Carmouche being rewarded for aggressive rides

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – That Aqueduct’s inner track has been kind to inside speed lately doesn’t just favor certain horses, it favors certain riders.

Kendrick Carmouche is known as an aggressive rider, and his style certainly has paid dividends this winter at Aqueduct. Last week, Carmouche won 7 races from 22 mounts, including three stakes, at Aqueduct. He has moved into a tie for third in the inner-track standings with 19 wins, five behind leader Irad Ortiz Jr.

“Very pleased, just happy the way everything’s going,” said Carmouche, who turned 33 on Wednesday. “I got a new agent in Jason Beides. He’s working very hard out there every morning. I’m putting the work in, riding aggressively on the inner track.”

On Jan. 13, Carmouche guided Wonder Gal to a 13 1/2-length victory in the Ladies Handicap. Carmouche put Wonder Gal on the lead, and she widened at every call. On Sunday, Carmouche won the $100,000 Busanda Stakes aboard Lockdown, a 3-year-old filly whom he put right into the race, just off the pacesetting Libby’s Tail, before taking over leaving the three-furlong pole. Lastly, on Monday, Carmouche won the Grade 3, $125,000 Toboggan Stakes on Green Gratto, another horse he put on the lead from the outset.

When Carmouche doesn’t get the lead, he knows to keep his horses right on the rail, as he did with Cotton Candy Cutie, who rallied along the fence to win Monday’s fourth race. Carmouche won with his only two mounts on the card.

“Breaking fast and getting position, but make sure you hug the rail because the inner track is very fast, it suits my riding style,” Carmouche said about his riding tactics. “You got to have the horse to maintain the position.”

In addition to giving Green Gratto a good ride, Carmouche made a key recommendation to trainer Gaston Grant regarding an equipment change that might have played a role in the outcome. Carmouche recommended cutting the blinkers back a little so Green Gratto could see the competition coming.

“I think it really impacted today,” Carmouche said after the race. “It’s good Mr. Gaston decided on the same thing I decided on with the [blinkers] because he always breaks and goes, but he always gets beat short distances because he can’t see the horses coming. We figure if we put the cheaters on, he at least sees them coming, he would maintain his course, and that’s pretty much what he did today. He just maintained.”

Carmouche, who has only two mounts Friday but eight Saturday, certainly would like to maintain his current level of success.