Report: Regulatory stress forces Kantarmaci to leave training

Photo:

Jason Moran / Eclipse Sportswire

Eight-and-a-half years after establishing his stable, New York-based
Mertkan Kantarmaci reportedly will end his training career next month and
transfer his 27 horses to his brother.

Kantarmaci told Daily Racing Form’s David Grening
that layers of new regulations from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority
and the New York Racing Association have stressed him into making this change.

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“They want to catch your one mistake and come after you,” Kantarmaci
told Grening. “I don’t understand that. They don’t let you breathe.”

Kantarmaci, who has no citations on his training record, said two-time graded-stakes winner Evvie Jets, a mare owned by Robert Amendola, will be entered in the Grade 1 First Lady Stakes on Oct. 5 at Keeneland. The 6-year-old will be the last horse to race in Kantarmaci’s name.

A native of Turkey who came to America in 2016, Kantarmaci,
33, is the son of a Thoroughbred trainer. According to Equibase, his career
record is 1,538: 231-230-232 with $10,070,946 in earnings. Evvie Jets provided
him his two graded-stakes victories in the 2022 Noble Damsel (G3) and the 2023
Ballston Spa (G2).

Older brother Ilkay Kantarmaci, 35, has trained sporadically
in the U.S. since 2017, putting together a record of 79: 14-20-8 with $346,845
in earnings. Entering horses for the first time in two years, he got a win
Friday with Devil Blue Dress in a $30,000 sprint at the Belmont at Aqueduct
meet. The 4-year-old filly was claimed afterward by Linda Rice for $16,000.

Mertkan Kantarmaci told Grening he may decide early next
year whether he will stay in the racing industry.