Kocakaya looking for Maryland mounts off comeback win
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Gokhan Kocakaya, a Turkish jockey who spent the summer in his home nation, is back in the United States and looking for mounts at Laurel Park. On Sunday, he earned his first victory since returning to Maryland, his fifth in 34 starts in the U.S. this year.
In Turkey, Kocakaya is regarded as a top rider, having earned more than 3,300 recorded victories since his 2006 debut. In an effort to relocate his family to the United States, the 37-year-old received help from connections in New York to begin riding at Aqueduct in the winter of 2023. He struggled in three stints at the track, leading him elsewhere in early 2025.
Before the Mid-Atlantic circuit heated up over the summer, Kocakaya shifted his tack from Aqueduct to Laurel in March and showed the briefest flash of ability in Maryland. On his first day of racing there on March 7, Kocakaya won on both of his mounts for trainer Kieron Magee.
Following a brief return home, Kocakaya eventually began earning consistent rides at Laurel until mid-April, when he abruptly stopped riding in the United States. He explained that when the circuit grew more competitive, he took the opportunity to return to Turkey for the summer, a schedule he may stick to in seasons to come.
“In the summer, it gets very tough,” Kocakaya said. “In my country, I am a champion jockey, and when the biggest races start, I find the best horses in Turkey.”
In 770 races in Turkey this year, Kocakaya has earned 180 victories, the seventh most in the country. His 23 percent strike rate is the highest among the top 26 riders, and between Throughbred and Arabian mounts, he's won more than 20 group races in that span.
Since returning to Laurel, Kocakaya has begun expanding his reach beyond Magee and owner Gokmen Kaya, taking mounts for the likes of trainers Hugh McMahon and Jonathan Maldonado. In the first race last Sunday, he earned his first winner at the Laurel fall meet aboard the Magee-trained gelding Oleg in a conditional claiming race.
“It's not easy for me, but I believe everything will be easier if you’re hard-working,” Kocakaya said of the adjustment to American racing. “In my country, all the horses are very lazy and very hot, very popular Arabic horses. But here, all the Thoroughbreds are fast and strong.“
While his family resides in Deer Park, N.Y., Kocakaya hopes to make Laurel a worthwhile stop in his annual travels. He is scheduled to ride five horses on Friday and Saturday.
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