1931- American jockey In the unlikely role of jockey, Willie Shoemaker became known throughout the world during the course of a phenomenal career. After first entering the winner's circle in 1949, he went on to set record after record. Willie Shoemaker Among these, Shoemaker claimed the highest total purse money among riders ten times and for twenty-nine years had the most wins ever …
1963- American jockey The winningest woman jockey in thoroughbred racing history, Julie Krone has shattered records throughout her two-decade career, including having the distinction of being the first woman to ride to the winner's circle in a Triple Crown race. But records were not the only things shattered in the course of Krone's streak. She has suffered career-threatening injurie…
1917-1947 American racehorse In horse racing, there is one name which, after nearly a century, still represents "the greatest" in nearly every aspect of the sport: Man o' War. It may be argued that the 1970s icon Secretariat was the greatest equine athlete in American racing history. In fact, both horses made twenty-one professional starts in their lifetimes, but Secretariat s…
1949- American jockey Barbara Jo Rubin overcame polio as a child and prejudice as an adult to become a pioneer in sports. In 1969 Rubin was a member of the charter class of young women seeking work as professional jockeys—no small accomplishment in Thoroughbred racing, long known as the "sport of kings" and a male-only bastion. In the space of just one year of racing, Rubin ac…
1966- American jockey American Donna Barton, considered among the most successful female jockeys of all time, is one of only a handful of female jockeys to ride in a Breeders' Cup event. Barton took on her first job as a jockey as a way to earn enough money to attend college. Second only to top-ranked Judy Krone in wins among female jockeys, she had won $4.6 million in purse earnings by 199…
