Carmouche Voted Jockey of the Week After 4,000th Win

Veteran jockey Kendrick Carmouche is having a banner year and it is only April. The Louisiana native became the latest jockey to join the 4,000 career-win club when he guided Crimson Light to a half-length win on Saturday at his home track of Aqueduct. The milestone win led the panel of racing experts to unanimously vote Carmouche Jockey of the Week for March 31-April 6.

The weekly honor recognizes jockeys for significant riding accomplishments and who are members of the Jockeys’ Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

Carmouche entered Saturday’s card at Aqueduct with 3,997 career wins. He picked up win 3,998 in the fourth race for trainer Linda Rice and win 3,999 for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher in race six. Riding again for Pletcher in race eight, Carmouche was aboard Crimson Light for the milestone victory.

After the winner’s circle presentation, Carmouche ran over to the apron and jumped a small fence to take a photo and interact with the most loyal hardcore fans of the Vinton, Louisiana native.

“I wanted to share that with them, they deserve it just as much as anybody,” Carmouche said to NYRA publicity. “To give back to them is an honor.”

“I’d like to thank my dad (Sylvester Carmouche, Jr. who passed away in 2024), he’s not here right now, but he is shining a light over me,” Carmouche said in a postrace interview. “Four thousand, man. A little boy from the Bayou. To be doing this much work in the Big Apple, it’s my dream come true. I love this sport. I love fighting for a win, we don’t win all the time, but to get to 4,000…”

Carmouche wasn’t finished for the day. Riding for trainer Gustavo Rodriguez, Carmouche was aboard Phileas Fogg in the Excelsior Stakes for four-year-olds and up. The five-year-old gelding reeled in the runaway pacesetter Mama’s Gold into the far turn to assume control and win by 5-1/4 lengths in 2:01.69 for a mile and one-quarter.

A graded stakes-winning rider, Carmouche, 41, won a total of seven riding titles at Parx and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2015. He has made New York his home base since 2015 with leading rider titles at the Aqueduct 2020 fall meet and the Aqueduct spring and fall meets in 2022.

Earlier this year, Carmouche was awarded the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Award for 2025 after a vote of jockeys across the country. The award honors a rider whose career and personal character earn esteem for the individual and the sport. The award ceremony will take place at Santa Anita on May 31.

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week included Juan J. Hernandez with two graded stakes wins and three overall, Paco Lopez who led all riders for the week in wins with 11, Umberto Rispoli who won the Gr. I Santa Anita Derby and Hall of Famer Mike Smith who won the Gr. II Wood Memorial.

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