Sandy Hawley

Inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1986, Ontario native Desmond Sandford “Sandy” Hawley had a distinguished career in both his native country and the United States.

Inducted

1992

Born

April 16, 1949, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

Career

1968-1998

Wins

6,450

Earnings

$88,709,492

Racing Record

20.5

Win %

Biography

Inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1986, Ontario native Desmond Sandford “Sandy” Hawley had a distinguished career in both his native country and the United States.

Hawley rode his first winner aboard Fly Alone on Oct. 14, 1968, at Woodbine. The following year, he was North America’s leading apprentice with 230 wins. In 1970, he led all riders with 472 wins. He was again North America's leading rider with 367 wins in 1972, including a 10-day stretch at Woodbine during which he won 42 races.

In 1973, Hawley became the first jockey to ride more than 500 winners in a year when he found the winner’s circle 515 times, breaking Hall of Famer Bill Shoemaker's previous mark of 485 wins. Hawley went on to lead all North American riders in wins again in 1976. He was honored with the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey that year and took Canada’s Sovereign Award for Outstanding Jockey in both 1978 and 1988. Hawley also won the Lou Marsh Trophy in 1973 and 1976, which is given annually to Canada’s top athlete. In 1986, Hawley became only the fifth jockey to surpass 5,000 career wins.

Hawley won 10 races in the Canadian Triple Crown series, taking the Queen’s Plate and Breeders’ Stakes four times each and the Prince of Wales Stakes twice. He won a total of 18 riding titles at Woodbine Racetrack, where he once won seven races on a single card. Hawley was also the leading rider at Fort Erie 13 times and at Greenwood nine times.

In the United States, Hawley’s major wins included the Whitney Handicap with Hall of Famer Ancient Title, as well as the Alabama, Washington, D.C. International, Strub Stakes, Spinster Stakes, Hollywood Futurity, Ashland Stakes, Man o’ War Stakes, and Hollywood Gold Cup, among others.

At Santa Anita, Hawley twice won six races on a card. He retired in 1998 but returned for a single “legends race” at Santa Anita in 2008, which he won, to finish his career with 6,450 wins.