Kendrick Carmouche closing in on 4,000 career wins

By Keith McCalmont —-

Joey Freshwater (5) ridden by Kendrick Carmouche wins the Bayshore Stakes (Grade 3) on Wood Memorial Day at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York on April 8th, 2023. Jason Moran/Eclipse Sportswire/CSM

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Kendrick Carmouche, a well-respected leader in the jockeys’ room on the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit, is fast approaching his 4,000th career win.

The 41-year-old Vinton, Louisiana native, who has 3,988 wins as of March 19, credited a community of family, friends and colleagues in helping him along the way in a quarter-century of riding racehorses.

“I always thought I would do good in the sport, but I never thought I would get close to 4,000 and still be fighting to put more wins towards it,” Carmouche said. “I’m a student of the game. I love the sport. I have good trainers, good owners and good horses around me to help me get to that 4,000. It all helps. I owe it to my family. They sacrificed for me to come to New York to accomplish my goals and that means a lot to me.”

Carmouche managed six straight seasons with more than 200 wins from 2007-12, while riding predominantly at Parx Racing where he captured seven riding titles and was inducted into the Parx Hall of Fame in 2015.

Since moving to New York full time in 2015 he has seen the quality of his stock improve, becoming a fixture near the top of the NYRA leaderboard, including riding titles at Aqueduct Racetrack in the 2020 fall meet, and 2022 spring and fall meets. He landed third in the NYRA jockey standings last year with 152 wins, while his mounts overall purse earnings brought a career-best $11,796,971.

Earlier this month, Carmouche, who took out his license at the age of 16, was named the recipient of the 2025 George Woolf Memorial Award, which honors riders whose careers and personal character earn esteem for the individual and for the sport.

Carmouche said the desire to win and the love of the horse fires his competitive spirit.

“To be a successful rider these days, you need to have that stomach to compete with anybody on any stage. You need to have that hunger every day you go out there,” Carmouche said. “You have to know how to represent yourself around these trainers and these owners so that they know they can rely on you to go out there and do the right thing.

“Surround yourself with good people at the racetrack,” Carmouche added, with a knowing nod. “That’s the most key thing in the sport. You can’t get sidetracked. You can’t go left or right; you’ve got to go straight. It’s the only way.”

Carmouche enjoyed a milestone moment in December 2020 when he captured his lone Grade 1 win aboard True Timber in the Cigar Mile Handicap. Trained by Jack Sisterson for Calumet Farm, True Timber was making his third attempt at the Cigar Mile after hitting the board in 2018 [2nd] and 2019 [3rd].

The Mineshaft bay was prominently placed in third position through a half-mile in 45.82 seconds over the sloppy and sealed footing, and advanced when asked through the turn to open up a four-length advantage at the stretch call. True Timber relished the off going and splashed home a decisive 5 1/2-length winner over Snapper Sinclair.

An emotional Carmouche, his eyes wide in disbelief aboard True Timber on the gallop back was heard asking, “‘Was that a Grade 1? That’s my first Grade 1!’”

Carmouche noted the importance of attaching the credit of ‘Grade 1-winning rider’ to his name.

“People really do look at those moments and when you don’t have that Grade 1 under your belt, it’s like a shade – it’s like a basketball player not winning the NBA title or an NFL player not winning the Super Bowl. I think I made it,” said Carmouche, with a grin.

For Carmouche, who notched his first victory aboard Earl n Erin on April 27, 2000, at Evangeline Downs, the Cigar Mile score was a moment 20 years in the making and the journeyman took a moment to compose himself after the win photo – his eyes searching high in the air and seemingly breathless, both from the effort just exuded and the weight lifted off his shoulders.

“I was praising God more than anything,” Carmouche recalled. “So far, in my career, I’ve been very successful and very fortunate. I’ve had some bad spills and got back up. Regardless of if you break something or not, He’s there with you. He’s going to get you through it. I owe Him all the glory.”

A few short months later, Carmouche, far from just a front-end rider, demonstrated his versatility by guiding Bourbonic to an improbable last-to-first upset as the 72-1 longest shot on the board in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino.

Bourbonic settled last-of-9 in the early running as longshot Market Maven metered out a moderate tempo through three-quarters in 1:14.98. Carmouche asked his charge to pick up the chase through the final turn, launching a five-wide bid in upper stretch to reel in a host of contenders and edge his stablemate, Dynamic One, by a head.

“I felt like I was a winner the whole day,” Carmouche said. “I felt the way the track was playing and the way everything was shaping up, I thought Bourbonic couldn’t get beat in the Wood Memorial. No matter where I came from, I felt I couldn’t get beat. It was my day to win that race.

“Todd Pletcher told me to do whatever I think best and that’s what I thought was best – save my horse for the last quarter of a mile and make one run out of it,” Carmouche continued. “When you have that much horse and you’re sitting last and you know you’re going to run them down, that’s an eerie feeling. You’re just waiting to push the button.”

The victory earned Bourbonic 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points and with it provided Carmouche his first mount in the ‘Run for the Roses’ where they were elevated to 12th.

Carmouche featured prominently in the build-up to the Kentucky Derby with media outlets noting that Black jockeys had won 15 of the first 28 editions of the historic race. He stood tall throughout, speaking about the importance of representation and leaned on his roots, notably his late jockey father, Sylvester Jr., and his mom, Angela Carmouche, who acted as his agent early on, as well as the support of his wife, Whitney, and their children Olivia and Kendrick.

“My mom pretty much showed me how to hustle and how to talk to people – as well as my dad,” Carmouche said. “It was a big plus for my mom to be there for me at the beginning of my career. I’m the baby of the family so she had that loving arm around me to make sure I do everything correctly. I look back at those days and it puts a smile on my face.”

Carmouche, now represented by Jimmy Riccio, Jr., remains very close with his mother and although his father passed last summer, the veteran rider said the lessons imparted stay with him always and push him to excel as both a jockey and a person.

“My dad left me with something that any dad and son would love to have – a bond with horse racing and horses,” Carmouche said. “You never forget about your dad in this sport. What we both have done in this sport, to be Black riders, it’s a really good thing.

“Nothing comes easy in life. Not in our sport. Not in nobody’s sport,” Carmouche added. “Only the strong survive in this world, once you come to a point to understand that you become stronger as a person, and you will move on. Don’t let stress bother you – that’s the key of life. My dad inspired me the whole way. He showed me the whole way. Look through his eyes and you’ll see what you need to do in this lifetime.”

Carmouche is one of many riders in the room that enjoy giving back to the racing community and his annual gumbo dinner has demonstrated his culinary talents while raising funds and awareness for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.

“We should give back as much as we can. Having the gumbo is a way to gather everybody and show our appreciation,” Carmouche said. “It’s always good to give back to the people that support retired racehorses. Not only do us jockeys support it, but also all the owners, trainers and people behind the scenes that are there to help out whenever horses go on to retirement. I think, together, it’s good to let those people know how much we appreciate it from every aspect of the sport.”

While the gumbo dinner is popular, Carmouche is never more feted than when he brings home a winner in front of the cheering faithful at Aqueduct. A Carmouche victory at the Big A often sees a rush of patrons to the rail to cheer for him on the gallop back to the winner’s circle and the friendly reinsman is always ready to raise his hand and voice in acknowledgment of their support.

“I feel like this is my Saratoga,” said Carmouche, with a laugh. “I feel like whenever I win, they win and whenever I lose, they lose. It’s a good feeling for a jockey that gets along with everybody. Sometimes they’re mad, sometimes they’re upset, but they never stop coming to the fence and cheering for me. It means a lot when you can celebrate with people.

“It helps me as a human,” Carmouche added. “They’re cheering on the horse, and me and the trainer – it’s our sport, the ‘Sport of Kings,’ and it’s a very good feeling.”