Bill Shoemaker
William Lee Shoemaker (born August 19, 1931 in Fabens , Texas , † October 12, 2003 ) was an American jockey . He was one of the most successful jockeys of all time and was also called "Bill", "Willie" or "The Shoe".
Shoemaker was so light at birth at 1,250 grams that he was given little chance of survival. He survived but, like many underweight babies, remained small and later weighed around 43 kilograms with a height of 1.50 meters. However, these body dimensions predestined him to be a jockey.
His career began as a teenager when he competed in his first professional race on March 19, 1949. The first of his total of 8,833 victories during his career came a month later, on April 20, 1949 on "Shafter V".
In 1951 Shoemaker won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award and 30 years later received the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in the United States. In 1958 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of American Racing.
Shoemaker won eleven Triple Crown races during his career.
credentials
- Bill Shoemaker and Barney Nagler: Shoemaker . Doubleday, 1988, ISBN 0-385-23945-9
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Shoemaker, Bill |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Shoemaker, William Lee |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jockey |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 19, 1931 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fabens , Texas |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 12, 2003 |