Desormeaux Gets 3rd Derby Win
Jockey Rides Big Brown to Run for the Roses Winner's Circle
Hall of Fame Jockey Kent Desormeaux gambled in moving his tack to New York from California, but ended speculation by romping with Big Brown to his 3rd KD title.
It was a joyous return to a major race winner's circle for jockey Kent Desormeaux who has guided such past champions as Free House, Possibly Perfect, Soul of the Matter, Desert Stormer, Best Pal, and Private Terms, as well as Kentucky Derby champions Real Quiet (1998) and Fusaichi Pegasus (2000).
Cross Country Move Rejuvenates Desormeaux
Desormeaux piloted this season's growing star, Big Brown, to a perfect Derby title May 3. Three years ago, the Hall of Fame jockey took a gamble that paid off by moving his tack and his family to New York from California, where riding had grown stagnant for him.
Last Saturday, Desormeaux found himself in one of the biggest rides of his life when he and Big Brown fashioned a missle trip through the 134th Kentucky Derby to the finish line. The championship is Desormeaux's 3rd Derby win overall. He became one of just eight jockeys to win the event at least three times.
Big Brown Changes Desormeaux's Prospects
His mount, also the Florida Derby winner earlier this season, was the Derby favorite, yet many thought Big Brown would be unable to handle the 20-horse field, or to break successfully from the 20th post position and make any headway in the crowded conditions.
But Big Brown, a tall, big-muscled engine, answered all questions, improved his record to 4-0, and proved to be everything Desormeaux and trainer Richard Dutrow, Jr. had said he was while Kentucky Derby week unfolded.
Desormeaux steered Big Brown to the Florida Derby title Mar.29 with the same outside-the-pack strategy. The jockey said after the Florida romp that he had found his Kentucky Derby mount. Following the perfection of the Run for the Roses, Desormeaux claimed Big Brown is the best he's ridden.
Desormeaux and Dutrow, Jr. have overcome dry spells in their own careers with the saddling of Big Brown. Now they will hear the Triple Crown colt whispers over the next twelve days as they prepare to point Big Brown toward the second jewel of the American Triple Crown for Thoroughbreds, the Preakness Stakes in Maryland.
Desormeaux Elected to Hall of Fame in 2004
Besides copping the Jockey Apprentice Eclipse Award in 1986, the overall Jockey Eclipse Award in 1989 and in 1991, and the George Woolf Memorial Award, Desormeaux was a leading jockey at each of southern California's four major meetings. In 1992, he won six races on the day at Hollywood Park.
Desormeaux was elected to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in 2004.
