Jockey James Graham landed his 3,000th career victory in North America on Sunday when he piloted Keith Desormeaux-trained Vortex to victory in Race 2 at Fair Grounds.
Sent off favourite, the three-year-old took a six-furlong maiden claimer by an emphatic 7½ lengths under the Irish expat, who has five G1 winners to his name.
Coming into the 2023-2024 meet at the New Orleans venue, Graham was ten away from the milestone. He wasted no time closing the gap, winning ten races over nine cards, including stakes victories in the Claiming Crown Tiara and Iron horse, as well as the John Valene and Joseph Peluso over opening weekend.
“It’s quite emotional actually,” Graham said. “I came here in 2002 and all I ever wanted was a shot.
“I wish my mum was still alive to see this,” he went on. “Thank you to everybody who has ever put me on a winner throughout my whole career. This is all because of you guys. Thank you to my wife. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn't be where I am.
“Fair Grounds has been good to me over the years. I’ve made a lot of friends and lost a lot of friends. Racing is a life and we are all a big family. Thank you to everybody.”
Hailing from Dublin, Graham attended jockeys’ school and worked for four years as an apprentice, recording one win in his native Ireland on Spurn in a Naas maiden in August 2001 before launching his US career.
His first victory came at River Downs on July 1, 2003, aboard B.J. Star for trainer Allan Shapoff on just his 12th mount; later that year his first Fair Grounds victory came aboard High Octave for trainer Ronny Werner.
Graham has gone on to win 1,340 local races and stands tall as the third winningmost rider at Fair Grounds since 1986, behind Ronald Ardoin and Robby Albarado.
“This is special for me doing it here,” Graham said. “My career took off here. When I first got here in 2003 and started riding, this is the meet that got the ball rolling for me.
“Look at the guys I started riding with here. Gerard (Melancon), Robby (Albarado), Shane Sellers, E.J. Perrodin – I got educated here. I've got a couple more goals at this track that I want to accomplish, so I’m banging on the door and I'm young, fit and healthy.”
Over his career, the 44-year-old has four local riding titles, and won many of the track's most prominent stakes. Graham has won over 47 graded stakes, and 13 of those have come at Fair Grounds, including victories aboard 135-1 shot Ive Struck A Nerve in the G2 Risen Star in 2013, 28-1 shot Call Me Midnight in the G3 Lecomte in 2022 and 7-1 shot Ron The Greek in the 2010 Lecomte. Ive Struck A Nerve and Call Me Midnight were both trained by Desormeaux.
“Keith has been very good to me since I started my career,” Graham said. “We’ve had a lot of luck. He's always been a big supporter and I think he’s a brilliant horseman. Thank you to all the horsemen. All I ever wanted was a chance … to have a chance. And these guys gave me a chance.”
Having had three mounts in the Kentucky Derby, Graham’s best finish was aboard Lone Sailor in 2018 when he crossed the line in eighth for trainer Tom Amoss. One of Arlington Park’s all-time winningest jockeys, Graham earned his first graded stakes victory in the 2004 Arlington Breeders’ Cup Oaks.
With five G1s to his name, Graham’s most recent came aboard 27-1 longshot Two Emmys in the 2021 Mr. D., the race known colloquially as ‘the last Arlington Million’.
Upon winning his 3,000th race, Graham has amassed $111,328,888 in career earnings from 22,095 mounts according to Equibase statistics. In Graham’s 19th season at Fair Grounds, it is his first year being represented by agent Doug Bredar.
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