Bill Shoemaker
| Bill Shoemaker | ||
 Shoemaker plaque at Golden Gate Fields | ||
| Occupation: | Jockey | |
| Birthplace: |  Fabens, Texas, US
| |
| Birth date: | August 19 1931 | |
| Death date: | October 12 2003 (aged 72) | |
| Career wins: | 8,833 | |
| Major Racing Wins & Honours & Awards | ||
| Major Racing Wins | ||
| Santa Anita Handicap (11) Blue Grass Stakes (6) Hollywood Derby (8) Oak Tree Invitational Stakes (8) Hollywood Gold Cup (8) Santa Anita Derby (8) John C. Mabee Handicap (5) San Diego Handicap (4) Bing Crosby Handicap (3) Clement L. Hirsch Handicap (4) Del Mar Oaks (4) Del Mar Handicap (8) Palomar Breeders' Cup Handicap (5) Del Mar Debutante Stakes (5) Del Mar Futurity (6) Jockey Club Gold Cup (4) United Nations Handicap (3) American Classics / Breeders' Cup wins: | ||
| Racing Awards | ||
| United States Champion Jockey by earnings (10 years) United States Champion Jockey by wins (1950, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959) George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award (1951) Big Sport of Turfdom Award (1969) Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey (1981) Eclipse Award of Merit (1981) Mike Venezia Memorial Award (1990) | ||
| Honours | ||
| National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (1958) Shoemaker Breeders' Cup Stakes at Hollywood Park Lifesize bust at Santa Anita Park | ||
| Significant Horses | ||
| Swaps, Round Table, Northern Dancer, Buckpasser, Ack Ack, Ferdinand, Cicada, Damascus, Gallant Man, Sword Dancer, Forego, Jaipur, John Henry, Spectacular Bid, Gamely | ||
|
Infobox last updated on: March 6, 2007. | ||
William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was one of the greatest American jockeys. The former all-time leader in career victories (8,833—surpassed in 1999 by Laffit Pincay, Jr.), he had 11 victories in Triple Crown races. He also was the first jockey to win over $100 million.
Shoemaker became the most successful jockey in history by winning the Kentucky Derby four times, the Belmont Stakes five times, and the Preakness twice. In 1986, at the age of 54, he became the oldest jockey to win the Kentucky Derby. He retired as a jockey in 1990 at the age of 60. Despite an auto accident in 1991 that left him partially paralyzed, Shoemaker worked as a horse trainer until in 1997. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1958.
Early life and career
Referred to as "Bill," "Willie," and "The Shoe," Shoemaker was born in the town of Fabens, Texas. At 2.5 pounds, he was so small at birth that he was not expected to survive the night. Put in a shoebox in the oven to stay warm, he survived, but remained small, growing to 4 feet, 11 inches and weighing only 95 pounds. A schoolboy wrestler and Golden Gloves boxer, his diminutive size proved an asset as he went on to become a giant in thoroughbred horse racing.
His career as a jockey began in his teenage years, with his first professional ride at age 17 on March 19, 1949. The first of his eventual 8,833 career victories came a month later, on April 20, aboard a racer named Shafter V. By 1951, he was already a leading rider, winning the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award.
Triple Crown winner
Shoemaker won 11 Triple Crown races during his career, but the Crown itself—symbolizing victory in all three major U.S. races in one year—eluded him. 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)
Two of Shoemaker's most noted rides were at the Kentucky Derby. He lost the 1957 Derby aboard the mount Gallant Man, when he stood up in the stirrups too soon, having misjudged the finish line. He and Gallant Man ended up finishing second to Bill Hartack aboard Iron Liege. At the 1986 Kentucky Derby, Shoemaker became the oldest jockey ever to win the race (at age 54) aboard the 18-1 long-shot, Ferdinand. The following year, he rode Ferdinand to a victory over Alysheba in the Breeders' Cup Classic to capture Horse of the Year honors.
Shoemaker also 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." However, Shoemaker was quoted as saying that Spectacular Bid was the best horse he ever rode. [1]
Shoemaker broke the record of jockey Johnny Longden with his his 6,033rd victory in September 1970. Win number 8,833, Shoemaker's last, came at Gulfstream Park, Florida on January 20, 1990 aboard Beau Genius. Two weeks later, on February 3, Shoemaker rode in his last race as a jockey, at California's Santa Anita Park. He finished fourth, aboard a horse by the name of Patchy Groundfog. All told, Bill Shoemaker rode in a record 40,350 races.
In 1999, Shoemaker's own record of 8,833 career victories was broken by Panamanian-born Laffit Pincay Jr.; the record is currently held by Russell Baze.
After riding
Soon after retiring as a jockey, Shoemaker returned to the track as a trainer, where he had modest success. A drunk-driving car accident on April 8, 1991 left him paralyzed from the neck down and wheelchair-bound, but he continued to train racehorses until his retirement in 1997. Shoemaker sued Ford after the Bronco II he was driving rolled over near San Dimas, California and Ford settled for $1 million. He died on October 12, 2003, from natural causes.
Legacy
Shoemaker was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1958. He was voted the Mike Venezia Memorial Award for "extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship" in 1990.
One of the greatest jockeys in thoroughbred racing history, Shoemaker racked up an astounding 8,883 victories in 40,350 races from 1949 to 1990. He won the Kentucky Derby four times, including in 1986 on Ferdinand as the oldest jockey to win the Derby at 54. He won 11 Triple Crown races. He was the first jockey to win over $100 million.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Phillips, Louis, & Goodman, Michele E. Willie Shoemaker, Silver Burdett Press Press, 1988.
- Shoemaker, Bill, & Nagler, Barney. Shoemaker, Doubleday, 1988 ISBN 0-385-23945-9
- Smith, Bill, & Shoemaker, Dan. The Shoe: Willie Shoemaker's Illustrated Book of Racing, Rand McNally, 1976. ASIN B000MYZ2DO
- Stevens, Gary. The Perfect Ride, Amazon Remainders Account, 2002. ASIN B0000DK4HS
Outside links
- William Shoemaker at the United States National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
- ESPN story Shoemaker made racing history by Ron Flatter
Credits
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- ↑ Interview with Bill Shoemaker www.latimes.com
