Desormeaux becomes 8th jockey to win 3 Derbys
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On Saturday, Desormeaux's big move landed the jockey in a spot more in keeping with his Hall of Fame career: the winner's circle at Churchill Downs.
Desormeaux made an expert ride aboard Big Brown, deftly guiding the big bay colt through the 20-horse field to a 4 3/4-length victory in the Kentucky Derby that erased any doubts as to whether the Cajun kid still had it.
"I'm absolutely the luckiest man in the world," Desormeaux said after becoming the eighth rider to win the Kentucky Derby at least three times.
Joining one of horse racing's most exclusive clubs seemed remote three years ago. Desormeaux had become so despondent after another disappointing season in California that he felt a drastic change was needed.
The cross-country move was difficult for his wife, Sonia, and sons Joshua and Jacob. Yet Desormeaux regained his passion for riding in the New York, doubling his purse totals in 2006 and getting back in the good graces of the sport's top trainers.
"I uprooted them, grabbed my kids from their friends ... this was why," he said.
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