in the Japan Cup

Japan Cup

The is the most prestigious horse race run in Japan. It is contested at the end of November at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters over the grass. With a purse of ¥476 million , the Japan Cup is one of the richest races in the world.The Japan Cup is an invitational event...

 at Tokyo Racecourse

Tokyo Racecourse

is located in Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan. Built in 1933 for horse racing, it is considered the "racecourse of racecourses" in Japanese horseracing. It has 13,750 seats, with a capacity of 223,000....

, then immediately flew to Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 where he rode in the Matriarch Stakes

Matriarch Stakes

The Matriarch Stakes is an American Grade I turf race for thoroughbred horses run annually at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California for a purse of $250,000...

 at Hollywood Park Racetrack. According to his NTRA biography, this is believed to be the first time a jockey has ridden in a stakes race on different continent

Continent

A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...

s on the same day. In 2000, Samyn swept New York's final prep races for the three Breeders' Cup

Breeders' Cup

The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Thoroughbred horse races, most but not all Grade I, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location...

 turf races

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

 with wins in the Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes

Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes

The Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes is an American Grade I race for thoroughbred fillies and mares run in early October at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York...

, Turf Classic Invitational Stakes

Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational

The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational is an American Grade I stakes race on turf established in 1977 for Thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up. Currently held at Belmont Park, New York at the end of September, it is named in honor of Joe Hirsch, the award-winning racing columnist and...

, and the Kelso Handicap

Kelso Breeders' Cup Handicap

The Kelso Stakes is an American race for Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late September/early October at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A Grade II event open to horses, age three and up, it was contested on turf over a distance of one mile from 1988-2008. The race was moved to the dirt...

.

During his more than thirty-year career in American flat racing

Flat racing

Flat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles...

, Jean-Luc Samyn has earned wins in a number of major New York races including the Grade I

Graded stakes race

A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...

 Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes a record four times. He has also won national Grade I events at Gulfstream Park

Gulfstream Park

Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....

 in Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, Keeneland Race Course

Keeneland

Keeneland is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and sales complex in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. Operated by the Keeneland Association, Inc., it is also known for its reference library on the sport, which contains more than 10,000 volumes, an extensive videocassette collection, and a substantial...

 in Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

, Monmouth Park Racetrack

Monmouth Park Racetrack

Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.Monmouth Park's marquee event...

 in New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, and at Woodbine Racetrack

Woodbine Racetrack

Woodbine Racetrack is a Canadian racetrack for Thoroughbred horse races located at 555 Rexdale Blvd. in the city of Toronto, Ontario. It is the only horseracing track in North America which stages, or is capable of staging, thoroughbred and standardbred horseracing programs on the same day...

 in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

.

As at 2009, Samyn is the dean of New York's jockey colony.

Selected other career wins

• Bold Ruler Handicap
  Bold Ruler Handicap
  The Bold Ruler Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the end of October at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. A Grade III event, it is contested on dirt at a distance of six furlongs....
  
   (1977, 1998, 1999)
• Firenze Handicap
  Personal Ensign Handicap
  The Personal Ensign Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to fillies and Mares age three and older, it is contested at a distance of one and one-quarter miles on dirt .Since...
  
   (1977)
• Bernard Baruch Handicap
  Bernard Baruch Handicap
  The Bernard Baruch Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early to mid August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is for three year olds and up willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the turf and carries a purse of $200,000...
  
   (1978, 1990)
• Carter Handicap
  Carter Handicap
  The Carter Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early April at Aqueduct Racetrack. Open to horses three-years-old and up, it is raced over a distance of seven furlongs....
  
   (1978, 1984, 1994)
• Matchmaker Stakes
  Matchmaker Stakes
  The Matchmaker Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. The Grade III race is open to Fillies and Mares, Three-years-old & up and is run on turf over a distance of 1⅛ miles ....
  
   (1979, 1982)
• Nassau Stakes
  Nassau Stakes (Canada)
  The Nassau Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. A Grade II event raced in early June, it is open to horses aged three and older and run over a distance of one mile on turf...
  
   (1982)
• Excelsior Handicap
  Excelsior Handicap
  The Excelsior Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York...
  
   (1983)
• Gazelle Handicap
  Gazelle Handicap
  The Gazelle Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race raced annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York. Open to three-year-old fillies, it is a Grade I event run over a distance of one and one-eighth miles on dirt...
  
   (1983, 1990)
• Lamplighter Handicap
  Lamplighter Stakes
  The Lamplighter Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the last week of May at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey...
  
   (1983, 1989)
• Red Smith Handicap
  Red Smith Handicap
  The Red Smith Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A race on turf open to horses age three and older, it is run in the first week of November over a distance of 1⅜ miles ....
  
   (1983, 2004, 2006)
• Aqueduct Handicap
  Aqueduct Handicap
  The race is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. It was called the Aqueduct Handicap, but beginning in 2009, the name was changed to the Evening Attire Stakes in honor of the great grey gelding Evening Attire. He raced until he was 10 years...
  
   (1984)
• Long Island Handicap
  Long Island Handicap
  The Long Island Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in November at Aqueduct Racetrack, in Ozone Park, Queens, New York...
  
   (1984, 1986)
• Mount Vernon Stakes
  Mount Vernon Stakes
  The Mount Vernon Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually near the end of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Contested on turf at a distance of a mile and a sixteenth , it is restricted to Fillies and mares age three and older who were bred in the State of New YorkThe Mount...
  
   (1984)
• Prioress Stakes
  Prioress Stakes
  The Prioress Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of July at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York....
  
   (1984)
• Withers Stakes
  Withers Stakes
  The Withers Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds willing to compete one mile on the dirt. Held at Aqueduct Racetrack every year at the end of April , it is a Grade III event, and offers a purse of $150,000...
  
   (1984)
• Top Flight Handicap
  Top Flight Handicap
  The Top Flight Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The Grade II event is run in late November and is open to fillies and mares, age three and older...
  
   (1985)
• Bed O' Roses Handicap (1986)
• Northern Dancer Breeders' Cup Turf
  Northern Dancer Breeders' Cup Turf
  The Northern Dancer Turf Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. A Grade I event with a current purse of $750,000 , it is held in the third week of July and run at a distance of 1½ miles on Woodbine's E. P...
  
   (1987)
• Knickerbocker Handicap
  Knickerbocker Handicap
  The Knickerbocker Handicap is an American Grade III race on turf for Thoroughbred horses run each year at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The Knickerbocker is open to three-year-olds and up, and set at a distance of one mile and one furlong...
  
   (1989)
• Saranac Handicap
  Saranac Handicap
  The Saranac Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Grade III stakes is open to Three-year-old horses and is raced on turf over a distance of 1³/16 miles...
  
   (1989 (2), 1998)
• Lawrence Realization Stakes
  Lawrence Realization Stakes
  The Lawrence Realization Stakes was an American horse race first run on the turf in 1889. The race, for three-year-old Thoroughbred colts, geldings and fillies, was last run in 2005.-History:...
  
   (1991)
• Jamaica Handicap
  Jamaica Handicap
  The Jamaica Handicap is American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run annually on the turf at Belmont Park in Elmont on Long Island, New York...
  
   (1992)
• Fort Marcy Handicap
  Fort Marcy Handicap
  The Fort Marcy Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A Grade III race, it is open to horses three-years-old and up and is raced on turf over a distance of 1 1/16 miles. The event currently offers a purse of...
  
   (1993, 1997, 2000)
• Cliff Hanger Handicap
  Cliff Hanger Stakes
  The Cliff Hanger Stakes is an American Grade III Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, New Jersey during late September/early October. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on turf over a distance of 1 1/16 miles.Known as the Cliff Hanger...
  
   (1994, 1999)
• Tom Fool Handicap
  Tom Fool Handicap
  The Tom Fool Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early March at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York. It was formerly held at Belmont Park. The race is a Grade III event open to horses age three and up who are willing to race the six furlong distance on dirt.The...
  
   (1994)
• Ladies Handicap
  Ladies Handicap
  The Ladies Handicap is a historic American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies three years of age and older that is held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Inaugurated at the Jerome Park Racetrack in 1868, it is the oldest stakes race in the U.S. exclusively for fillies and mares...
  
   (1995)
• Bunty Lawless Stakes
  Bunty Lawless Stakes
  The Bunty Lawless Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. An Ontario Sire Stakes, it is a race for horses age three and older...
  
   (1996)
• Sanford Stakes
  Sanford Stakes
  The Sanford Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of July at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. A six furlong sprint race, the Grade II event is open to two-year-old horses....
  
   (1996)
• Virginia Derby
  Virginia Derby
  The Virginia Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1998 at Colonial Downs race track in New Kent County, Virginia. A Grade II event, it is raced on turf at a distance of 10 Furlongs and is open to three-year-old horses....
  
   (1996)
• Bowling Green Handicap
  Bowling Green Handicap
  The Bowling Green Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annualkly at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Raced on turf, the Grade II event is open to three-year-olds and up who are willing to race the one and three-eighths miles distance...
  
   (1997, 2003)
• Comely Stakes
  Comely Stakes
  The Comely Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Run in mid-April, since 1960 it has been open to three year old fillies who are willing to race one mile on the dirt track. The race is a Grade III event with a purse of $150,000 and...
  
   (1997, 1999)
• Maker's Mark Mile Stakes
  Maker's Mark Mile Stakes
  The Maker's Mark Mile Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the second week of April at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky...
  
   (1997)
• Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap
  Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap
  The Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually near the end of July at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. A Grade I event open to horses age three and older, it is a six furlong sprint raced on dirt....
  
   (1998)
• Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (1998)
• Jerome Handicap
  Jerome Handicap
  The Jerome Stakes is a Grade II race for thoroughbred horses run each fall at one mile on the dirt at Belmont Park. It is open to three-year-olds and carries a purse of $150,000. The race is a prep race to several races of the Breeders' Cup....
  
   (1998)
• Peter Pan Stakes
  Peter Pan Stakes
  The Peter Pan Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the second week of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A Grade II event, it is open to three-year-olds willing to race nine furlongs on the dirt....
  
   (1999)
• Remsen Stakes
  Remsen Stakes
  The Remsen Stakes is an American Grade II race for Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York...
  
   (1999)

Year-end charts

{|class="wikitable sortable"
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!Chart (2002–present)
!Peak
position
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|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2002
| style="text-align:center;"|87