For a quarter-century, Avelino Gomez was the best-known jockey in Canada. Between 1955 and 1966, Gomez, known as "El Perfecto," topped the Canadian standings in wins seven times. In 1966, Gomez became the first Canadian- based rider to surpass 300 wins in a year, riding 318 winners to lead all North American jockeys, and winning on 32 percent of his mounts.
1982
Biography
For a quarter-century, Avelino Gomez was the best-known jockey in Canada. Between 1955 and 1966, Gomez, known as "El Perfecto," topped the Canadian standings in wins seven times. In 1966, Gomez became the first Canadian- based rider to surpass 300 wins in a year, riding 318 winners to lead all North American jockeys, and winning on 32 percent of his mounts.
Born in Cuba in 1928, Gomez began riding at the age of 16. On March 19, 1944, he rode his first winner at Mexico City. Gomez was on his way as he parlayed his ranking of leading apprentice in Mexico into leading rider in Vancouver in 1945.For the next 10 years, he competed in Mexico, Cuba, Vancouver, and the United States. By 1951, he was successful enough to get the mount on Curandero when he won the $100,000 Washington Park Handicap in Chicago. Gomez also won the Hawthorne Gold Cup that year aboard Seaward.
Gomez eventually settled in Toronto at the request of Chico Prieto, who was training horses for Stafford Farm. Gomez won every major stakes race in Canada. He was also the first man to ride four Queen’s Plate winners (Lyford Cay in 1957, Victoria Park in 1960, Titled Hero in 1966, and Jump in Joseph in 1969). In the U.S., he rode the great Ridan, Crimson Satan, and Never Bend, among others.
Gomez won nine races in the Canadian Triple Crown series. Along with his four victories in the Queen's Plate, he won three runnings of the Breeders’ Stakes (New Providence in 1959, Titled Hero in 1966, and Pine Point in 1967), and two editions of the Prince of Wales Stakes (New Providence in 1959 and Canadillis in 1964). At Woodbine, where he won five riding titles, Gomez was known for leaping from the back of a winning mount, descending with arms outstretched to amused cheers from the crowd.
Gomez died of complications after being injured in an accident during the 1980 Canadian Oaks. Overall, Gomez won 4,081 races.
Achievements
Sovereign Award for Outstanding Jockey (Canada) — 1977
North America's leading rider in wins — 1966
Canadian Triple Crown Highlights
Won the Queen's Plate — 1957, 1960, 1966, 1969
Won the Prince of Wales Stakes — 1959, 1964
Won the Breeders' Stakes — 1959, 1966, 1967
Other Highlights
Won the Summer Stakes — 1960, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1972
Won the Autumn Cup Handicap — 1955, 1959, 1966, 1967
Won the Victoria Stakes — 1956, 1960, 1966, 1967
Won the E. P. Taylor Stakes — 1967, 1973
In the first of his two successive years (1898, 1899) as North America’s leading rider in number of winners, Tommy Burns won with 277 of 973 mounts, a 28-percent rate that was not surpassed by a leading races-won rider until Hall of Famer Bill Shoemaker won with 29 percent of his mounts in 1953.
1983
Biography
In the first of his two successive years (1898, 1899) as North America’s leading rider in number of winners, Tommy Burns won with 277 of 973 mounts, a 28-percent rate that was not surpassed by a leading races-won rider until Hall of Famer Bill Shoemaker won with 29 percent of his mounts in 1953.
A native of Cedar Springs, Ontario, Canada, Burns rode his first winner at the track in Hamilton, Ontario, at age 16. Three years later, he was among the elite jockeys, challenging the likes of Hall of Famers Tod Sloan and Danny Maher on the tough Eastern circuit.
In 1904, Burns rode Hall of Famer Broomstick to an American record of 2:02⅘ in the 1¼-mile Brighton Beach Handicap. The record stood until broken by Broomstick's son, Hall of Famer Whisk Broom II, in the 1913 Suburban. Burns also won the Travers Stakes with Broomstick, the Metropolitan Handicap with Gunfire, the Tennessee Derby with Lieber Karl and Lady Navarre, the St. Louis Derby with Sam Phillips, the Second Special with Hall of Famer Imp, the Brooklyn Handicap with Delhi, the Saratoga Handicap and Twin City Handicap with Caughnawaga, and the Kentucky Oaks with White Frost.
When anti-gambling legislation shut down racing in New York in 1911 and 1912, Burns decided to ride overseas. He found considerable success in both France and Germany, including wins in several steeplechase events.
Burns returned to the United States at the end of the 1913 European season to rest before a planned return to Germany in 1914. Burns, however, was struck and killed by a train near Sheepshead Bay in New York on Nov. 15, 1913. He was 34, and at the time considered one of the best riders in the world.
Overall, Burns won 1,333 races.
Achievements
North America's leading rider in wins — 1898, 1899
Other Highlights
Won the Tennessee Derby — 1898, 1906
Won the Manhattan Handicap — 1900, 1903
Won the Long Island Handicap — 1901, 1905
Won the Kentucky Oaks — 1897
Won the Travers Stakes — 1904
Won the Brooklyn Handicap — 1905
A class act both in and out of the saddle, John Rotz was North America’s leading stakes-winning rider in 1969 and 1970, when he rode Hall of Famers Gallant Bloom and Ta Wee, as well as champion Silent Screen. In 1970, he won the Belmont Stakes on High Echelon.
1983
Biography
A class act both in and out of the saddle, John Rotz was North America’s leading stakes-winning rider in 1969 and 1970, when he rode Hall of Famers Gallant Bloom and Ta Wee, as well as champion Silent Screen. In 1970, he won the Belmont Stakes on High Echelon.
A native of Niantic, Illinois, Rotz went to work at Fairmount Park following his graduation from high school in 1952. He started out as a groom, hot walker, and exercise rider before making his debut as a jockey in 1953.
Known as “Gentleman John,” Rotz began his riding career at fairs in the Midwest before becoming the leading jockey in New York in 1961 and 1962. He won the Preakness Stakes by a nose aboard Greek Money in 1962.
Polite, articulate, dependable rather than flashy, his opinion was valued by trainers both before and after a race. Rotz had a gentle touch with temperamental horses and was known for his success with fillies. He won the Acorn and Mother Goose on Deceit and won notable races aboard top fillies such as What a Treat, Rose Bower, Obeah, Castle Forbes, Indian Maid, Rash Statement, and Chou Croute.
Rotz won the Metropolitan with both Hall of Famer Carry Back and In Reality, the Wood Memorial on Globemaster and No Robbery, and the Champagne on Roman Brother, Silent Screen, and Stop the Music. He also rode Hall of Famer Dr. Fager, as well as Verbatim, The Axe II, and Mongo.
Rotz, who was honored with the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1973, retired from riding that year at the age of 39. His 2,907 wins ranked 15th at the time. He later served as The Jockey Club steward in New York.
Achievements
Triple Crown Highlights
Won the 1962 Preakness Stakes — Greek Money
Won the 1970 Belmont Stakes — High Echelon
Other Highlights
Won the Champagne Stakes — 1963, 1969, 1972
Won the Futurity Stakes — 1966, 1969, 1970
Won the Metropolitan Handicap — 1962, 1968
Won the Alabama Stakes — 1965, 1968
The regular rider of Hall of Fame member Roamer and winner of the Belmont Stakes aboard Sweep in 1910 and Hourless in 1917, Jimmy Butwell began his career in Colorado and continued to gather experience at minor tracks until arriving in New York in 1909 with a contract to ride for Hall of Fame member James R. Keene.
1984
Biography
The regular rider of Hall of Fame member Roamer and winner of the Belmont Stakes aboard Sweep in 1910 and Hourless in 1917, Jimmy Butwell began his career in Colorado and continued to gather experience at minor tracks until arriving in New York in 1909 with a contract to ride for Hall of Fame member James R. Keene.
A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Butwell won 153 races in 1909, including the Belmont Futurity on Sweep, the Withers on Hilarious, the Ladies Handicap on Hall of Famer Maskette, and the Toboggan on De Mund.
Butwell was North America’s leading money-winning rider in 1912 and the leader in races won in 1920. In 1914, Roamer gave Butwell the first of his two victories in the Travers Stakes, the second coming with Omar Khayyam in 1917.
Butwell’s major wins also included the 1913 Preakness Stakes on Buskin and the Saratoga Cup with Olambala (1909), Roamer (1915), and Omar Khayyam (1917).
Overall, Butwell won 1,402 races, a record at the time of his retirement, including 168 stakes victories. After retiring from the saddle, Butwell served as a racing official in New England and Florida.
Achievements
North America's leading rider in earnings — 1912
North America's leading rider in wins — 1920
Triple Crown Highlights
Won the 1913 Preakness Stakes — Buskin
Won the 1910 Belmont Stakes — Sweep
Won the 1917 Belmont Stakes — Hourless
Other Highlights
Won the Saratoga Cup — 1909, 1915, 1917
Won the Travers Stakes — 1914, 1917
Won the Kentucky Oaks — 1912
When he retired in 1975 after a distinguished career that spanned more than two decades, only four jockeys had won more races than Walter Blum: fellow Hall of Fame members Bill Shoemaker, Johnny Longden, Eddie Arcaro, and Steve Brooks.
1987
Biography
When he retired in 1975 after a distinguished career that spanned more than two decades, only four jockeys had won more races than Walter Blum: fellow Hall of Fame members Bill Shoemaker, Johnny Longden, Eddie Arcaro, and Steve Brooks.
Blum’s first victory in a $100,000 race came aboard Royal Beacon II in the 1957 Atlantic City Handicap. He rode Hall of Famer Gun Bow to a photo-finish victory over Hall of Famer Kelso in the 1964 Woodward Stakes, and in the 1965 Futurity Stakes, Blum piloted the filly Priceless Gem to defeat Hall of Famer Buckpasser.
In 1971, Blum won the Belmont Stakes on Pass Catcher, denying Canonero II the Triple Crown. In both 1963 and 1964, Blum led all North American jockeys in wins with 360 and 324, respectively. Twice in his career, Blum rode six winners on a single card.
Blum won many of the most prestigious races in the country, including the Whitney Handicap, Santa Anita Derby, Frizette (twice), Prioress, Tremont Stakes, Brooklyn Handicap, Metropolitan Handicap (twice), Schuylerville, Test, Beldame, Coaching Club American Oaks, Mother Goose, Arlington Handicap, Florida Derby, and Monmouth Oaks, among others.
Even with all his major wins, Blum maintained that no accomplishment surpassed the enjoyment he experienced after he won his first career race on July 29, 1953, at Jamaica in New York City, at odds of 36-1 on a filly named Tusciana, trained by Hall of Famer Hirsch Jacobs.
Following his riding career, Blum became a racing official. He worked as a state steward in Florida from 1978 until his retirement in 2004. In 2015, he was one of five current and former stewards to be honored with the Pete Pedersen Award, presented annually to stewards who have made important contributions to the racing industry.
Achievements
North America's leading rider in wins — 1963, 1964
Triple Crown Highlights
Won the 1971 Belmont Stales — Pass Catcher
A fierce competitor and one of the most popular figures in the history of thoroughbred racing, Angel Cordero, Jr. won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 1982 and 1983.
1988
Biography
A fierce competitor and one of the most popular figures in the history of thoroughbred racing, Angel Cordero, Jr. won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 1982 and 1983.
A winner of six Triple Crown races — including three editions of the Kentucky Derby — Cordero came to the United States from his native Puerto Rico in 1962, and after early struggles went on to become North America’s leading rider in earnings three times (1976, 1982, 1983) and finished his career with 7,057 wins. He led all North American riders in wins in 1968.
Cordero won the Kentucky Derby with Cannonade (1974), Bold Forbes (1976), and Spend a Buck (1985); the Preakness with Codex (1980) and Gate Dancer (1984); and the Belmont with Bold Forbes (1976). He won four Breeders’ Cup races and was tremendously successful at Saratoga, where he won 14 riding titles and became known as the “King of Saratoga.”
Major races won by Cordero include eight runnings of the Personal Ensign; six editions of the Woodward Stakes, Matron Stakes, Go for Wand, and Vosburgh; five each in the Spinaway, Suburban, Bernard Baruch, Demoiselle, and Discovery; four renewals of the Wood Memorial, Man o' War, Delaware Handicap, Forego, Gazelle, Jerome, and Sanford; and three each in the Alabama, Sword Dancer, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Coaching Club American Oaks, Beldame, Prioress, and Test.
Cordero rode numerous standouts during his career, including Hall of Fame members Seattle Slew, Waya, Slew o’ Gold, Manila, and Open Mind. After retiring from the saddle with more than $164 million in purse earnings, Cordero spent some time as a trainer and later became the agent for Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez.
Achievements
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey — 1982, 1983
North America's leading rider in earnings — 1976, 1982, 1983
North America's leading rider in wins — 1968
Triple Crown Highlights
Won the 1974 Kentucky Derby — Cannonade
Won the 1976 Kentucky Derby — Bold Forbes
Won the 1985 Kentucky Derby — Spend a Buck
Won the 1980 Preakness Stakes — Codex
Won the 1984 Preakness Stakes — Gate Dancer
Won the 1976 Belmont Stakes — Bold Forbes
Breeders' Cup Highlights
Won the 1985 Distaff — Life's Magic
Won the 1988 Juvenile Fillies — Open Mind
Won the 1988 Sprint — Gulch
Won the 1989 Sprint — Dancing Spree
Chris McCarron became an instant sensation in the irons, winning the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 1974. That year, McCarron set a record with 546 wins, which stood until surpassed by fellow Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux in 1989. McCarron led all North American riders in wins again in 1975 and 1980 and topped the standings in earnings in 1980, 1981, 1984, and 1991. He earned the Eclipse for Outstanding Jockey in 1980.
1989
Biography
Chris McCarron became an instant sensation in the irons, winning the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 1974. That year, McCarron set a record with 546 wins, which stood until surpassed by fellow Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux in 1989. McCarron led all North American riders in wins again in 1975 and 1980 and topped the standings in earnings in 1980, 1981, 1984, and 1991. He earned the Eclipse for Outstanding Jockey in 1980.
McCarron rode many of the best horses of his era, including Hall of Famers John Henry, Alysheba, Precisionist, Lady’s Secret, Sunday Silence, Paseana, and Tiznow. He won each of the Triple Crown races twice, the Kentucky Derby with Hall of Famer Alysheba (1987) and Go for Gin (1994); the Preakness with Alysheba (1987) and Pine Bluff (1992); and the Belmont with Danzig Connection (1986) and Touch Gold (1997).
McCarron also enjoyed great success in the Breeders' Cup. Among his nine overall wins at the event, five were in the Classic, including consecutive runnings with Alysheba (1988) and Hall of Famer Sunday Silence (1989) and back-to-back editions with Hall of Famer Tiznow in 2000 and 2001. He also won it with Alphabet Soup in 1996, defeating Hall of Famer Cigar and Preakness winner Louis Quatorze.
Other notable wins for McCarron included multiple editions of the Kentucky Oaks (three), Del Mar Handicap (six), Del Mar Futurity (four), Del Mar Oaks (four), La Jolla Handicap (seven), Clement L. Hirsch Handicap (seven), San Felipe Stakes (seven), Santa Anita Handicap (three), Santa Anita Derby (four), and San Diego Handicap (six), among others.
McCarron retired with 7,141 wins and purse earnings of $263,986,005, a record at the time. He also served as technical advisor, racing designer, and had an acting role as Hall of Fame jockey Charlie Kurtsinger in the 2003 film “Seabiscuit.” McCarron also founded the North American Racing Academy to help hone the skills of young riders.
Achievements
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey — 1974
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey — 1980
North America's leading rider in wins — 1974, 1975, 1980
North America's leading rider in earnings — 1980, 1981, 1984, 1991
Triple Crown Highlights
Won the 1987 Kentucky Derby — Alysheba
Won the 1994 Kentucky Derby — Go for Gin
Won the 1987 Preakness Stakes — Alysheba
Won the 1992 Preakness Stakes — Pine Bluff
Won the 1986 Belmont Stakes — Danzig Connection
Won the 1997 Belmont Stakes — Touch Gold
Breeders' Cup Highlights
Won the 1985 Sprint — Precisionist
Won the 1988 Classic — Alysheba
Won the 1989 Classic — Sunsay Silence
Won the 1992 Juvenile — Gilded Time
Won the 1992 Distaff — Paseana
Won the 1995 Turf — Northern Spur
Won the 1996 Classic — Alphabet Soup
Won the 2000 Classic — Tiznow
Won the 2001 Classic — Tiznow
A top jockey in his native country of Panama before being brought to the United States by Fred Hooper in 1965, Jorge Velasquez became a quick success in North America, leading all riders with 438 wins in 1967. Two years later, he led all jockeys in purse earnings with $2,542,315.
1990
Biography
A top jockey in his native country of Panama before being brought to the United States by Fred Hooper in 1965, Jorge Velasquez became a quick success in North America, leading all riders with 438 wins in 1967. Two years later, he led all jockeys in purse earnings with $2,542,315.
Consistently among the best in the game, Velasquez ranked in the top 10 in earnings for 20 consecutive years (1966 through 1985) and finished among the top 10 in wins 12 times during his career. He rode Hall of Fame fillies Chris Evert and Davona Dale to sweeps of the New York Filly Triple Crown series of the Acorn, Mother Goose, and Coaching Club American Oaks in 1974 and 1979, respectively.
In 1981, Velasquez piloted Pleasant Colony to victory in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Other standouts ridden by Velasquez included Hall of Famers Alydar, Fort Marcy, Desert Vixen, Spectacular Bid, and Lady’s Secret.
Other notable races won by Velasquez include the Beldame Stakes, Man o' War Stakes, and Mother Goose Stakes five times each; the Acorn Stakes, Alabama Stakes, American Oaks, Champagne Stakes, Coaching Club American Oaks, and Withers Stakes four times each; and the Jockey Club Gold Cup three times.
In 1985, Velasquez set a single-year record with 57 stakes wins, including the Breeders’ Cup Classic with Proud Truth and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies with Twilight Ridge.
Velasquez concluded his 33-year career in 1997 with 6,795 wins and purse earnings of $125,544,379.
Achievements
North America's leading rider in wins — 1967
North America's leading rider in earnings — 1969
Triple Crown Highlights
Won the 1981 Kentucky Derby — Pleasant Colony
Won the 1981 Preakness Stakes — Pleasant Colony
Breeders' Cup Highlights
Won the 1985 Juvenile Fillies — Twilight Ridge
Won the 1985 Classic — Proud Truth
Other Highlights
Won the Man o’ War Stakes — 1968, 1969, 1970, 1975, 1979
Won the Mother Goose Stakes — 1972, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1988
Won the Beldame Stakes — 1973, 1976, 1978, 1984, 1985
Growing up in Colorado, Pat Day envisioned becoming a rodeo cowboy. Day's dream of making a living riding horses came true, but not as he might have expected. Day instead turned to racehorses and rode his first winner in 1973 at Prescott Downs in Arizona en route to becoming one of America’s most accomplished riders of all time.
1991
Biography
Growing up in Colorado, Pat Day envisioned becoming a rodeo cowboy. Day's dream of making a living riding horses came true, but not as he might have expected. Day instead turned to racehorses and rode his first winner in 1973 at Prescott Downs in Arizona en route to becoming one of America’s most accomplished riders of all time.
Day established numerous records while based in Kentucky, where he became the all-time leading rider at both Churchill Downs and Keeneland. While riding in Illinois, he once had eight winners in one afternoon at Arlington Park, and at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas he won 12 consecutive riding titles.
Day’s most important mounts include Hall of Famers Easy Goer, Dance Smartly, and Lady's Secret, as well as Wild Again (the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Classic winner), Summer Squall, Tabasco Cat, Unbridled, Flanders, Tank’s Prospect, Louis Quatorze, and Lil E. Tee.
In the Triple Crown series, Day won the 1992 Kentucky Derby with Lil E. Tee; the Preakness in 1985 (Tank’s Prospect), 1990 (Summer Squall), 1994 (Tabasco Cat), 1995 (Timber Country), and 1996 (Louis Quatorze); and the Belmont in 1989 (Easy Goer), 1994 (Tabasco Cat), and 2000 (Commendable). He also won the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 1984 (Wild Again), 1990 (Unbridled), 1998 (Awesome Again), and 1999 (Cat Thief). Overall, Day won 12 Breeders' Cup races and retired as the leading money-winning Breeders’ Cup jockey with earnings of $23 million.
Other notable wins by Day include the Travers Stakes (four times), Jockey Club Gold Cup (three times), Blue Grass Stakes (four times), Woodward Stakes, Florida Derby, Hollywood Gold Cup, Canadian International Stakes (twice), Pimlico Special, Del Mar Handicap, and Kentucky Oaks (twice). Day won the Canadian Triple Crown in 1991 with Hall of Famer Dance Smartly.
Day retired in 2005 with record career earnings of $297,934,732 and 8,803 wins. He led North American riders in wins six times and earnings twice. Day was a four-time Eclipse Award winner (1984, 1986, 1987, 1991) and was presented the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1985.
Achievements
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey — 1984, 1986, 1987, 1991
North America's leading rider in wins — 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991
North America's leading rider in earnings — 1999, 2000
Triple Crown Highlights
Won the 1992 Kentucky Derby — Lil E. Tee
Won the 1985 Preakness Stakes — Tank's Prospect
Won the 1990 Preakness Stakes — Summer Squall
Won the 1994 Preakness Stakes — Tabasco Cat
Won the 1995 Preakness Stakes — Timber Country
Won the 1996 Preakness Stakes — Louis Quatorze
Won the 1989 Belmont Stakes — Easy Goer
Won the 2000 Belmont Stakes — Commendable
Breeders' Cup Highlights
Won the 1984 Classic — Wild Again
Won the 1986 Distaff — Lady's Secret
Won the 1987 Juvenile Fillies — Epitome
Won the 1987 Turf — Theatrical
Won the 1990 Classic — Unbridled
Won the 1991 Distaff — Dance Smartly
Won the 1994 Juvenile Fillies — Flanders
Won the 1994 Juvenile — Timber Country
Won the 1997 Juvenile — Favorite Trick
Won the 1998 Classic — Awesome Again
Won the 1999 Classic — Cat Thief
Won the 2001 Distaff — Unbridled Elaine
In a career that spanned more than 20 years, Virginia native Jerry Fishback rode 301 steeplechase winners, tying him for third all time with Hall of Famer Frank “Dooley” Adams, and trailing only Hall of Famers Joseph Aitcheson, Jr. (440) and A. P. “Paddy” Smithwick (398).
1992
Biography
In a career that spanned more than 20 years, Virginia native Jerry Fishback rode 301 steeplechase winners, tying him for third all time with Hall of Famer Frank “Dooley” Adams, and trailing only Hall of Famers Joseph Aitcheson, Jr. (440) and A. P. “Paddy” Smithwick (398).
The premier steeplechase rider of the 1970s, Fishback led all jump jockeys in wins in 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, and 1977. After 1973, Fishback was retained as first-call rider for Jonathan Sheppard, the Hall of Fame trainer for whom Fishback principally rode through the remainder of his career. Fishback’s best season was 1977, when he won 33 races, which was 16 percent of all jump races contested that year.
Fishback rode some of the sport’s elite horses in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the regular rider of Hall of Famers Café Prince and Flatterer, as well as champions Shadow Brook, Soothsayer, and Athenian Idol.
In 1979, Fishback unexpectedly retired after winning the Lovely Night Steeplechase at Saratoga aboard Café Prince, but he returned to riding in 1984 with a victory aboard Flatterer in the Atlanta Cup. Fishback was atop the purse earnings list for steeplechase riders in 1985 and retired for good in 1987.
Known for his cool demeanor in the saddle, intense concentration, and keen sense of pace, Fishback was universally respected throughout the sport. He rode his first sanctioned race in 1964 at Middleburg, Virginia, and during his career won virtually all the major steeplechase races, including six editions of the Temple Gwathmey (with six different horses) and four runnings of the Colonial Cup. Fishback also won Delaware Park’s Tom Roby Steeplechase six times and he enjoyed considerable success at Saratoga, where he won many races, including the New York Turf Writers Cup.
Achievements
North America’s leading steeplechase rider in wins — 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977
North America’s leading steeplechase rider in earnings — 1977, 1978, 1985
Other Highlights
Won the Temple Gwathmey — 1968, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1985, 1987
Won the Colonial Cup — 1977, 1984, 1985, 1986
Won the Imperial Cup — 1978, 1979, 1985, 1987
Won the American Grand National — 1976, 1978
