Ilkay Kantarmaci enjoying solo success in New York
At 0h03, on March 12, 2026 • By Mary Eddy, Aqueduct Racetrack
When Ilkay Kantarmaci’s younger brother, Mertkan Kantarmaci, announced a hiatus from training in 2024, Ilkay took the reins of a 27-horse stable at Belmont Park, placing him in the leading role of a training career after having saddled a few dozen horses in 2021 and 2022. The takeover was natural for the now 37-year-old Ilkay, who has worked in tandem with his brother since immigrating to America from Turkey in 2016.
“Everything is going good,” Kantarmaci said. “I have more horses and better horses right now, and besides that, not much has changed. Mertkan wanted to take off a year, and someone has to keep it going, so it’s not too different. We still work together, we are just working in different places. I’m claiming horses almost every day and running all year round, so things are good.”
