Walter Blum

Walter Blum
Walter Blum
Occupation	Jockey
Born	September 28, 1934; Brooklyn, New York, United States
Career wins	4382
Major racing wins
	Frizette Stakes (1954, 1965); Prioress Stakes (1956); Providence Stakes (1956, 1958); Sysonby Handicap (1956); Tremont Stakes (1957); Palm Beach Handicap (1960); Stars and Stripes Handicap (1963); Brooklyn Handicap (1964); Washington Park Handicap (1964); Woodward Stakes (1964); Whitney Handicap (1964); Belmont Futurity Stakes (1965); Metropolitan Handicap (1965, 1975); Schuylerville Stakes (1965); Test Stakes (1965); Toboggan Handicap (1965); United Nations Handicap (1965); Vagrancy Handicap (1965); Beldame Stakes (1966); Coaching Club American Oaks (1966); Fashion Stakes (1966); Queens County Handicap (1966); Maskette Stakes (1966); Mother Goose Stakes (1966); San Marcos Stakes (1966); Santa Anita Derby (1966); San Fernando Stakes (1966); San Gabriel Handicap (1967); Arlington Handicap (1968); Round Table Handicap (1968); San Carlos Handicap (1968); San Luis Obispo Handicap (1968); San Gorgonio Handicap (1969); Governor Stakes (1970); Bahamas Stakes (1973); Florida Derby (1973); Monmouth Oaks (1974); Citation Handicap (1974) American Classic Race wins:; Belmont Stakes (1971)
Racing awards
	United States Champion Jockey by wins; (1963, 1964); George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award (1965)
Honors
	International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (1986); United States Racing Hall of Fame (1987)
Significant horses
	Gun Bow, Affectionately, Amberoid; Lady Pitt, Pass Catcher, Mr. Prospector

Walter Blum (born September 28, 1934, Brooklyn, New York) is a retired Hall of Fame jockey.

Riding career

A horse racing fan from boyhood, in his teens Blum began working as a racetrack hotwalker. Despite being blind in his right eye from the age of two, when he fell off a toy horse,[1][2] in 1953 he embarked on a career as a jockey, riding his first winner on July 29 at Saratoga Race Course. During the better part of his 22-year career Blum rode mainly at East Coast tracks from New England to Florida and is one of only four jockeys to ever win six races on a single card at Monmouth Park.

However, in the 1960s he rode seasonally at California tracks, notably winning the 1966 Santa Anita Derby, and he also dominated Chicago's summer racing circuit at Arlington Park.[3]

Achievements

On June 19, 1961, Blum rode six winners on a single racecard at Monmouth Park Racetrack.[4] He won more races in 1963 and 1964 than any other American jockey. He rode in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes on two occasions, his best finish a fourth in both in 1967 aboard Reason to Hail. In the 1971 Belmont Stakes, he rode Pass Catcher to a victory that denied Canonero II the Triple Crown.[5]

His best-known mounts were Hall of Famers Affectionately and Gun Bow with one of his most famous victories coming in the 1964 Woodward Stakes when he rode Gun Bow to a win over the legendary Kelso. In 1969, Blum was elected president of the Jockeys' Guild and served until 1974. He rode his last mount in 1975 then went to work as a racing official at Garden State Park and the Atlantic City racetracks. In 1978 he moved to Florida where he served as a state steward until retiring on December 30, 2004.

Honors

Blum is Jewish and was inducted in the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1986, and the following year in the United States Racing Hall of Fame.[6]

Preceded by William Boland	Jockeys' Guild President 1969-1975	Succeeded by Mike Venezia

References

Jockey, Blind in One Eye, Is Refused Ride : Fletcher Plans to Appeal Kentucky Track Ruling - latimes
For Jockey, Lack Of One Eye Is Not An Overriding Handicap - tribunedigital-chicagotribune
Profile, arlingtonpark.com; accessed February 8, 2017.
Profile, Miami News, June 20, 1961.
Profile, Ocala Star-Banner, June 6, 1971.
Walter Blum profile, jewishsports.net; accessed February 8, 2017.

Sources

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Jockey, Blind in One Eye, Is Refused Ride : Fletcher Plans to Appeal Kentucky Track Ruling - latimes

[2] For Jockey, Lack Of One Eye Is Not An Overriding Handicap - tribunedigital-chicagotribune

[3] Profile, arlingtonpark.com; accessed February 8, 2017.

[4] Profile, Miami News, June 20, 1961.

[5] Profile, Ocala Star-Banner, June 6, 1971.

[6] Walter Blum profile, jewishsports.net; accessed February 8, 2017.