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Best Top Jockeys in the Kentucky Derby

While the horses themselves and the trainers seem to bask in the glory of success at the Kentucky Derby and are made the most readily available to the public eye, the jockeys that ride these horses often fly under the radar. This article goes out to some of the best little men of all time as we take a look at the best Kentucky Derby jockeys throughout history.

As is the case for owners and trainers, the Kentucky Derby is also the prize that Jockeys lust after. Only a select few jocks have ever won the Derby more than once and my list consists of the great one that were able to ride to glory three times or more.

Eddie Arcaro rode in 21 Kentucky Derby's before calling it quits after his last Derby ride in 1961. He is famous for having won five Kentucky Derby's with Lawrin in 1938, Whirlaway in 1941, Hoop Jr. in 1945, Citation in 1948, and Hill Gail in 1952. Not surprisingly, Arcaro is a Racing Hall of Famer with an unprecedented 24,092 mounts and 4,479 wins.

Bill Hartack, impressively, rode to five Kentucky Derby wins in just 12 tries. He won with Iron Liege in 1957, Venetian Way in 1960, Decidedly in 1962, the famous Northern Dance in 1964 – who held the record for the fastest Derby time for nine years before Secretariat broke it, and Majestic Prince in 1969. Hartack is also a member of the Racing Hall of Fame with 21 years of riding. He totaled 21,535 mounts and 4,272 wins.

Bill Shoemaker was the Derby journey man, riding in more than any other jockey – 26 from 1952 to 1988. He managed four wins out of those 26 rides with Swaps in 1955, Tomy Lee in 1959, Lucky Debonair in 1965, and Ferdinand in 1986. Unfortunately, he is more remembered for agonizing defeat than his four wins. On Gallant Man in 1957, he stood up too early, allowing Bill Hartack and Iron Liege to pass just before the finish line. His 41 year riding career lasted from 1949 to 1990. It almost doesn't seem possible that anyone would ride that long. He tallied over 40 thousand mounts and nearly 9 thousand wins in his great career.

Isaac Murphy rode in the Derby 11 times before the 20th century even hit as one of the pioneering jockeys. He won three Kentucky Derby titles and is the most distinguished of the many African American jockeys of that era. His Derby rides were Buchanan in 1884, Riley in 1890, and Kingman in 1891. He had an impressive 33 percent win rate in his 19 year career. He sadly died at age 34 of pneumonia and as a tribute is buried at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington next to the great Man O' War.

Earl Sande won three of his eight Kentucky Derby rides between 1918 and 1932. His Derby winners were Zev in 1923, Flying Ebony in 1925, and Gallant Fox in 1930. While he didn't rack of the amount of mounts as some of the other jockeys on this list, he had a Hall of Fame career which lasted from amazingly from 1918 to 1953.

Angels Cordero Jr. also won three Kentucky Derby races out of his 17 rides from 1968 to 1991. His winning horses were Cannonade in 1974, Bold Forbes in 1976, and Spend a Buck in 1985. He retired with over 7 thousand wins and is also a member of the Racing Hall of Fame.

Gary Stevens has had on the race track and off the race track success. He is most famous for his three Kentucky Derby wins, but he is also famous for playing the role of jockey Geoge Woolf in the 2003 movie Seabiscuit. His winning rides were on Winning Colors in 1988, Thunder Gulch in 1995, and Silver Charm in 1997.

April 23rd, 2008