St. Julien Seeking Fresh Start in Indiana
By Hannah Gentry
Jockey Marlon St. Julien returns to Hoosier Park Racing & Casino this year with hopes of performing well throughout the meet. St. Julien comes from a great meet at Indiana Downs and anticipates continuing his success. Before this season, St. Julien has been spending much of his time in his home state of Louisiana.
“I did okay, and my career has been good, but I’m ready to start fresh at Hoosier this year,” said St. Julien. “I consider myself to be an aggressive rider and strong on a horse. I hope to win races and stay healthy.”
St. Julien comes from a background of horse racing. He and his family had race horses in Louisiana. He began riding at the “bush tracks” as most Louisiana riders did, learning the ropes of the racing business at a young age. St. Julien won his first race at Evangeline Downs and has continued to prosper, earning leading rider titles at Delta Downs, Lone Star Park, and Kentucky Downs. He has also been among the top 10 at tracks such as Churchill Downs and Keeneland in the past 10 years.
St. Julien made national headlines when he became the first African-American jockey in 79 years to compete in the Kentucky Derby in 2000. That same year, he was one of seven black athletes featured in an ABC Sports show “Raising The Roof: Seven Athletes for the 21st Century.” Other athletes featured in the program were Tiger Woods and Venus and Serena Williams.
With more than 2,000 career wins, St. Julien has ridden in numerous major stakes across the United States with several Graded Stakes victories to his credit. Besides the Kentucky Derby, he has competed in the Breeders’ Cup and secured victories in Graded Stakes such as the Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs, the Fayette Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland, and the Arlington Washington Lassie at Arlington Park.
St. Julien’s agent is Kerry “Bones” Wirth, who has been with him since he began the meet at Indiana Downs in March. He finished third in the standings and has garnered 72 wins this year to date nationally. St. Julien is off to a solid start at Hoosier Park as well, already among the track’s top 10 riders for 2011.
For more information on Hoosier Park Racing & Casino, log onto www.hoosierpark.com.
Photo by Linscott Photography
