G. R. (George Robert) Carter, JR (born February 6, 1968) is a professional American Quarter Horse
jockeyIn sport, a jockey is one who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing; however, camel jockey profession is slowly being replaced by robotics.-Horse racing:...
. On June 1, 2008, he became the all-time leading money earning jockey in American Quarter Horse racing history surpassing the previous record of $41,405,207 million in mount earnings. He has continued to add to the record since topping the $47 million mark.
Carter has been named
American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Champion Jockey eight times in his career including the last six years consecutively.
G. R. (George Robert) Carter, JR (born February 6, 1968) is a professional American Quarter Horse
jockeyIn sport, a jockey is one who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing; however, camel jockey profession is slowly being replaced by robotics.-Horse racing:...
. On June 1, 2008, he became the all-time leading money earning jockey in American Quarter Horse racing history surpassing the previous record of $41,405,207 million in mount earnings. He has continued to add to the record since topping the $47 million mark.
Carter has been named
American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Champion Jockey eight times in his career including the last six years consecutively. In the history of the award, no other jockey has won more than five titles.
Early life
Carter is an American Indian who grew up in Pawhuska,
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. As a teenager, he was a competitive gymnast and won the state championship. During his Senior year at Pawhuska High School, Carter won the Class 2A State Wrestling Championship at 108 pounds.
Growing up, Carter was involved in ranching and rodeos which helped develop his love of horses. At age 14, he began galloping race horses for a local trainer to help fund his rodeo participation. He would occasionally ride races on the weekends throughout his Senior year in high school at
Blue Ribbon Downs and
Eureka Downs.
Professional career
After graduating high school in 1986, Carter moved to Sallisaw, Oklahoma to become a full-time jockey at
Blue Ribbon Downs. He continued to ride primarily in the central part of the United States until the early 1990s when he moved his tack to
Los Alamitos Race Course in Southern California. After a couple of successful years in
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
, Carter moved his home base back to
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
Carter has won the
All American FuturityThe All American Futurity is a race for two-year-old American Quarter Horse racehorses run at Ruidoso Downs Race Track in Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico. It is the last leg of the AQHA Triple Crown that has only been won once by Special Effort in 1981. A 4 million dollar bonus was once offered to the...
twice. The All American Futurity is Quarter Horse racing's equivalent of the
Kentucky DerbyThe Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter miles at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ...
which if for
ThoroughbredThe Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word "thoroughbred" is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
race horses. He won the All American Futurity in 1998 aboard
FALLING IN LOVEAGAIN and again in 2008 aboard
STOLIS WINNER.
In 2008, Carter set a new
AQHA single-season earnings record by reaching the $5,027,173 mark in mount earnings. This eclipsed the previous record of $4.5 million which he had set. Also in 2008, Carter broke his own single-meeting record for wins at
Remington Park in
Oklahoma CityOklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, Oklahoma with a total of 98.
Adding to an incredible 2008, he rode
Fast Prize Zoom to a World Record for 300 yards. The record was established at
Sunland Park in Sunland,
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
with a final time of 14.87 seconds.
Carter also jockeys American Paint Horses on the racetrack. He hase been named American Paint Horse Association (APHA) World Champion Jockey seven times in his career. He has won numerous stakes and championships piloting Paint Horses as well. He was the jockey for the record-setting paint horse
Got Country Grip, who tied a North American racing record for any breed in 2008 by winning 16 consecutive races. Racing statistics for Paint Horse races are not included in AQHA statistics.
May 31, 2009 was declared by Governor Brad Henry as G. R. Carter Day in Oklahoma.
Carter is known throughout the racing world for his "back-flip" dismounts. After winning a stakes race, he often uses his gymnastics background to celebrate by performing a back-flip off of the horse from the saddle.
Carter is currently the Vice Chairman on the Board of Directors of the
Jockey's Guild which represents the interests of jockeys around the country.
He has been represented by jockey agent
Donnie Stewart since December 2002.
Personal
Carter's wife is Shaena, and they reside in
Oklahoma CityOklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
,
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. His father-in-law,
Jerry Burgess also won the All American Futurity as a jockey in 1975 aboard
Bugs Alive In 75.
In his spare time, Carter is an avid team roper. He will occasionally enter professional rodeos to satisfy his competitive nature. He won the Pro-Am at the 2007
World Series of Team Roping.
External links