Triple Crown Diary: Bill Shoemaker One Of The Best Jockeys Ever – He Won 11 Triple Crown Races But N

By Author: Lee Lane-Edgar
Total Articles: 365
Comment this article

Bill Shoemaker, sometimes called “The Shoe”, is considered one of the greatest jockeys in thoroughbred racing history. Ten times he was the top money earner, and in five years he compiled the most number of wins. He won the Kentucky Derby four times, the Belmont Stakes five times, and the Preakness Stakes twice.

His grip was said to be both powerful and gentle, and was known to have soft hands.

Shoemaker’s first Kentucky Derby win came aboard one of his greatest mounts, Swaps, in 1955. Shoemaker would go on to win the Derby aboard Tomy Lee in 1959 and then again with Lucky Debonair in 1965.

A period of over 20 years would elapse before he would win his next Kentucky Derby, and that came aboard Ferdinand in 1986, an 18-1 shot whom he guided home in what may have been his best Derby race ride. As the field turned into the homestretch, Shoemaker managed to find a hole just big enough through which to guide Ferdinand. He struck the front and held the lead, finishing by an eventual 2 ½ lengths.
That would be Shoemaker’s last Derby win and last Triple Crown win and he retired from racing in ...
... 1988.

Despite his Kentucky Derby success, most feel that he cheated himself out of his fifth Derby. In particular, one of his rides aboard when he committed a rare blunder had the misfortune of occurring in the Run for the Roses. This was in the 1957 Kentucky Derby, in which he was leading with his mount Gallant Man nearing the finish line, but he misjudged the finish line and stood up too soon. As a result, his mount lost enough momentum to allow eventual winner Iron Liege to charge past him to snatch the victory from him by a nose.

This might be the equivalent of scoring a touchdown for the opposite team. It was surely was an uncommon occurrence for so skilled a rider, which goes to show that even the best jockeys are not infallible.
Among his other Triple Crown races were two victories in the Preakness Stakes, first aboard Candy Spots in 1963, and then aboard Damascus in 1967, who is considered to be one of the greatest horses of all time. He also won five Belmont Stakes in just eleven years, aboard Gallant Man in 1957, Sword Dancer in 1959, Jaipur in 1962, Damascus in 1967, and finally with Avatar in 1975.
Some of his greatest mounts include the afore-mentioned Swaps and Damascus, as well as Round Table, Native Diver and John Henry, but Shoe has said that the greatest horse he ever rode was Spectacular Bid, who won the 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness.