When Ilkay Kantarmaci's younger brother, Mertkan, 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."
Racing has long been a family affair for the Kantarmacis, and over the course of their time in America, the brothers did almost everything together when it came to their barn. The family owns or co-owns almost all of their racehorses, and Mertkan and Ilkay put their heads together on almost everything from training decisions to financial ones.
Fast forward to 2026 and Ilkay now oversees the family's horses in New York, while Mertkan returned to training in September in Kentucky and Arkansas. At the Aqueduct Racetrack winter meet, Ilkay is among the top horsemen, and he sits third in the meet standings by wins (10) and earnings ($623,209) as of March 11. Kantamarci is listed as owner or co-owner of each of the winners he's had at the meet to date.
Like many others in horse racing, training isn't just a career, but a lifestyle for Kantarmaci, who has been immersed in the sport since his childhood in Turkey. His father, Tuncay Kantarmaci, was a successful trainer in their home country, winning premiere Thoroughbred events, including the Turkish Derby, and several high-profile races for Arabians.
Before learning anything related to business, Kantarmaci was first taught the importance of proper horsemanship. His father instilled in him from his first days in the barn that there can be no career in horse racing without the horse.
"He taught me everything," Kantarmaci said. "For him, money comes second and horses come first. He says, 'Do not ever worry about the financial things, just worry about the horses.' It doesn't matter if it's a claimer or a stakes horse; you treat them the right way. You give them peppermints, love, and be nice to them. This is what I learned from my dad. He's my idol, and I'm going to keep growing with what I learned from him."
After experiencing successes at the highest level with their father, the brothers decided in 2016 that it was time to bring their skills to America, and left Turkey to pursue a training career in Pennsylvania. For the first few years, the elder Kantarmaci was an assistant to his brother at Parx Racing and Penn National Race Course until stepping out to make 55 starts under his own name in the Keystone State for one year in 2022.
"Since we were kids, we were working for my dad for a long time and he was a champion trainer back home," Kantarmaci said. "When we grew up, it was time to go and find better horses for better races. My dad's goal was always to come here. He's here now and he got permanent residence. He's retired now, but he was a champion, so now he's just enjoying life."
Kantarmaci said he and his brother worked hard, both professionally and personally, to make the adjustment to life in the States.
"Everybody in this business works hard, but I think me and Mertkan do a little more because this is how we learn," said Kantarmaci, who picked up English as a fourth language to go along with Turkish, Azeri, and German. "We were not born in this country and didn't know the language, so we have to do more and work harder to catch up."
In 2018, the Kantarmacis dipped their toes into the New York Racing Association circuit before establishing a foothold in the Empire State in 2019 and beyond. Since making the move to New York, the younger Kantarmaci won six Under 20s Claiming Challenge titles at the Big A and Belmont Park, demonstrating the barn's proficiency with claiming horses across different ages and surfaces.
Kantarmaci said racing in America allows him to reach new heights through new challenges.
"Over here, it's really good. The horses are better, and your competition is the best trainers and best owners," Kantarmaci said. "I watch everybody and learn from everyone. What they do right, what they do wrong, and every day, I challenge myself to set new goals. One of them is to keep finding better horses."
These days, Ilkay manages a productive string of around 45 horses in New York. Along the way, he has reached milestones in his career that have kept the Kantarmaci name at the forefront of the conversation in New York, including his first stakes win with Golden Rocket in the New York Stallion Series Stakes Staten Island division in November 2024 at the Big A.
Like most of the horses in the barn, Golden Rocket found her way into Kantarmaci's care through the claim box. She was haltered for $45,000 by Kantarmaci, who said he prefers claiming horses over buying them at auction or privately. The best claim for the family was Evvie Jets, who Mertkan took for $80,000 in September 2021 before a tremendous career that saw her earn two graded wins and a grade 1 placing.
"As soon as the overnight comes out, I start looking," Kantarmaci said. "Linda Rice has proven this many times already, and I have a lot of respect for her. She has gotten stakes winners from the claim many times, and my brother did it with Evvie Jets, who won close to a million dollars. I think I'm not there quite yet, but I'm getting closer."
Golden Rocket has since changed barns again as part of the expected ebb and flow of claiming horses, one that keeps Kantarmaci especially familiar with the New York horse population. He says that knowledge, as well as an eye for a standout physical, allows him to make astute claims.
"In New York, I can say that I've gotten to know most of the horses here. Sometimes when I look at a race, I see two or three horses in the race used to be in my barn," Kantarmaci said, with a laugh. "I look at how the horse is moving and a lot of replays, and before I drop the slip, I always go see the horse myself. I never, ever drop on a horse for myself or a client without seeing the horse. If I'm not here, my assistant will look, but I really need to see for myself, and then I can give a red light or green light."
The claims have continued to pay off. Last year, Kantarmaci's horses won 46 races from 347 starts and secured more than $2.6 million in total purse earnings, with the conditioner noting his stable was less than half its current size. Among his claims was Cut the Cord, who was haltered for $45,000 two starts before taking Finger Lakes' non-black-type Genesee Valley Breeders' Stakes in October.
"I must say this all the time: everything depends on God," Kantarmaci said. "If God gives me permission and everything goes right, I hope to make double that this year. Dad says I have too many horses, but you never know how good you can be before you try. New York is my main place, and I don't run anywhere else unless I have to. It's home here."
This year, Kantarmaci has seen success with the well-named New York Scrappy, whom he co-owns with Zilla Racing Stables. The 5-year-old Solomini gelding has already won two local races this campaign, taking his barn debut in a January $50,000 claiming tilt after being claimed for $30,000 in December. He faltered in a state-bred allowance after that, but returned to winning form when dropping in for a $30,000 tag last out Feb. 26. New York Scrappy is entered back in a starter allowance March 12 in race 6 at the Big A with Manny Franco named to ride.
"I claimed him and he's won two races and has been improving," Kantarmaci said. "He's scrappy, like his name."
And while many trainers find the promise of young horses the most exciting, Kantarmaci said established runners are what make him look forward to coming into the barn every day.
"Claiming is really fun. People think it's about the babies, but how many millions of dollars do people spend on babies? With claiming, you have to spot them right, and every horse teaches you more," Kantarmaci said.
For Kantarmaci, the purse earnings and stakes success are, of course, important, but not everything. Racing has served as his north star for as long as he can remember, and it brought him halfway around the world with his family by his side to continue doing what they love.
"If I knew I could have another job making 10 times the money I do now, I wouldn't take it," Kantarmaci said. "Even if I don't make any money, I have the horses. It is in my blood. I feel so bad if I don't see my horses. They mean everything. My pony has been with me for over 10 years. As soon as I park my car, he starts screaming for peppermints. Every morning, I go by all my horses and check on them, and they all get excited. They are all my friends. They are my love."
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
