Journalists Wandering Eyes Posted June 11, 2021 Journalists Share Posted June 11, 2021 Louisiana native Gerard Melancon became the 37th jockey in North America to reach the milestone of 5,000 wins when his mount in the eighth race at Evangeline Downs Thursday night, Reposado (Shackleford), crossed the wire in front by 5 3/4 lengths. The first time he had visited the winner's circle as a rider at Evangeline Downs was 37 years ago. Melancon's first professional ride was at Delta Downs in 1984. He has since ridden in more than 31,900 races and earned nearly $88 million in purse money. He had recently passed retired Hall of Famer Ramon Dominguez on the all-time career wins list and has just 35 victories to go to match the win mark of retired Hall of Famer Alex Solis. “I have to thank my wife, Annette, for all of her support through the years,” said Melancon, who is 54. “Manuel Robin was integral in giving me a chance to get started, and my agent Louis Coco has been a great partner for the past 25 years.” The post Gerard Melancon Wins 5,000th Race appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.