by Phil Janack
Jockey Kent Desormeaux became the 23rd North American rider to earn 5,000 career victories when he rode Bella Attrice to a win on Sunday at Saratoga Race Course.
Desormeaux, 38, was greeted by cheers from the crowd as he returned to the winner's circle, where he was presented with a sign and a cake honoring his accomplishment.
A five-year-old mare trained by Bruce Brown for Gumpster Stable, Bella Attrice was rated off the pace by Desormeaux, who swung her to the outside at the top of the stretch. She pulled away for a 2 1/4-length victory.
The 1.55-to-1 favorite in a field reduced to nine by early scratches, Bella Attrice ran one mile in 1:40.94 on yielding turf.
Desormeaux had struggled to reach the milestone since picking up his 4,998th win on July 7 at Belmont Park. He snapped an 0-for-30 streak to move within one aboard Jazz Nation on July 23, and was mired in a 1-for-46 slump.
"They don't give away accolades. They made me earn it," Desormeaux said.
"It probably was deservedly needing the wait because last week, I was thinking it was just another number.
"But, I got to dwell upon it and think about it, and I'm in awe of the number. I mean, 5,000. Wow. Those numbers I attained in California and now New York, and I'm proud of that. That's 5,000 in the 'A' league."
Desormeaux, 38, has won three Eclipse Awards during a riding career that began in 1986 at Evangeline Downs. The Maurice, Louisiana, native was named North America’s outstanding apprentice rider in 1987 and earned Eclipse Awards as outstanding jockey in ’89 and ’92.
Desormeaux, Chris McCarron, and Steve Cauthen are the only jockeys to win Eclipse Awards as both an apprentice and journeyman.
A 2004 inductee into the Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York, Desormeaux concluded his 1989 campaign with a North American record 599 victories, shattering McCarron’s previous mark of 546 wins.
Desormeaux led all North American riders by wins in ’87, ’88, and ’89. He is one of four jockeys to accomplish the feat in three-consecutive years.
Desormeaux guided Big Brown to dominant wins in this year’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1). Desormeaux eased Big Brown in the Belmont Stakes (G1), ending the Boundary colt’s chance to become the 12th Triple Crown winner.
Desormeaux rode Real Quiet to victory in the 1998 Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Real Quiet’s Triple Crown bid ended with a second-place finish by a nose to Victory Gallop in the Belmont.
Desormeaux posted his first Kentucky Derby win aboard Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000.
A Garden City, New York, resident, Desormeaux earned his 3,000th career win in 1995 at age 25 to become the youngest jockey ever to reach the plateau. Two years later, he became the youngest jockey to surpass $100-million in career earnings.
Desormeaux earned his 4,000th career win in 2001 prior to spending ten weeks in Japan, where he became the first foreign-based jockey to win a Japanese Classic when he rode Lady Pastel to victory in the Japanese Oaks. Desormeaux returned to Japan in ’03, and won more than 30 races in two months. He also rode extensively in the country in ’05.
Phil Janack is a New York-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent