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Bill Shoemaker
William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey, considered one of the greatest. For 29 years he held the world record for the most professional jockey victories.
Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Shoemaker was born in Fabens, Texas. Born weighing 38 ounces (1.1 kg), Shoemaker was so small at birth he was not expected to survive the night. To keep him warm, his parent put him in a shoebox on the oven. Shoemaker remained small, growing to 4 feet 10 inches (1.47 m) and weighing 91 pounds (41 kg). His diminutive size proved an asset in thoroughbred horse racing, where be become a giant of the sport. Shoemaker never completed high school, dropping out of El Monte High School in El Monte, California.
Shoemaker's career as a jockey began in his teenage years. He made 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 per week), Horace Hahn with the consent of Shoemaker's parents was appointed by the Los Angeles Superior Court as his guardian.
Thirty years later, he won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in the United States.
Shoemaker won eleven Triple Crown races during his career, spanning four different decades, but the Crown itself eluded him. The breakdown of these wins is as follows:
Two of Shoemaker's most noted rides were in the Kentucky Derby. He lost the 1957 Kentucky Derby aboard Gallant Man, when he stood up in the stirrups too soon, having misjudged the finish line. This caused Gallant Man to briefly lose his stride and slowed his rush for the wire, and he finished second to Iron Liege, ridden by Bill Hartack. At the 1986 Kentucky Derby, Shoemaker became the oldest jockey ever to win the race (at age 54) aboard the 18-1 outsider Ferdinand. The following year, he rode Ferdinand to a victory over Alysheba in the Breeders' Cup Classic; Ferdinand later captured Horse of the Year honors.
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."
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Bill Shoemaker
William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey, considered one of the greatest. For 29 years he held the world record for the most professional jockey victories.
Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Shoemaker was born in Fabens, Texas. Born weighing 38 ounces (1.1 kg), Shoemaker was so small at birth he was not expected to survive the night. To keep him warm, his parent put him in a shoebox on the oven. Shoemaker remained small, growing to 4 feet 10 inches (1.47 m) and weighing 91 pounds (41 kg). His diminutive size proved an asset in thoroughbred horse racing, where be become a giant of the sport. Shoemaker never completed high school, dropping out of El Monte High School in El Monte, California.
Shoemaker's career as a jockey began in his teenage years. He made 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 per week), Horace Hahn with the consent of Shoemaker's parents was appointed by the Los Angeles Superior Court as his guardian.
Thirty years later, he won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in the United States.
Shoemaker won eleven Triple Crown races during his career, spanning four different decades, but the Crown itself eluded him. The breakdown of these wins is as follows:
Two of Shoemaker's most noted rides were in the Kentucky Derby. He lost the 1957 Kentucky Derby aboard Gallant Man, when he stood up in the stirrups too soon, having misjudged the finish line. This caused Gallant Man to briefly lose his stride and slowed his rush for the wire, and he finished second to Iron Liege, ridden by Bill Hartack. At the 1986 Kentucky Derby, Shoemaker became the oldest jockey ever to win the race (at age 54) aboard the 18-1 outsider Ferdinand. The following year, he rode Ferdinand to a victory over Alysheba in the Breeders' Cup Classic; Ferdinand later captured Horse of the Year honors.
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."