American jockey (1934–2024)
Walter Blum Occupation Jockey Born (1934-09-28 ) September 28, 1934Brooklyn , New York , U.S.Died March 14, 2024(2024-03-14) (aged 89)Hallandale Beach, Florida , U.S. Career wins 4382 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)
United States Champion Jockey by wins George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award (1965)International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (1986)United States Racing Hall of Fame (1987)Gun Bow , Affectionately , Amberoid Lady Pitt , Pass Catcher , Mr. Prospector
Walter Blum (September 28, 1934 – March 14, 2024) was an American jockey who won 4,382 races in a 22-year career.[ 1] [ 2] George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award for being the best jockey of 1964. He won the 1971 Belmont Stakes as the jockey of 34-1 long shot Pass Catcher , which prevented Canonero II from winning the Triple Crown . He was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1986, and the following year into the United States Racing Hall of Fame .
Riding career
Blum was born on September 28, 1934 in Brooklyn , New York to Morris and Fay (Sieger) Blum. His father was a newspaper delivery man.[ 1] [ 3] hot walker .[ 4] blind in his right eye from the age of two, when he fell off a toy horse,[ 5] [ 4] 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 . He won the Santa Anita Derby and the Florida Derby , and almost every major stakes race on the New York circuit, including the Whitney Handicap , Frizette Stakes , Prioress Stakes , Brooklyn Handicap , Metropolitan Handicap , Test Stakes , Beldame Stakes , Coaching Club American Oaks , and the Mother Goose Stakes .[ 4]
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 .[ 6]
Achievements
Blum won 4,382 races in a 22-year career.[ 1] Bill Shoemaker , Johnny Longden , Eddie Arcaro , and Steve Brooks had ridden more winners.[ 4] Monmouth Park Racetrack .[ 7]
He won more races in 1963 and 1964 than any other American jockey.[ 8] George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award for being the best jockey in 1964.[ 4] [ 9] Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes on two occasions, his best finish a fourth in both in 1967 aboard Reason to Hail.[ 1] Belmont Stakes , he rode 34-1 long shot Pass Catcher to a victory that denied Canonero II the Triple Crown .[ 1] [ 10]
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 five-time Horse of the Year Kelso .[ 4] Jockeys' Guild and served until 1974.[ 4] 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.[ 4]
Death
Blum died from lung cancer in Hallandale Beach, Florida , where he lived, on March 14, 2024, at the age of 89.[ 1] [ 2] [ 11]
Honors
Blum was Jewish and was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1986, and the following year into the United States Racing Hall of Fame .[ 3]
References
^ a b c d e f Charry, Rob (March 15, 2024). "Jewish Hall-of-Fame jockey Walter Blum, who rode to victory in Belmont Stakes, dies at 89" . ^ a b Charry, Rob (March 15, 2024). "Jewish Hall-of-Fame jockey Walter Blum, who rode to victory in Belmont Stakes, dies at 89" . Jewish Telegraphic Agency . Retrieved March 15, 2024 . ^ a b Walter Blum profile , jewishsports.net; accessed February 8, 2017.^ a b c d e f g h "Hall of Fame jockey Walter Blum dies at 89" . www.drf.com .^ Jockey, Blind in One Eye, Is Refused Ride: Fletcher Plans to Appeal Kentucky Track Ruling , latimes.com. Accessed March 17, 2024.^ Profile , arlingtonpark.com. Accessed February 8, 2017.^ Blum, Walter , Encyclopedia.com ^ TDN, The (March 15, 2024). "Hall of Famer Walter Blum Dies" . TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions . ^ Blum, Top '64 Jockey, Receives Woolf Award , The New York Times ^ Long Shot Ruins Canonero's Triple Crown Bid: Pass Catcher Snares Belmont Stakes , Ocala Star-Banner , June 6, 1971.^ Hegarty, Matt (March 14, 2024). "Hall of Fame jockey Walter Blum dies at 89" . Daily Racing Form . Retrieved March 20, 2024 .
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