NEWS
Guidry named to Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
Posted: Monday, January 30, 2012 12:00 PM
MARK GUIDRY
PhotosByZ.com/Thoroughbred Times
Jockey Mark Guidry will be one of eight new inductees in the 2012 class of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
The Lafayette, Louisiana, native has won 5,068 pari-mutuel Thoroughbred races over his 32-year riding career, including wins aboard Lemons Forever in the 2006 Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Buzzards Bay in the 2005 Santa Anita Derby (G1).
Like many Louisiana riders, Guidry got his start at age nine racing at the state’s bush tracks. He won his first pari-mutuel race at age 16 at Delta Downs and rode on the Louisiana circuit for a decade before moving to Chicago, where he won 18 riding titles.
Guidry retired from riding in November 2007 and went to steward’s school before instead becoming a trainer on the Louisiana circuit. He notched 30 wins from 301 starts in his new role, including two stakes victories.
Guidry returned to riding at Ellis Park in August 2011. Prior to his return, Guidry had been working as an assistant trainer and exercise rider for trainer Dale Romans. He is currently based at Tampa Bay Downs.
Guidry will be officially enshrined on June 23 to culminate the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration.
Other horse racing figures in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame include jockeys Eddie Delahoussaye, Eric Guerin, J.D. Mooney, Craig Perrett, Randy Romero, and the late owner and breeder John Franks.
Guidry will joined in the 2012 class by Roger Carr, an All-American at Louisiana Tech University and All-Pro wide receiver for the National Football League’s Baltimore Colts; Warrick Dunn, a Baton Rouge native and Pro Bowl running back for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons; Eddy Furniss, who led Louisiana State University to two national baseball titles while breaking several Southeastern Conference hitting records; Aaron James, a three-time All-American in basketball at Grambling State University who was the first pick of the National Basketball Association’s expansion New Orleans Jazz in 1974; Deuce McAllister, the all-time leading rusher for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints; Pete Richardson, legendary coach of the Southern University football team; and Terry Robiskie, a leading rusher for LSU’s football team who went on to play and coach for several NFL teams.
