“It’s kind of a little emotional actually. I came here in 2002 hoping for a bit of a shot. It’s turned out fantastic. I wish my mum was still alive to see this. Thank you to everyone who has ever put me on a winner, through my whole career, this is all down to you guys – you believed in me and I got it done. A big thank you to my wife, because if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be where I am. Fair Grounds has been very good to me over the years, I made a lot of friends and lost a lot of friends. Racing is life and we’re all a big family. Thank you to everybody. It’s unbelievable.” – James Graham after he rode his 3,000th winner, Vortex, at Fair Grounds, New Orleans, earlier this month.