The breakdown of these wins is as follows:
- Kentucky Derby: Swaps (1955), Tomy Lee (1959), Lucky Debonair (1965) and Ferdinand (1986)
- Preakness Stakes: Candy Spots (1963) and Damascus (1967)
- Belmont Stakes: Gallant Man (1957), Sword Dancer (1959), Jaipur (1962), Damascus (1967) and Avatar (1975)
How many horses did Willie Shoemaker win?
In 42 years, Shoemaker won 11 Triple Crown races, 1,009 stakes races and 10 national money titles. He earned more than $123 million in purses, about $10 million of which went into his pocket.
How many times did Willie Shoemaker win the Kentucky Derby?
Shoemaker rode the Kentucky Derby 24 times and won four: 1955, 1959, 1965, and 1986, achieving the last victory at age 54, which made him the oldest jockey to win that event.
How old was Willie Shoemaker when he died?
72 years (1931–2003)Bill Shoemaker / Age at death
Who is the oldest jockey to retire?
Trond Jørgensen – Retired At 61 It tells you something about Trond Jørgensen's racing career that the man himself felt as though he could have carried on racing well into his 70s, only for the battle he fought with his weight to cause him to call time on a career sooner than he'd have liked.
Who is the best jockey of all time?
Sir Gordon Richards is considered to be the best jockey of all time. During his career, he won 4,870 races, winning the British Flat Racing Champion Jockey title a record 26 times. Richards was born on May 5, 1904, in Donnington Wood, England.
Who was the smallest jockey ever?
Kenneth Glover15-year old Kenneth Glover, of Harregate Yorks, is probably the world's smallest jockey. He is so small that the bundles of straw he carried into the stables nearly bury him. He is, in fact, just 4ft.
Who is the oldest jockey to win the Kentucky Derby?
Bill Shoemaker12 with morning line odds of 12-1) for the 2022 Kentucky Derby, with the chance to make history as the oldest jockey to win the prestigious race. That title is held by Bill Shoemaker, who was 54 when he won the 1986 Kentucky Derby aboard Ferdinand.
What is the maximum height of a jockey?
Though there is no height limit for jockeys, they are usually fairly short due to the weight limits. Jockeys racing on the flat typically stand around 4 ft 10 in (147 cm) to 5 ft 7 in (170 cm). Jump jockeys are often taller, with multiple examples over 5 ft 10 in (178 cm).
Which jockey won the most races in one day?
The most winners ridden in one day is nine by Chris Antley (USA) on 31 October 1987. They consisted of four in the afternoon at Aqueduct, New York, USA and five in the evening at The Meadowlands, New Jersey, USA.
What is the average lifespan of a jockey?
Q: What is the average age of a horse jockey? A person has to be a minimum of 16 years old to apply for a jockey license. The oldest jockey to still compete at the highest levels was 58 years old (Bill Shoemaker). The average age in this profession is currently about 40 years old.
Which jockey is the richest?
RankedRankJockeyCountry1Yutaka TakeJapan2Norihiro YokoyamaJapan3Masayoshi EbinaJapan4Yuichi FukunagaJapan16 more rows
How much does a jockey make for winning a race?
A winning jockey takes 10% of the horse's purse at the Kentucky Derby, so $186,000 for this year's Derby winner, Sonny Leon. From those winnings, Leon likely paid a 25% fee to his agent and a 5% tip to the valet who helped him prepare his gear for the race.
Which jockey won the most races in one day?
The most winners ridden in one day is nine by Chris Antley (USA) on 31 October 1987. They consisted of four in the afternoon at Aqueduct, New York, USA and five in the evening at The Meadowlands, New Jersey, USA.
How many winners did Willie Carson ride?
3,828 winsHe was British Champion Jockey five times (1972, 1973, 1978, 1980 and 1983), won 17 British Classic Races, and passed 100 winners in a season 23 times for a total of 3,828 wins, making him the fourth most successful jockey in Great Britain. Willie Carson's best season as a jockey came in 1990 when he rode 187 winners.
What is the official drink of the Kentucky Derby?
The Mint JulepCool as Kentucky. Fresh as Spring. The Mint Julep has been the traditional beverage of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby for nearly a century. Each year, almost 120,000 Mint Juleps are served over the two-day period of Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby weekend at Churchill Downs Racetrack.
What is the maximum height of a jockey?
Though there is no height limit for jockeys, they are usually fairly short due to the weight limits. Jockeys racing on the flat typically stand around 4 ft 10 in (147 cm) to 5 ft 7 in (170 cm). Jump jockeys are often taller, with multiple examples over 5 ft 10 in (178 cm).
What horse did Shoemaker ride?
On the racetrack, Shoemaker entered a new era. In 1979 he won the Marlboro Cup on Spectacular Bid, whom he would describe as the greatest horse he had ever ridden. In a 1980 Sports Illustrated article he explained, "He does everything like a great horse should do it. He won on every kind of track you can imagine. Carried his weight and won. He's so versatile you can move any time you want and then move again if you have to." One of the greatest events of Shoemaker's later career was his 1986 Kentucky Derby victory on Ferdinand. The rider was 54 years old and was himself amazed that he was still racing. The victory was made even sweeter because it was shared with trainer Charles Wittingham, with whom Shoemaker had collaborated in more than 200 stakes wins.
What happened to Shoemaker?
Ironically, Shoemaker left the dangers of the racetrack only to face paralysis after a single-car rollover accident in 1991. Following a round of golf and several drinks, Shoemaker lost control of his Ford Bronco on straight stretch of highway in San Dimas, California. He swerved across a nine-foot shoulder and rolled down a forty-foot embankment, where he was found with his chin on his chest, his head under the top of the steering wheel. With his spinal cord smashed, Shoemaker was left without control of his arms or legs. When Shoemaker's lawyer pursued several lawsuits seeking to prove medical malpractice and negligence by the State of California, it prompted a very negative public response. Shoemaker would not admit that alcohol played an important role in the accident, despite a bartender's testimony and a blood alcohol test of .13.
How many wins did Arcaro have?
Arcaro had seventeen wins in the legs of the Triple Crown — the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Preakness — including a tie with Bill Hartack for a record five Derby victories. He captured all three in one year for the first time in 1941 with Whirlaway, and then again in 1948 on Citation. When Arcaro rode Nashua in the Derby in 1955, the now senior rider placed second behind Shoemaker on Swaps. A rivalry was made despite the fact that Swaps would not appear in the subsequent Belmont or Preakness, both of which Arcaro would win on Nashua, so a special $100,000 match race was held. In this competition, Arcaro won easily.
How did Shoemaker get his spirit?
Shoemaker has possessed a courageous spirit since birth. He was born prematurely, weighing just one pound, thirteen ounces, and wasn't expected to live through the night. His grandmother, Maudie Harris, took charge of the situation. She washed him, put him on a pillow in a shoebox, and set it on the open door of the oven to warm. When Shoemaker was four years old, his parents Ruby and Bebe Shoemaker divorced. He and Ruby went to live on the nearby Texas ranch where his grandparents were sharecroppers. It was there that Shoemaker introduced himself to riding by jumping on a pony without benefit of reins, saddle, or supervision. While picking cotton, he also began to think of his future: "I'll never pick up another hoe. There's gotta be a better way to make a living and I'm gonna find it," he said to his grandfather, according to a Sports Illustrated writer.
Why was Shoemaker suspended?
Shoemaker was suspended for fifteen days by Churchill Downs stewards for "gross carelessness.". Other riders have marveled.
Why did Shoemaker quit school?
After 11th grade, he quit school so he could work full-time at the ranch, cleaning the stables and learning about horses.
When did Shoemaker win his first race?
Shoemaker had his first win on April 20, 1949 riding Shafter V at Golden Gate Fields. In his first full year, he had an impressive 219 winners. And before long, he was predicted to be a perennial winner. In a 1953 Newsweek article jockey Ted Atkinson remarked, "This is a real race rider. … He will go on and on." What observers like Atkinson saw was a quiet rider with gentle hands, someone who used smarts to win his races. A Newsweek writer explained, "They attribute to him an excellent sense of pace, an eye for a developing pattern of danger that can be avoided up ahead, and a way of first hustling his horse out of the gate and then letting the animal settle into his stride pretty much on his own until the rider feels the mechanism under him to be functioning smoothly." Nearly a decade later, the accomplished jockey Eddie Arcaro complimented him in Time, saying, "Willie takes such light hold of a horse … that he could probably ride with silk threads for reins."
How many races did Bill Shoemaker ride?
He finished fourth, in front of a record crowd, to Eddie Delahoussaye, on Exemplary Leader. All told, Bill Shoemaker rode in a record 40,350 races.
Who is the author of Shoemaker's Stalking Horse?
They were often compared to the large stable of best-selling horse mysteries by fellow jockey/author Dick Francis. Shoemaker's Stalking Horse (1994), Fire Horse (1995), and Dark Horse (1996) all featured jockey-turned-sleuth Coley Killebrew using his racetrack experience in and about his restaurant and the horse world.
When did Shoemaker retire?
Soon after retiring as a jockey in 1990, Shoemaker returned to the track as a trainer, where he had modest success, training for such clients as Gulfstream magnate Allen Paulson and composer Burt Bacharach . He continued to train racehorses until his retirement on November 2, 1997.
How did Shoemaker die?
Shoemaker died on October 12, 2003 of natural causes at his home in San Marino, California. He was 72 years old.
How big was William Lee Shoemaker?
Put in a shoebox in the oven to stay warm, he survived, but remained small, growing to 4 feet 10 inches (1.47m) and weighing 91 pounds (41 kg). His diminutive size proved an asset as he went on to become a giant in thoroughbred horse racing, despite dropping out of El Monte High School in El Monte, California .
What happened to Shoemaker?
Shoemaker was involved in a solo drunk-driving car accident on April 8, 1991, in San Dimas, California, when he rolled over the Ford Bronco II he was driving. The accident left him paralyzed from the neck down, and he thereafter used a wheelchair. Shoemaker sued Ford, and Ford settled with Shoemaker for US$ 1,000,000.
How big was the horse that grew to 4 feet 10 inches?
Put in a shoebox in the oven to stay warm, he survived, but remained small, growing to 4 feet 10 inches (1.47m) and weighing 91 pounds (41 kg). His diminutive size proved an asset as he went on to become a giant in thoroughbred horse racing, despite dropping out of El Monte High School in El Monte, California .
Trivia
He was honored by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1958.
Does Willie Shoemaker Dead or Alive?
As per our current Database, Willie Shoemaker died on Oct 12, 2003 (age 72).
Before Fame
He was placed in a shoebox and the shoebox was placed in the oven when he was a baby to keep him alive.
Biography Timeline
Shoemaker's career as a jockey began in his teenage years, with his first professional ride on March 19, 1949. The first of his eventual 8,833 career victories came a month later, on April 20, aboard Shafter V, at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, California. In 1951, he won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award.
Who did Shoemaker ride?from en.wikipedia.org
Shoemaker rode the popular California horse Silky Sullivan, about which he is quoted as saying: "You just had to let him run his race ... and if he decided to win it, you'd better hold on because you'd be moving faster than a train."
Who was the jockey that taught Shoemaker how to ride a thoroughbred?from biography.yourdictionary.com
At the ranch, a retired jockey showed Shoemaker how to ride a thoroughbred. The teenager became immersed in all aspects of training and riding horses. Shoemaker started hanging around California racetracks and became an apprentice to trainer George Reeves.
How old was Shoemaker when he won the Kentucky Derby?from encyclopedia.com
He raced for more than 40 years and was the oldest rider (at age 54) and one of the youngest (at age 23) to win the Kentucky Derby. Weighing under 100 pounds and standing less than five feet tall, Shoemaker was an unlikely star athlete. Yet he seemed always to coax the best performances out of his horses. For decades, he rode in dozens of races ...
How many wins did Shoemaker have?from encyclopedia.com
Shoemaker's 8,833 wins represent several decades worth of excellence on thoroughbred tracks. In 1951 the jockey was the leading money winner at $1,329,890. In 1953 he beat the world record for victories in one year with 392 and ended year with 485. He had his first victory in the Kentucky Derby in 1955, when he rode Swaps to a length-and-a-half victory over the favorite Nashua. Another big race came on Jaipur in the 1962 Belmont stakes, a competition in which he nosed out Admiral's Voyage and Crimson Satan. Shoe made a rare and now notorious mistake in the 1957 Kentucky Derby when he misjudged the finish line aboard Gallant Man. The jockey thought he had won the race and stood up in the stirrups prematurely; he was passed by Iron Liege, who won the race. Shoemaker was suspended for fifteen days by Churchill Downs stewards for "gross carelessness." Other riders have marveled
How did Shoemaker get his spirit?from encyclopedia.com
Shoemaker has possessed a courageous spirit since birth. He was born prematurely, weighing just one pound, thirteen ounces, and wasn't expected to live through the night. His grandmother, Maudie Harris, took charge of the situation. She washed him, put him on a pillow in a shoebox, and set it on the open door of the oven to warm. When Shoemaker was four years old, his parents Ruby and Bebe Shoemaker divorced. He and Ruby went to live on the nearby Texas ranch where his grandparents were sharecroppers. It was there that Shoemaker introduced himself to riding by jumping on a pony without benefit of reins, saddle, or supervision. While picking cotton, he also began to think of his future: "I'll never pick up another hoe. There's gotta be a better way to make a living and I'm gonna find it," he said to his grandfather, according to a Sports Illustrated writer.
How long was Shoemaker in the hospital?from encyclopedia.com
After spending five and half months in the hospital, Shoemaker returned to training horses while using a wheelchair controlled by a sip-and-puff mechanism. Shoemaker's marriage to Cindy ended three years after the accident and he retired in 1997, having decided that the work took too much time away from his physical therapy. He also serves as director of The Shoemaker Foundation, an organization that was founded to help fund his own medical expenses and which now provides financial assistance to others from the racing industry who are paralyzed. As the honorary chair of the Paralysis Project, Shoemaker uses his legendary status as a jockey to advance spinal chord research. During more than forty years in the saddle, he dazzled his fellow riders, journalists, and sports fans. While his records have been surpassed in part, his importance to thoroughbred racing is still heralded. His exceptional understanding of horses, rare modesty, and mental stamina will be far more difficult to match.
Why was Shoemaker suspended?from encyclopedia.com
Shoemaker was suspended for fifteen days by Churchill Downs stewards for "gross carelessness.". Other riders have marveled.
Born in Fabens
Legends frequently have legendary beginning … like Abe Lincoln and his log cabin, George Washington and his cherry tree.
A special feel for horses
But Shoemaker had strength, stamina, an iron will and a special feel for horses. Since winning his first race atop Waxahachie at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco March 19, 1949, Shoemaker has won more than 8,900 races, including four Kentucky Derbys, two Preakness Stakes, five Belmont Stakes and one Breeders Cup Classic.
Finding his love for horses
A lot has happened to Shoemaker since he was placed on that oven door, not expected to live. He left Fabens when he was seven, eventually ended up in California for high school. He boxed ad wrestled, but found something he liked far better than boxing, wrestling or school: horses.
What other say
Shoemaker has continued that winning pattern, riding more than 40,000 mounts in his career and winning an amazing 22 percent of the time.
The top horses
After 40 years at the top, Shoemaker can now look back and see some of the special moments. And two horses creep to the top of any conversation with him."
Family man
Today, Shoemaker likes to spend time with his family. He says it's his favorite thing to do - just be with his wife Cynthia and their 9-year-old daughter Amanda.
When did Shoemaker win the Belmont?
The 149th running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday will mark the 50th anniversary of Shoemaker’s 1967 Belmont Stakes win aboard Damascus in a year in which he and his mount also won the Preakness Stakes. A third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby – the first leg of the Triple Crown – dashed the duo’s chances to claim the ultimate thoroughbred racing title in '67.
Where does John Shoemaker live?
John Shoemaker, 62 and his mom – Bill Shoemaker’s first wife, Virginia "Ginnie" Van Hosen, 82 – have lived in Palm Springs since 1967. They were kind enough to share their memories and some awesome photos of “The Shoe” winning races in his early days in the saddle, circa 1949 to the late 1950s.
How old was Bill when he met Ginnie?
Bill was 18. When Ginnie met Bill, he had only been working as a jockey for about eight or nine months – his first professional ride was in March 1949. Bill was well-liked and was soon in high demand. "I think because the trainers and the owners liked him and they appreciated his attitude," she said.
How many triple crowns did Shoemaker win?
By 1954, Shoemaker's career had taken off and soon he was at the pinnacle of his sport. There would be 11 Triple Crown victories to come and numerous honors. One of his crowning achievements was the adoption of son John and daughter Sheryl, a few years later.
When did Bill and Ginnie divorce?
Although Bill and Ginnie divorced in 1960 after 10 years of marriage, John and his dad maintained their relationship throughout John's childhood and adult years. "I remember going to the jocks room when I was little – my dad would take me and they’d be playing pool and getting massages," John said.
Who said "To my son, big bad John, with love from dad, Willie Shoemaker"?
Ginnie reminisced and shared stories while John sat on the floor sorting through the box, commenting as he came across items he hadn't seen in years – or not at all. He pulled out a signed photo of Shoemaker and read the inscription: "To my son, big bad John, with love from dad, Willie Shoemaker.".
What was in John's garage when he was dating Bill?
On a recent visit to Ginnie's house, John hauled a huge box out of his mom's garage, which was loaded with old finish line/winner's circle pictures, family photos, letters exchanged between Ginnie and Bill when they were dating, decades-old newspaper clippings and other mementos from the horse racing hall of famer's star-studded days in the saddle.
Early Challenges
Exceptional Talents
Related Biography: Jockey Eddie Arcaro
Setting Records
Struggle with Fame
Return to Form
- On the racetrack, Shoemaker entered a new era. In 1979 he won the Marlboro Cup on Spectacular Bid, whom he would describe as the greatest horse he had ever ridden. In a 1980 Sports Illustratedarticle he explained, "He does everything like a great horse should do it. He won on every kind of track you can imagine. Carried his weight and won. He's so ...
Tragic Accident
Contact Information
Selected Writings by Shoemaker
Where Is He Now?
Overview
Jockey career
Shoemaker's career as a jockey began in his teenage years, with his first professional ride on March 19, 1949. The first of his eventual 8,833 career victories came a month later, on April 20, aboard Shafter V, at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, California. In 1951, he won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award.
At the age of 19, he was making so much money (as much as $2,500 each week) the Los Angele…
Early life
After 1990 jockey retirement
Honors
Further reading