Famous Jockeys
Jockeys are special
There is a reason that you do not see people of normal height and weight riding horses in the races. Just like in all sports, it is a direct result of the relevant scientific research. Each horse displays a specific set of characteristics that determine its speed and endurance. Those features define the attributes of the person that should ride the specific horse. It is a matter of balance between the aerodynamics, the total weight and the total strength. A balance that should not be disrupted. It is one of the parameters that all the top class bookmakers that offer odds on the sport, take into account when they decide on the prices they will offer.
It is more than science
The horse and the man need to be a team. It is a relationship that is based on mutual love and respect. The rider must be able to inspire the horse when it is necessary. Brute force with the whip will not always produce the same results as the sound of the voice in the ears. The rest comes with the ability of the jockey to direct the tactics of the race, the position that they take and their physical conditioning. There is a strong debate on which of the two is more essential to winning a race. It is up to each punter to make that determination for themselves.
The jockeys that have been included in Racing Insider’s hall of fame, have taken the art of riding to the next level. They serve as the example that the newer generations need to follow. And they also serve as the milestone that serves as an objective to be surpassed for new records to be set. The bettors that open betting accounts via agent count on the effort. For it is what will also result in their substantial return of investment.
Fred Archer(11 January 1857 –8 November 1886)
He was an English flat race jockey of the Victorian era. Nicknamed “The Tin Man”, and described as “as the best all-round jockey that the turf has ever seen”, Archer was the holder of several records which lasted deep into the 20th century. He was Champion Jockey for 13 consecutive years until 1886, claiming 2,748 victories from 8,064 starts. He won a total of 21 classic races, including Epson Derby five times. He committed suicide at the age of 29 after the loss of his wife during childbirth.
Sir Gordon Richards(5 May 1904 – 10 November 1986)
He was one of the England’s finest jockeys, often considered the world’s greatest ever jockey. He is still the only jockey to have been knighted. Gordon Richard was the British flat racing Champion Jockey 26 times. He amassed a total of 4,870 winners, and a record 12 consecutive winners ridden. In 1999, the Racing Post (leading racing newspaper in Britain) placed him at number 1 in their list of the top 50 jockeys of 20th century.
Lester Piggott(5 November 1935 - 29 May 2022)
He was a retired professional jockey and one of the most successful English flat racing jockeys of all time. Nicknamed “The Long Fellow” to his height, Lester Piggott introduced a new style of race-riding that was adopted all over the world and enabled him to become Champion Jockey eleven times. Piggott boasts 4,493 career wins including 30 British classics.
William Lee “Bill” Shoemaker(August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003)
He is one of the all-time legends who have graced the sport. Referred to as “The Shoe”, he held the world record of number of professional jockey victories for 29 years. Shoemaker used his small size (1.50 m) to his advantage riding 8,833 winners. A high school dropout, Shoemaker went to ride a total of 40,350 races, and win the United States Champion Jockey by earnings, a record 10 times. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1958.
Russell Avery Braze(born 7 August 1958)
He is the record holder of the most race wins in North American horse racing history. He’s victory counter stopped at the astonishing 12,007 number. Baze won 400 or more races per year for four consecutive years and got rewarded with a special Eclipse Award in 1995. Since then he has on over 400 races a year seven additional times; an achievement that no other jockey has accomplished more than three times. Russell Baze was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1999. He also received the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 2002.
Julieann Louise “Julie” Krone(born July 24, 1963)
She is one of the most successful female jockeys in North American horse racing history. Julie became the first female to win a Triple Crown Race when she claimed the Belmont Stakes, riding on Colonial Affair. She sustained number of severe injuries while racing, but always came back stronger. Because of her never give up attitude, Krone was named by USA Today as one of the 10 Toughest Athletes and was honored with the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award by the Women’s Sports Foundation. In 2000 she became the first woman inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
