A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual who rode horses in racing. They must be light, typically around a weight of 100–120 lb. (45–55 kg), and physically fit. They are typically self-employed, and are paid a small fee from the horse trainer, whose colors they wear while competing in a race. They also receive a percentage of the horse's winnings. The job has a very high risk of debilitating or life-threatening injuries, not only from racing accidents but also, because of strict weight restrictions, from eating disorders.
Sir Gordon Richards was an English jockey who was the British flat racing Champion Jockey 26 times, and is often considered the world's greatest jockey. He remains the only flat jockey to have been knighted.
Stanley Clements was an American actor and comedian, best known for portraying "Stash" in the East Side Kids film series, and group leader Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie in The Bowery Boys film series.
Foinavon (1958–1971) was an Irish racehorse. He won the Grand National in 1967 at odds of 100/1 after the rest of the field fell, refused or were hampered or brought down in a mêlée at the 23rd fence. The fence was officially named after Foinavon in 1984.
The Black Stallion is the name of a bestselling series of books by Walter Farley, and also the name of the first book in the series, and the title character, an Arab stallion also known as the Black or Shêtân. The series chronicles the story of a Sheikh's prized stallion after a ship journey gone awry brings it into the possession of a young man named Alec Ramsay. Later books in the series furnish the Black's backstory. Shaytan is the Arabic word for "devil".
National Velvet is a 1944 American Technicolor sports film directed by Clarence Brown and based on the 1935 novel of the same name by Enid Bagnold. It stars Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp, Angela Lansbury, Anne Revere, Reginald Owen, and an adolescent Elizabeth Taylor.
Phar Lap is a 1983 Australian biographical drama film about the racehorse Phar Lap. The film stars Tom Burlinson and was written by David Williamson.
"I Wonder Where My Easy Rider's Gone?" is a ragtime/blues song written by Shelton Brooks in 1913. Sometimes categorized as hokum, it led to an answer song written in 1915 by W.C. Handy, "Yellow Dog Rag", later titled "Yellow Dog Blues". Lines and melody from both songs show up in the 1920s and 1930s in such songs as "E. Z. Rider", "See See Rider", "C. C. Rider", and "Easy Rider Blues".
John Cutts was an Australian jockey who at the age of 32 rode Archer, the winner of the first Melbourne Cup in 1861. The next day John rode Archer to win another long distance race, the Melbourne Town Plate. In May 1862 he rode Archer to win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (ATC), and returned to Melbourne later that year to win his second Melbourne Cup. Due to a technical error which stopped Archer from being entered in the third (1863) Melbourne Cup, Cutts was not able to attempt to win the hat-trick.c
Earl "Sandy" Graham was an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who died as a result of a racing accident.
The 2009 Grand National was the 162nd running of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 4 April 2009.
Secretariat is a 2010 American biographical sports drama film produced and released by Walt Disney Pictures, written by Mike Rich and Sheldon Turner based largely on William Nack's 1975 book Secretariat: The Making of a Champion, with music by Nick Glennie-Smith and directed by Randall Wallace. The film chronicles the life of Thoroughbred race horse Secretariat, winner of the Triple Crown in 1973. Diane Lane plays Secretariat's owner, Penny Chenery, who takes over the Doswell, Virginia, stables of her ailing father Christopher Chenery despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. With the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin, she navigates the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and widely considered the greatest racehorse of all time.
Son of the Navy, also known as The Young Recruit in the United States, is a 1940 American comedy-drama film directed by William Nigh and starring Jean Parker, James Dunn, and Martin Spellman.
Eddie Ahern is an Irish professional jockey, currently banned from racing for ten years by the British Horseracing Authority on charges of corruption. He was champion apprentice in Ireland in 1997.
King of the Turf is a 1939 American drama film starring Adolphe Menjou.
Big Town Scandal is a 1948 American crime film directed by William C. Thomas and written by Milton Raison. The film stars Phillip Reed, Hillary Brooke, Stanley Clements, Darryl Hickman, Carl Switzer and Roland Dupree. It was released on May 27, 1948 by Paramount Pictures. The film was the fourth and last one in a series of four films based on the long-running radio program Big Town.
Racing Luck is a 1948 American comedy romance sport film directed by William Berke and starring Gloria Henry.
Elizabeth Williams Berry, who became known as Mother Berry some time after 1900, was an Australian-born jockey who rode in multiple nations disguised as a man, using the name Jack Williams. After moving to the United States about 1900, she married, and gained the nickname "Mother" after being granted custody of a runaway boy. She retired from jockeying to become a horse trainer. Berry and her husband settled in Helena, Montana, where, at age 111, she was declared the oldest person in Montana at the time. She lived to see women ride as licensed jockeys in 1969 and died at age 114.
Eva Ring (1911–1989) was among the first female jockeys to ride and train winning race horses in Canada in the 1930s–1940s. It was a time in North American history when women were not permitted to obtain a jockey license or ride in flat races alongside their male counterparts, but Ring was a trailblazer and managed to overcome many of the obstacles of her time. Discrimination was not a situation unique to North America; rather, it was a global issue in the male dominated sport of Thoroughbred racing, the "Sport of Kings".
Ron Hutchinson is a retired Australian jockey, who won over 1000 races in Europe. In a 37-year racing career, he was successful across three continents.
