Mark Guidry, Horseracing (6 Aug 1959 - )

Born: Aug. 6, 1959, in Lafayette, La.
Resident: Chicago
Height: 5'4"
Weight 114
Family: Wife Tina, sons Marcus and Mecusand daughter Fallon

Born in Lafayette, Louisiana on 6 Aug 1959, Mark Guidry began riding on the Cajun bush tracks of southwest Louisiana at the age of nine. In 1973 at the age of 16 he began his professional career - mounting thoroughbreds at Louisiana para-mutuel tracks Evangeline Downs (Lafayette, LA) and Delta Downs (Vinton, LA). Mark recorded his first official win at Evangeline Downs aboard Temperamental Tom in 1974.

In 1986 Mark moved his tack to Fairmount Park and several years later relocated to Chicago, IL where he now resides. The National Jockey Club's perennial leading rider, Mark has won seven titles in the last eight years at Chicago's Sportsman's Park. Mark holds the National Jockey Club all-time record of 134 winners in one season (1992) at Sportsman's Park. Since 1990, he has won 24 stakes races and in 1992 three times he won six races in one day. On 25 Apr 1992 he posted 4 stakes wins during Illinois Red Letter Day at Sportsman's Park. In 1998 he rode 122 winners and earned over $2,800,000 at Hawthorne including the 3,500th win of his career. Lenexa Gold gave Mark his 2,500th career victory on 16 Mar 1995. On July 2, 2000 Mark Guidry became the 36th jockey in history to reach 4000 wins.

A top jockey nationwide Mark holds five Hawthorne riding crowns (1990, 1991, 1994, 1995 and 1996), six titles at Sportsman's Park (1991, 1992, 1994-1997) and one each at Arlington (1992) and Delta Downs (1978). In 1994 riding aboard Chrysalis House Mark Guidry won the Hawthorne Derby. Also racing at the New Orleans Fairgrounds, Mark perennially has 40-50% of his mounts finish in the money (1st, 2nd or 3rd). In 1997 Mark ranked 21st nationally among professional jockeys based on earnings ($5,331, 686) and 1998 he was 24th ($5,690,246). In 2001 Mark ventured from the comfort of Chicago to make his mark in Florida, Kentucky and New York.

To honor his many accomplishments on the track, Mark Guidry was elected to the Hawthorne Race Course Hall of Fame in 1997. Mark and his wife Tina have three children - Marcus, Fallon and Mecus.