Hall of Fame Menu

Hall of Fame: Jockeys

Arcaro rode his first winner south of the border at Aqua Caliente in 1932. His career began before the film patrol was used, a time when riding was much rougher. In 1942 he was suspended for a year for attempting to unseat another rider. Upon his return, Arcaro's renown as a jockey grew and led to his nickname, The Master.

Arcaro was known as a jockey with great hands and seat. He excelled in switching the whip and possessed a fine sense of pace. He earned the respect of major trainers, including Ben Jones and James 'Sunny Jim' Fitzsimmons.

Arcaro & Kelso winning '61 Met
© Keeneland-Morgan

Arcaro won all of the most important races of his day and had the best mounts, including eleven Hall of Fame horses. Of the many horses he rode, Arcaro considered Citation the best of all.

Film Clip Arcaro's Kentucky Derby Victories (part 1) NMR collection AVI Film Clip or RealMedia Clip	Film Clip Arcaro's Kentucky Derby Victories (part 2) NMR collection AVI Film Clip or RealMedia Clip
Film Clip Arcaro's Kentucky Derby Victories (part 3) NMR collection AVI Film Clip or RealMedia Clip

Eddie Arcaro won repeat victories in many important stakes. He is the only jockey to have won two Triple Crowns and he won a total of 5 Kentucky Derbys and 6 Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

Arcaro's achievements included leading all jockeys in earnings for six years and retiring with record purse earnings. Eddie Arcaro was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1958.

To view NMR online video: Get the RealPlayer G2 FREE from RealNetworks. All the NMR Hall of Fame video files are presented in this format, to give you streaming video at the highest quality available. Simply click the realplayer icon to the left to download your player today.

Return to Hall of Fame Page