Contemporary Jockey 2004

Kent Desormeaux won his first race in 1986 and the following year was the leading apprentice in number of wins, winning the Eclipse Award in that category. He soon joined Chris McCarron and Steve Cauthen as winners of both the apprentice Eclipse and overall jockey’s Eclipse Award, adding two more in 1989 and 1992. A native of Maurice, La., Desormeaux was the national leader in number of wins three consecutive years (1987, 1988, and 1989). In 1989, he set the still-standing national record for wins in a year, with 598. He also was the national leader in earnings in 1992. Desormeaux has won 4,395 (20%) races from 22,045 mounts and has earned $167,718,471. He has won 241 graded stakes (18%) and 506 stakes overall (18%).

A George Woolf Memorial Award winner, Desormeaux led jockeys in Maryland before moving to California. He has topped the riders’ lists at each of the four major Southern California meetings and won six races on a single card at Hollywood Park in 1992.

Desormeaux has won the Kentucky Derby twice, on Real Quiet (1998) and Fusaichi Pegasus (2000), and the Preakness on Real Quiet. He has been the regular or frequent rider of Horse of the Year Kotashaan, Golden Missile, Fiji, Excellent Meeting, Formal Gold, Free House, Afternoon Deelites, Possibly Perfect, Soul of the Matter, Desert Stormer, Lakeway, Marquetry, Kostroma, Best Pal, The Wicked North, Private Terms, and Touch of the Blues.

Major races Desormeaux has won include two Breeders’ Cup events (Sprint and Turf), Eddie Read Handicap (2), Santa Anita Handicap, Wood Memorial, San Juan Capistrano (3), Pimlico Special, Santa Anita Derby, Spinster, Oaklawn Handicap (2), Super Derby, Arkansas Derby, Yellow Ribbon (4), Hollywood Futurity, Queen’s Plate, Caesars Palace Turf Championship, Atto Mile, and the Californian. He also has won several million-dollar races in Japan.

More about:
Shug McGaughey
Kent Desormeaux
Skip Away
Flawlessly

Previous

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Next