Jockey. Elliott, who comes from a racing family, has been dubbed "Irish racing's great "blow-in. " He grew raised in Summerhill, County Meath, the son of a panel beater, and began racing at the age of thirteen, working weekends and vacations for trainer Tony Martin. In 1992, he became the first European to win the Kentucky Derby when Indian Prince did so. That same year, he also won the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. He is part Irish on his mother's side. Her father was an Irish immigrant to America. His mother was born in Dublin but they moved to America when she was a child. She worked as a housekeeper and cared for her five children on her own after her husband died. Gordon has said that if he didn't race horses, he would have been a good teacher because he loves explaining things to people who don't know much about them. He has two brothers and one sister. He got his nickname "The Hurricane" when competing in Europe where they knew him as a quiet young man who wouldn't cause any problems until he came out to beat all the other jockeys in a race. That usually meant that he had bet on himself and was sure to win! Gordon Elliott was married to Lisa Witter in 1995. They have three children together: sons Finnegan and Flynn and daughter Lila. The couple divorced in 1999.