Kent Desormeaux
Encyclopedia
Kent Jason Desormeaux is an American
thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey
who holds the U.S. record for most races won in a single year, 1989.
family, Desormeaux grew up on a farm
where he was first introduced to horses through 4-H
. He first raced American Quarter Horse
s and was only sixteen years old when he began working as an apprentice jockey at the Evangeline Downs racetrack in Lafayette, Louisiana
. He won his first career stakes race on December 13, 1986, riding Godbey in the Maryland City Handicap at Laurel Park Racecourse.
His immediate success and big break led to him moving north to compete on the Maryland
racing circuit in 1987 where his performance earned him the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey
. In each of his first three years racing in Maryland, Kent Desormeaux won more races than any other jockey in the U.S. He is one of only four jockeys to have won three national titles in a row. No longer an apprentice, in 1989 he won his the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey
and another in 1992. Desormeaux, along with Chris McCarron
and Steve Cauthen
, are the only jockeys to win the Eclipse Award in both the apprentice and overall categories.
In 1989, Desormeaux set the current record for most wins in a year with 598. In the early 1990s he moved to southern California
and in late 1992 at the Hollywood Park racetrack he was thrown by a horse and trampled, suffering multiple skull fractures and permanent deafness in one ear. Despite the severe setback, he rebounded to his old form, riding Kotashaan
to victory in the 1993 Breeders' Cup Turf
and at the end of the year his peers voted him the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award
. In 1995, he scored his second Breeders' Cup
title when he beat the "boys" in the Breeders' Cup Sprint
with the filly
Desert Stormer.
Amongst Desormeaux's other major stakes race victories, he became the first foreign jockey to win a Classic race in Japan
.
He scored his 5,000th career victory on July 27, 2008 by guiding Bella Attrice to victory in the 7th race at Saratoga Race Course.
Desormeaux currently resides in Garden City, NY.
Michael Desormeaux
of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars
, who played quarterback
at Louisiana-Lafayette, but now plays safety, is his distant cousin
.
. He was later released on $500 bail. He has been charged with Second Degree Reckless Endangerment and is currently awaiting trial Desormeaux had essentially admitted to the incident, stating he was "trying to be cute." In the days after his arrest, he was pulled from at least two mounts at Saratoga.
On September 8, 2011, Desormeaux plead guilty to a reduced charge of Disorderly Conduct. He was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and take a defensive driving course.
to victory in the Kentucky Derby
and the Preakness Stakes
. Desormeaux lost his bid to win the U.S. Triple Crown
, and racing immortality, when Victory Gallop
beat his horse by a nose in the final stride in the Belmont Stakes
. He then went on to ride the Canadian 3-year-old champion colt Archers Bay
to victory in the Queen's Plate
. In 2000, Desormeaux won the Wood Memorial Stakes
and his second Kentucky Derby aboard Fusaichi Pegasus
.
Desormeaux, in 2008 won his third Kentucky Derby aboard Big Brown
, in a time of 2:01 4/5. Big Brown
won by just under five lengths. Desormeaux followed this victory with his ride on Big Brown to victory in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course
in Baltimore, MD in a time of 1:54 4/5. In the final race of the Triple Crown, however, the Belmont Stakes, Desormeaux was forced to ease Big Brown in after the colt tired at the quarter pole. On April 10, 2009 he won the Makers Mark Mile race on Mr. Sidney at Keeneland for a purse of 300,000 dollars. On May 2, 2009 Kent Desormeaux and his horse Hold Me Back finished in 12th place.
On June 6, 2009 Desormeaux finally got the one win that had eluded him his entire career, riding Summer Bird
to victory in the 2009 Belmont Stakes
.
On August 29, 2009 Desormeaux rode Summer Bird
again to victory in the 2009 Travers Stakes in Saratoga Springs, NY.
In 2010
, he rode in the Kentucky Derby
aboard Paddy O' Prado finishing third.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame 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:...
who holds the U.S. record for most races won in a single year, 1989.
Brief biography
From a CajunCajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
family, Desormeaux grew up on a farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
where he was first introduced to horses through 4-H
4-H
4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture , with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents...
. He first raced American Quarter Horse
American Quarter Horse
The American Quarter Horse is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name came from its ability to outdistance other breeds of horses in races of a quarter mile or less; some individuals have been clocked at speeds up to 55 mph...
s and was only sixteen years old when he began working as an apprentice jockey at the Evangeline Downs racetrack in Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
. He won his first career stakes race on December 13, 1986, riding Godbey in the Maryland City Handicap at Laurel Park Racecourse.
His immediate success and big break led to him moving north to compete on the Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
racing circuit in 1987 where his performance earned him the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey
The Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey is an American thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1971, it is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to a jockey undergoing their apprenticeship....
. In each of his first three years racing in Maryland, Kent Desormeaux won more races than any other jockey in the U.S. He is one of only four jockeys to have won three national titles in a row. No longer an apprentice, in 1989 he won his the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey
The Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey is an American thoroughbred horse racing honor for jockeys first awarded in 1971. Part of the Eclipse Awards program, it is awarded annually....
and another in 1992. Desormeaux, along with Chris McCarron
Chris McCarron
Christopher John "Chris" McCarron is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He is currently working as a racing analyst for TVG Network....
and Steve Cauthen
Steve Cauthen
Steve Cauthen is a retired American jockey.Cauthen, the son of a trainer and a farrier, grew up in Walton, Kentucky around horses, which made race-riding a logical career choice. He rode his first race on May 12, 1976 at Churchill Downs; he finished last, riding King of Swat...
, are the only jockeys to win the Eclipse Award in both the apprentice and overall categories.
In 1989, Desormeaux set the current record for most wins in a year with 598. In the early 1990s he moved to southern 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...
and in late 1992 at the Hollywood Park racetrack he was thrown by a horse and trampled, suffering multiple skull fractures and permanent deafness in one ear. Despite the severe setback, he rebounded to his old form, riding Kotashaan
Kotashaan
Kotashaan was an Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in France and earned Champion honors in the United States. He was bred and raced by brothers Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, owners of the House of Chanel in Paris. Kotashaan was sired by Darshaan, winner of the 1984 French Derby and the Leading...
to victory in the 1993 Breeders' Cup Turf
Breeders' Cup Turf
The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current title sponsor is Emirates Airlines.The forerunner...
and at the end of the year his peers voted him the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award
George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award
The George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award has been presented by Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, annually since 1950 to the thoroughbred horse racing jockey in North America who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct, on and off the racetrack.The award was created...
. In 1995, he scored his second 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...
title when he beat the "boys" in the Breeders' Cup Sprint
Breeders' Cup Sprint
The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds & up. Run on dirt over a distance of 6 Furlongs , the race has been held annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World...
with the filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
Desert Stormer.
Amongst Desormeaux's other major stakes race victories, he became the first foreign jockey to win a Classic race in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
He scored his 5,000th career victory on July 27, 2008 by guiding Bella Attrice to victory in the 7th race at Saratoga Race Course.
Desormeaux currently resides in Garden City, NY.
Michael Desormeaux
Michael Desormeaux
Michael Desormeaux is a professional gridiron football quarterback for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2009...
of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, who played quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
at Louisiana-Lafayette, but now plays safety, is his distant cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
.
Arrest
On August 31, 2011, Desormeaux was arrested when he intentionally struck a Peace Officer at Saratoga Race CourseSaratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
. He was later released on $500 bail. He has been charged with Second Degree Reckless Endangerment and is currently awaiting trial Desormeaux had essentially admitted to the incident, stating he was "trying to be cute." In the days after his arrest, he was pulled from at least two mounts at Saratoga.
On September 8, 2011, Desormeaux plead guilty to a reduced charge of Disorderly Conduct. He was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and take a defensive driving course.
Quest for Triple Crown honors
In 1998 Kent Desormeaux rode Real QuietReal Quiet
Real Quiet was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was nicknamed "The Fish" by his trainer, due to his narrow frame....
to victory in the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
and 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...
. Desormeaux lost his bid to win the U.S. Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
, and racing immortality, when Victory Gallop
Victory Gallop
Victory Gallop was an American-based Thoroughbred racehorse. As a three-year-old he won the Belmont Stakes denying Real Quiet the Triple Crown...
beat his horse by a nose in the final stride in the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
. He then went on to ride the Canadian 3-year-old champion colt Archers Bay
Archers Bay
Archers Bay was a Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse known for winning the first two legs of the 1998 Canadian Triple Crown. He was sired by Silver Deputy and out of the stakes-winning mare, Adorned, a daughter of the 1975 French Derby winner, Val de l'Orne.In the 1998 Canadian Triple Crown series,...
to victory in the Queen's Plate
Queen's Plate
The Queen's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race. It is run at a distance of 1¼ miles for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer in June or July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke , Ontario...
. In 2000, Desormeaux won the Wood Memorial Stakes
Wood Memorial Stakes
The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, New York. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....
and his second Kentucky Derby aboard Fusaichi Pegasus
Fusaichi Pegasus
Fusaichi Pegasus was purchased as a yearling for $4 million by Fusao Sekiguchi. His name is a combination of his owner's name, "Fusao," and the Japanese word for one, "ichi," to mean #1 or the best. The second half is the winged horse of Greek mythology. Fusaichi Pegasus won the Kentucky Derby...
.
Desormeaux, in 2008 won his third Kentucky Derby aboard Big Brown
Big Brown
Big Brown is a retired champion American Thoroughbred racehorse and winner of the 2008 Kentucky Derby and 2008 Preakness Stakes. Bred by Dr. Gary B. Knapp's Monticule Farms in Lexington, Kentucky, he won his first five race starts. He was sired by Grade III winner Boundary, a son of North American...
, in a time of 2:01 4/5. Big Brown
Big Brown
Big Brown is a retired champion American Thoroughbred racehorse and winner of the 2008 Kentucky Derby and 2008 Preakness Stakes. Bred by Dr. Gary B. Knapp's Monticule Farms in Lexington, Kentucky, he won his first five race starts. He was sired by Grade III winner Boundary, a son of North American...
won by just under five lengths. Desormeaux followed this victory with his ride on Big Brown to victory in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
in Baltimore, MD in a time of 1:54 4/5. In the final race of the Triple Crown, however, the Belmont Stakes, Desormeaux was forced to ease Big Brown in after the colt tired at the quarter pole. On April 10, 2009 he won the Makers Mark Mile race on Mr. Sidney at Keeneland for a purse of 300,000 dollars. On May 2, 2009 Kent Desormeaux and his horse Hold Me Back finished in 12th place.
On June 6, 2009 Desormeaux finally got the one win that had eluded him his entire career, riding Summer Bird
Summer Bird
Summer Bird is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse, son of 2004 Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone. He was bred by retired cardiologist Kalarikkal Jayaraman and his wife, retired pathologist Vilasini Jayaraman, at their Tiffany Farm near Ocala, Florida...
to victory in the 2009 Belmont Stakes
2009 Belmont Stakes
The 2009 Belmont Stakes was the 141st running of the Belmont Stakes. The race took place on June 6, 2009, and was televised on ABC and ESPN360.com. The value of the race was $1,000,000 in stakes. Post time was 6:19 p.m. EST...
.
On August 29, 2009 Desormeaux rode Summer Bird
Summer Bird
Summer Bird is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse, son of 2004 Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone. He was bred by retired cardiologist Kalarikkal Jayaraman and his wife, retired pathologist Vilasini Jayaraman, at their Tiffany Farm near Ocala, Florida...
again to victory in the 2009 Travers Stakes in Saratoga Springs, NY.
In 2010
2010 Kentucky Derby
The 2010 Kentucky Derby was the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 1, 2010, and was televised in the United States on the NBC television network. The post time was EDT . The stakes of the race were US$2,185,200...
, he rode in the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
aboard Paddy O' Prado finishing third.
Honors
In 2004, Kent Desormeaux was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of FameNational 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...
.
Year-end charts
| Chart (2000–present) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2000 | 5 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2001 | 25 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2002 | 10 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2003 | 31 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2004 | 16 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2005 | 40 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2006 | 17 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2007 | 9 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2008 | 5 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2009 | 4 |