Early life and career

From a Cajun family, Desormeaux grew up on a farm where he was first introduced to horses through 4-H. He first raced American Quarter Horses and was only sixteen years old when he began working as an apprentice jockey at the Evangeline Downs racetrack in Lafayette, Louisiana. He won his first career stakes race on December 13, 1986, riding Godbey in the Maryland City Handicap at Laurel Park Racecourse.

His immediate success and big break led to him moving north to compete on the Maryland racing circuit in 1987 where his performance earned him the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey. In each of his first three years racing in Maryland, Kent Desormeaux won more races than any other jockey in the U.S. He is one of only four jockeys to have won three national titles in a row. No longer an apprentice, in 1989 he won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and another in 1992. Desormeaux, along with Chris McCarron and Steve Cauthen, are the only jockeys to win the Eclipse Award in both the apprentice and overall categories.

In 1989, Desormeaux set the current record for most wins in a year with 598. In the early 1990s he moved to southern California and in late 1992 at the Hollywood Park racetrack he was thrown by a horse and trampled, suffering multiple skull fractures and permanent deafness in one ear. Despite the severe setback, he rebounded to his old form, riding Kotashaan to victory in the 1993 Breeders' Cup Turf and at the end of the year his peers voted him the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. In 1995, he scored his second Breeders' Cup title when he beat the "boys" in the Breeders' Cup Sprint with the filly Desert Stormer.

Amongst Desormeaux's other major stakes race victories, he became the first foreign jockey to win a Classic race in Japan.

He scored his 5,000th career victory on July 27, 2008 by guiding Bella Attrice to victory in the 7th race at Saratoga Race Course.

His brother, J. Keith Desormeaux is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.

Arrest

On August 31, 2011, Desormeaux was arrested when he tapped a crossing guard with his car at Saratoga Race Course. He was released on $500 bail and was charged with second degree reckless endangerment. Desormeaux stated he was "trying to be cute." In the days after his arrest, he was pulled from two mounts at Saratoga.

On September 8, 2011, Desormeaux pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct. He was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and take a defensive driving course.

Quest for Triple Crown honors

In 1998 Desormeaux rode Real Quiet to victory in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Desormeaux lost his bid to win the U.S. Triple Crown when Victory Gallop beat his horse by a nose in the final stride in the Belmont Stakes. He then went on to ride the Canadian 3-year-old champion colt Archers Bay to victory in the Queen's Plate. In 2000, Desormeaux won the Wood Memorial Stakes and his second Kentucky Derby aboard Fusaichi Pegasus.

In 2008 Desormeaux won his third Kentucky Derby aboard Big Brown in a time of 2:01 4/5. Big Brown won by just under five lengths. He followed with his ride on Big Brown to victory in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in a time of 1:54 4/5. In the final race of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, Desormeaux eased Big Brown in after the colt tired at the quarter pole. On April 10, 2009, he won the Makers Mark Mile race on Mr. Sidney at Keeneland for a purse of 300,000 dollars. On May 2, 2009, Desormeaux and his horse Hold Me Back finished in 12th place.

On June 6, 2009, Desormeaux rode Summer Bird to victory in the 2009 Belmont Stakes. On August 29, 2009, he again rode Summer Bird to victory in the 2009 Travers Stakes in Saratoga Springs, New York.

On May 21, 2016, Desormeaux rode Exaggerator to victory in the Preakness Stakes.

Honors

In 2004, Kent Desormeaux was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

Triple Crown mounts, results

• 43 starts — 7 first, 6 second, 5 third, 0 fourth, 5 fifth

Kentucky Derby mounts, results

• 20 starts — 3 first, 1 second, 4 third, 0 fourth, 4 fifth

1988 Kentucky Derby, Purdue King (16th)
1990 Kentucky Derby, Pleasant Tap (3rd)
1993 Kentucky Derby, Diazo (5th)
1994 Kentucky Derby, Soul Of The Matter (5th)
1995 Kentucky Derby, Afternoon Deelites (8th)
1996 Kentucky Derby, Diligence (9th)
1998 Kentucky Derby, Real Quiet (1st)
1999 Kentucky Derby, Excellent Meeting (5th)
2000 Kentucky Derby, Fusaichi Pegasus (1st)
2003 Kentucky Derby, Outta Here (7th)
2004 Kentucky Derby, Imperialism (3rd)
2005 Kentucky Derby, Greeley's Galaxy (11th)
2006 Kentucky Derby, Sweetnorthernsaint (7th)
2007 Kentucky Derby, Stormello (19th)
2008 Kentucky Derby, Big Brown (1st)
2009 Kentucky Derby, Hold Me Back (5th)
2010 Kentucky Derby, Paddy O' Prado (3rd)
2012 Kentucky Derby, Dullahan (3rd)
2015 Kentucky Derby, Keen Ice (7th)
2016 Kentucky Derby, Exaggerator (2nd)

Preakness Stakes mounts, results

• 14 starts — 3 first, 3 second, 0 third, 0 fourth, 1 fifth

1988 Preakness Stakes, Finder's Choice (9th)
1990 Preakness Stakes, Kentucky Jazz (7th)
1995 Preakness Stakes, Our Gatsby (7th)
1997 Preakness Stakes, Free House (2nd)
1998 Preakness Stakes, Real Quiet (1st)
1999 Preakness Stakes, Excellent Meeting (13th)
2000 Preakness Stakes, Fusaichi Pegasus (2nd)
2002 Preakness Stakes, USS Tinosa (6th)
2004 Preakness Stakes, Imperialism (5th)
2006 Preakness Stakes, Sweetnorthernsaint (2nd)
2008 Preakness Stakes, Big Brown (1st)
2009 Preakness Stakes, Tone It Down (12th)
2010 Preakness Stakes, Paddy O' Prado (6th)
2016 Preakness Stakes, Exaggerator (1st)

Belmont Stakes mounts, results

• 9 starts — 1 first, 2 second, 2 third, 0 fourth, 0 fifth

1993 Belmont Stakes, Arinthod (12th)
1997 Belmont Stakes, Free House (3rd)
1998 Belmont Stakes, Real Quiet (2nd)
1999 Belmont Stakes, Patience Game (6th)
2002 Belmont Stakes, Medaglia d'Oro (2nd)
2008 Belmont Stakes, Big Brown (9th)
2009 Belmont Stakes, Summer Bird (1st)
2012 Belmont Stakes, Guyana Star Dweej (DNF)
2015 Belmont Stakes, Keen Ice (3rd)

Breeder's Cup Classic mounts, results

• 13 starts — 0 first, 0 second, 1 third, 6 fourth, 2 fifth

1992 Breeder's Cup Classic, Reign Road (4th)
1993 Breeder's Cup Classic, Marquetry (4th)
1994 Breeder's Cup Classic, Soul Of The Matter (4th)
1995 Breeder's Cup Classic, Soul Of The Matter (4th)
1996 Breeder's Cup Classic, Dramatic Gold (9th)
1998 Breeder's Cup Classic, Coronado's Quest (5th)
1999 Breeder's Cup Classic, Golden Missile (3rd)
2000 Breeder's Cup Classic, Fusaichi Pegasus (6th)
2001 Breeder's Cup Classic, Freedom Crest (13th)
2004 Breeder's Cup Classic, Perfect Drift (4th)
2006 Breeder's Cup Classic, Suave (12th)
2009 Breeder's Cup Classic, Summer Bird (4th)
2010 Breeder's Cup Classic, Paddy O'Prado (5th)

Year-end charts

[ Source: Wikipedia ]