William "Bill" Shoemaker Jockey | HorseRacing.com Strategy William Shoemaker : Horse Racing Jockey William Lee Shoemaker, better known as Bill Shoemaker, was born in 1931. He weighed in at a minute 2.5 pounds at birth and was so small and weak that he was not expected to survive his first night. Yet, in true Bill Shoemaker form, he went on to not only survive, but to become one of the most legendary American jockeys to walk the face of the planet. As an adult, Shoemaker height measured 4’11’’, with his weight being under 100 pounds. He had a light bone structure and so was naturally light. This meant he had the rare privilege of being able to eat whatever he wanted and still maintain his weight. The good food certainly kept his spirits up and he was not only a quick thinker during the races but also a known prankster. William Shoemaker was known more for his way of handling horses than he was for his actual winnings. However, he certainly did have an impressive list of accomplishments.

He finished in the top three in nearly half of the races he ran and the collective winnings of the horses he rode amounted to more than $123 million. In all, Shoemaker won 8,833 races. This includes 11 wins at Triple Crown events. Shoemaker would often describe his riding style as ‘staying out of the horses way’ to the greatest extent possible. He had a light touch on the reins and communicated his will to the horses in the most sensitive way possible. In this way, he was able to encourage the horse to want to run it’s heart out instead of forcing it to go beyond what it was maybe willing to give. The horses responded to his unique style of riding and it didn’t take long before Shoemaker had garnered a brilliant reputation as a great American jockey . Shoemaker was light, athletic and fun loving. In his early racing career he was fairly lucky and seldom got hurt. Off the track he was unpretentious and during his later life he was a devoted father. Though he often considered the highlight of his career to be his win at the Kentucky Derby in 1986, it was probably his run at the Kentucky Derby that put him in the history books.

It was at that race that he won for the fourth time at 54 years of age. This made him the oldest jockey to ever win the Kentucky Derby . Not long afterwards, Shoemaker decided to retire from competitive racing. He was 58 years of age. Unfortunately he was paralysed in a car accident just one year later but he did not let this stop him from turning out some spectacular race horses as a trainer. His horses won 90 races. Bill Shoemaker died in his sleep on October 12, 2003 at 72 years of age. He is remembered as a great horse racing legend and his legacy helped shape the face of horse racing in America. Bill Shoemaker - Telegraph Bill Shoemaker 12:03AM BST 14 Oct 2003 Bill Shoemaker, who died on Sunday aged 72, was one of the most successful jockeys in horse-racing history; his total of 8,833 winners, in a career which spanned 41 years, stood as a world record until it was surpassed in 1999 by Laffit Pincay Jnr.

Known throughout America and beyond as "The Shoe", the 4ft 11in Bill Shoemaker won 15 North American jockeys' championships, and prize money of more than $123 million. He won the Kentucky Derby four times; the Preakness Stakes twice; and the Belmont Stakes five times. He took 11 Santa Anita Handicaps and eight Hollywood Gold Cups. It goes without saying that Shoemaker was a consummate horseman. In particular, he appeared to have an uncanny ability to transmit his own boundless self-confidence to the horses he rode. One trainer remarked: "Bill bothers a horse less than any other jockey. When he tells a horse it's time to go, it's done smoothly. Just a little shuffle of his hands, a little snip of the whip." Shoemaker himself said: "The big thing is to relax. Lots of jocks are tense." He also attributed his success to his habit of riding with a long hold. And towards the end of his career he observed: "Right away I had a great rapport with the animals. They liked me. We got on well together.

I got along with them better than the big guys, who fought them all the time." Billie Lee Shoemaker was born at Fabens, Texas, on August 19 1931. He weighed just two and a half pounds, and there is a story - probably apocryphal - that his grandmother placed him in a shoebox next to an oven to keep him alive on the night of his birth. His parents divorced when he was five. After his mother remarried, Bill moved with his father - a factory-worker - to El Monte, California, where he attended high school. Despite his diminutiveness (and as an adult he weighed only about seven stone), he excelled as a boxer and was undefeated in school competition. When he was 15, Bill left school and went to work at the Suzy Q Ranch at Puente, California, although at this stage he had no particular interest in becoming a jockey; this ambition crystallised only after a year during which he mucked out stables and broke in yearlings.

While he was exercising horses at Santa Anita his potential was spotted by the trainer George Reeves, and "Willie" Shoemaker (as he was then known) rode his first winner on April 20 1949, in only his third race. During his first year he rode 219 winners, gaining him second place in the jockeys' table. The next year he rode 388 winners, tying for first place with Joe Culmone. In 1951 the prize-money from Shoemaker's winning mounts passed $1 million, and two years later he broke the world record for the number of victories by a jockey in a calendar year: his 485 winners surpassed the previous record by nearly 100. In 1956 he became the first American jockey to win purses totalling more than $2 million; by 1964 he had won more than $30 million. By now he was one of the most famous sportsmen in America. In 1964 Time magazine commented: "Millionaires beg like mendicants for Shoemaker's services.

Trainers claim that a racehorse improves by two or three lengths simply by having Willie on his back . . . And whenever a big race rolls around, the notation 'Jockey: W Shoemaker' opposite the horse's name is often enough to send it off the favourite." Indeed, so confident were punters that their money was safe with Shoemaker on board that they could react badly when he lost a race, sometimes pelting him with ice cubes as he returned to the weighing room. Shoemaker sympathised, but did not allow such incidents to upset him: "I try to win a lot of races," he once said, "but what I really enjoy is getting on young horses and developing them. It's like raising your kid and he turns out to be President." In 1970 he surpassed John Longden's total of 6,032 wins to become the most successful jockey in the history of the sport.

He had already won three Kentucky Derbys - in 1955 (on Swaps), 1959 (Tomy Lee) and 1965 (Lucky Debonair) - and was to add a fourth, when he was 54, in 1986 (Ferdinand). In 1981 he won the Arlington Million on John Henry, and in 1987 the Breeders' Cup Classic with Ferdinand. Shoemaker rode occasionally in England, and in 1978 just failed to win the Epsom Derby, finishing second to Shirley Heights on Hawaiian Sound; he subsequently rode the same colt into third place in the Irish Derby, and into second place in the King George. In 1984 he won the Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot on Sikorsky. Inevitably, there were occasional disappointments. In the 1957 Kentucky Derby, Shoemaker seemed to have the race sewn up on Gallant Man, but misjudged the finishing line, standing up in the irons too soon, and consequently getting pipped at the post by Iron Liege.

He said afterwards: "It was my worst ever moment. I should have been horsewhipped." In the event, the stewards suspended him for 15 days for "gross carelessness". Gallant Man's owner Ralph Lowe, however, did not hold it against his jockey, presenting him with $5,000 and a new car; five weeks later Shoemaker repaid Lowe by winning the Belmont Stakes on Gallant Man by eight lengths. Shoemaker made a different error of judgment in 1964, when he elected to ride Hill Rise instead of Northern Dancer in the Kentucky Derby. Northern Dancer - which went on to become the most successful stallion in the world - beat Shoemaker's mount in a photo-finish. With Shoemaker's success came the attendant riches. He bought a 33,000-acre ranch in Arizona, a restaurant, petrol stations, oil wells in Texas and a stud farm.

He claimed, however, to have little interest in money: "I have an investment firm that handles all that." Shoemaker had his last (and 40,352nd) ride in 1990, when he was 58, finishing fourth on Patchy Groundfog at Santa Anita; 64,500 people turned up to watch this episode of racing history. Having retired from riding, Shoemaker took up training. But within a year he had been paralysed from the neck down and confined to a wheelchair, after a car accident. In April 1991 the Ford Bronco he was driving plunged over an embankment in California while he was making a call on his mobile phone. Shoemaker tried to be philosophical about his disability. "Sure I've been dealt a bad hand," he said. "So I'll just have to play it." He continued to train, finally retiring in 1997 after sending out 90 winners and earning $3.7 million in prize money. He also wrote several thrillers set in the world of horse racing, including Stalking Horse (1994) and Fire Horse (1995).

In 1987 he published Shoemaker: America's Greatest Jockey. In a sport not always remarkable for its moral purity, Shoemaker was admired for his integrity and good sportsmanship. He was admired too for his natural gifts, the American trainer Charles Whittingham once saying of him: "You have to realise that he is a perfect athlete. Great at tennis, great golf-player; he has perfect co-ordination . . . He does everything well." In 1950 Bill Shoemaker married Virginia McLaughlin. The marriage was dissolved 10 years later, and he married his second wife, Babbs, in 1961. He had a daughter with his third wife, Cindy, from whom he was divorced in 1994. ESPN.com: Shoemaker made racing history Shoemaker made racing history By Ron Flatter Special to ESPN.com Without getting on a horse, probably the best way to understand the work of a jockey is to shake his hand. At 100 pounds, he doesn't look like he could carry a load of groceries, let alone control a beast 15 times his weight. But all jockeys seem to have powerful handshakes.

Bill Shoemaker's victory in the 1986 Kentucky Derby aboard Ferdinand was one of the more memorable in a distinguished career. Then there's Bill Shoemaker. His right hand was powerful all right. But there was also something rather gentle about that grip. Sort of horse racing's answer to the rifle-armed quarterback who could throw the touch pass. Or the pool player who could deliver the finesse shot after an explosive break. Racing people frequently refer to Shoemaker's "soft hands," hands that took the reins of a horse and made "Shoe" the boss. Those hands guided 8,833 winners, a world record that would stand until broken by Laffit Pincay, Jr. in 1999. In 42 years, Shoemaker won 11 Triple Crown races, 1,009 stakes races and 10 national money titles. He earned more than $123 million in purses, about $10 million of which went into his pocket. "It's a puzzlement to me how the guy got runs out of horse after horse after horse after horse," jockey Chris McCarron said.

"His smooth, calm style was deceiving." Shoemaker's two most famous races came at the Kentucky Derby. One was in 1957, when he misjudged the finish line with Gallant Man and blew a sure win. The other was aboard Ferdinand in 1986, at age 54, when he became the oldest to win the Run for the Roses. Billie Lee Shoemaker was born Aug. 19, 1931, in the west Texas town of Fabens. He weighed between 29-40 ounces and was 10 1/2 inches long. One apocryphal story has it that Shoemaker's grandmother put him in a shoebox she placed next to an oven to keep him alive that first night. After his parents divorced, Shoemaker and his father moved to Southern California, where he cleaned stables on a thoroughbred ranch. Only months after going to work as an exercise boy in Northern California, the 4-foot-11, 96-pound "Willie" Shoemaker had his first professional ride, on March 19, 1949.

A month later the 17-year-old Shoemaker registered his first win, aboard Shafter V in a six-furlong, $3,000 claiming race at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif. "I almost went into shock," he said years later. "She was a chestnut filly, and you bet I remember her. I think I got about $10." "Shoe" rode 218 more winners before the year was out. In 1953, Shoemaker set the record for most winners (485) in a year -- a mark that held up for 20 years. Shoemaker's first Kentucky Derby victory came aboard Swaps in 1955. Two years later, he should have won his second Derby. Instead, he wound up with the embarrassment of standing up too soon before the wire, mistaking a furlong post for the finish line. Iron Liege charged past Gallant Man for the win. Although Churchill Downs historians will argue the point, jockey Eddie Arcaro said, "They changed the finish line that year. They lengthened the stretch by a sixteenth (of a mile).

After the race they did what they should have done 50 years before. They put lines on the fence to show the finish." From 1958-64, Shoemaker was racing's biggest money-winner among jockeys. Six times, he had six winners in a day. He won the Kentucky Derby with Tomy Lee in 1959 and Lucky Debonair in 1965. He rode Candy Spots (1963) and Damascus (1967) to victory in the Preakness. He won four Belmont Stakes in an 11-year period aboard Gallant Man (1957), Sword Dancer (1959), Jaipur (1962) and Damascus and tacked on a fifth in 1975 with Avatar. In 1968, Shoemaker suffered his first serious injury, a broken leg after being thrown from a mount. Shortly after returning in 1969, he was injured again in a paddock accident that broke his pelvis, ruptured his bladder and caused nerve damage in a leg.

Shoemaker bounced back later that year, resuming his quest to become the career leader in riding victories. On Sept. 7, 1970, he won with Dares J. at Del Mar, Cal., for his 6,033rd victory, breaking the record held by Johnny Longden. The wins became fewer over the years. Two especially noteworthy ones came in the 1980s. In 1981, he became the first jockey to win a $1-million race when he guided John Henry to a nose victory over The Bart in the inaugural Arlington Million. Even more significant was the 1986 Kentucky Derby. Shoemaker worked 18-1 shot Ferdinand through the pack deliberately. At the top of the stretch, "Shoe" found enough of a hole to get to the front. That's where he and Ferdinand stayed, winning by 2 1/2 lengths. "What a feeling," he said. "I was half in shock." But by 1988, that feeling was gone. Shoemaker would hang out in jockeys rooms around Southern California, playing solitaire and waiting for increasingly rare rides.

Late that year, he announced he would retire. He decided to exit in a flourish of promotion. New Zealand media entrepreneur Michael Watt organized a nine-month, international farewell tour that took Shoemaker from fabled tracks to the middle of nowhere and back again. Whether it was just a chance to say goodbye or modern sport's version of a traveling medicine show, "Shoe" packed grandstands from Royal Ascot to Mountaineer Park. He reportedly made $1 million in appearance fees -- more than he did with any one season's worth of purses. His last win, aboard Beau Genius, came Jan. 20, 1990, in the Hallandale Handicap at Gulfstream Park in Florida. "The Legend's Last Ride," as it was billed, came Feb. 3, 1990, at Santa Anita. His 40,352nd mount was 7-year-old Patchy Groundfog. The 64,573 attending made "Shoe" a sentimental 7-10 favorite in the $107,850, one-mile turf race.

ZONE POLL Bill Shoemaker, 72, Hall of Fame Jockey Who Dominated for Four Decades, Dies - The New York Times The New York Times Sports |Bill Shoemaker, 72, Hall of Fame Jockey Who Dominated for Four Decades, Dies Search Bill Shoemaker, 72, Hall of Fame Jockey Who Dominated for Four Decades, Dies By JOSEPH DURSO Continue reading the main story Bill Shoemaker, the 4-foot-11, 98-pound dynamo who was among horse racing's most renowned figures and who rode the winners of 11 Triple Crown races, died yesterday at his home in San Marino, Calif. He was 72. Shoemaker died in his sleep, Paddy Gallagher, his assistant in his years as a trainer, told The Associated Press. From his premature birth on a small cotton farm in Texas in 1931 to his tour of 14 racetracks in 8 countries in 1989 before his retirement as a jockey, Bill Shoemaker led a life laced with glory.

But he was paralyzed in an auto accident on April 8, 1991, when he was 59, and spent the rest of his life training horses from his electric wheelchair, a feisty and sad figure perhaps, but still a racing legend from his home base at Santa Anita to Belmont Park. ''I was lucky,'' he reflected at his first news conference after the crash, on Oct. 1, 1991. ''I rode for 40 years, in 40,000 races, and had a lot of falls. But I never had any spinal injuries or anything like that. Then an automobile got me. So, you never know.'' Continue reading the main story But long before his Ford Bronco careered down an embankment along a California highway, Shoemaker had ridden to the head of the class of 20th-century jockeys with an even temperament and an even touch on the reins.

He passed these milestones on his way to the Racing Hall of Fame: He rode 40,350 horses, won with 8,833 of them -- surpassed by only Laffit Pincay Jr.'s 9,530 winners -- ran second 6,136 times and finished third 4,987 times. That meant he won 22 percent of the time, and he was in the money nearly half the time. At Santa Anita alone, he rode 2,544 winners during a career that started in 1949 and ended in February 1990. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Ten times he was America's leading jockey in money won; five times he was the leading jockey in races won. He rode in the Kentucky Derby 24 times and won it 4 times, aboard Swaps in 1955, Tomy Lee in 1959, Lucky Debonair in 1965 and Ferdinand in 1986. He also won the Preakness twice and the Belmont Stakes five times, giving him 11 trips to the winner's circle in Triple Crown classics.

And he rode the winners of more than 1,000 other stakes races. He rode the champions Swaps, Spectacular Bid, John Henry, Gallant Man, Damascus and Forego; he won in England, Ireland, South Africa and Argentina; and he won purses of more than $123 million. When he was 21, he won six races in one day at Hollywood Park. And when he was 38, he won six in a day there again. Yet for all his talent as a rider, he also figured in one of the melodramatic blunders in the history of the Kentucky Derby when he misjudged the finish line at Churchill Downs aboard Gallant Man in 1957. Shoemaker stood in the stirrups for about one stride just before the horses reached the finish, enabling Calumet Farm's Iron Liege, with Bill Hartack riding, to sweep past. Only twice in 40 years did he sustain disabling injuries. In January 1968, Bal Brush went down during a race at Santa Anita, and Shoemaker broke his right thigh. The injury took 13 months to heal.

After he returned the next spring, he was aboard the 3-year-old filly Poona's Day in the paddock at Hollywood Park when she reared and fell over him. He sustained a fractured pelvis, a ruptured bladder and a paralyzed left leg. He had surgery and was grounded for four months. ''Shoe showed a lot of courage,'' said Dr. Robert Kerlan, the orthopedic surgeon who repaired many world-class athletes. ''After the second accident, he had the chance to retire gracefully, but at no time did he talk about quitting. He was determined to come back, and he would run a mile every morning in order to get fit again.'' Advertisement Continue reading the main story One year later, in 1970, when he was 38, Shoemaker staged a typical revival. He won the Santa Anita Derby in April, he won with six of his seven mounts on one tumultuous day in June and he overtook Johnny Longden as racing's leading jockey: 6,032 winners. And he still had nearly two decades to go as a rider. Age, in fact, did little to slow him down.

Before he rode Ferdinand in the Kentucky Derby in 1986, he pondered his age and decided, ''If Jack Nicklaus can win the Masters at 46, I can win the Kentucky Derby at 54.'' He did, becoming the oldest jockey to capture the Derby. William Lee Shoemaker was born Aug. 19, 1931, on a small cotton farm in Fabens, east of El Paso. The doctor predicted that the premature baby would not survive the night. But his grandmother fashioned a crude incubator out of a shoe box and warmed it in the kitchen stove to keep him alive. Four years later, his parents separated. So, he went to live with his grandfather Earl Harris on a cattle and sheep ranch near Abilene, Tex. At 7, he rode his first pony. Three years later, he moved to Los Angeles with his father. He weighed only 90 pounds, close to his riding weight as a jockey, and he later won the Golden Gloves boxing championship in the 95-to-105-pound division. He rode his first horse professionally on March 19, 1949, when he was nearly 18.

On April 20, he rode his first winner. He teamed with the agent Harry Silbert, who stayed at his side booking his mounts for 38 years. In his first full season at the races, in 1950, Shoemaker won 388 races and tied Joe Culmone for the No. 1 ranking in victories. He rode for Rex Ellsworth and Meshach Tenney at the peak of their days at the track, and he rode the great horses. Tenney, the trainer of Candy Spots, was asked once what he liked about Shoemaker as a rider, and replied, ''The way he meets me in the winner's circle.'' Shoemaker, who was known for years as Willie, a nickname he did not particularly like, always said that his favorite horse was Swaps. Advertisement Continue reading the main story ''I always had a soft spot in my heart for Swaps,'' he said. ''He was the first great horse I ever rode.'' His touch was evident, too, when he replaced Ronnie Franklin as the jockey on Spectacular Bid after they lost the Belmont Stakes in 1979.

In the final 13 months of Spectacular Bid's memorable career, Shoemaker was in the saddle as the horse won 12 of his last 13 races. Shoemaker was an athletic-looking though petite man with smooth features and sleek black hair. He did not manhandle a horse. Frequently, as a rider, he would let his horse run his own race. Shoemaker rode for the final time in 1990. But before he retired, he created some ruffled feelings when he undertook a ''farewell tour.'' Many people felt it was an ego and money trip rather than a graceful retirement trip. He left for the life of a trainer at Santa Anita, where he had met his greatest success as a rider. But in April 1991, his life took a turn after he had played a round of golf with his riding and golfing partner of 30 years, Don Pierce. They had, Shoemaker said later, two beers at the Sierra La Verne Golf Club near Arcadia before leaving.

Shoemaker recalled that he was alone in his 1990 Ford Bronco II when he reached for his cellphone, lost control of the car and spun down a steep embankment. When he came to, his spinal cord was severed. He was paralyzed with little or no movement below the armpits and destined to live in a wheelchair. But after months of rehabilitation, he returned to Santa Anita to resume life as a trainer of horses. Shoemaker filed lawsuits against the Ford Motor Company and the state of California, charging the state was negligent for not installing guard rails on the road where the accident occurred. Shoemaker and his family reached a $1 million settlement with Ford in February 1993, but the suit against the state was dismissed that August. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office had said that Shoemaker's blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit, but it did not bring charges against him. After the accident, Shoemaker was back where he had started: at the racetrack. And he was training horses from a wheelchair, uncomplaining, unconquered.

He retired as a trainer in November 1997, having saddled horses with earnings of nearly $3.7 million. Shoemaker is survived by a daughter, Amanda. What was the secret of his success? ''Temperament,'' the trainer Charlie Whittingham, who teamed with Shoemaker with great success, once remarked. ''It is essential to both the good horse and the good rider. Win or lose, in good health or injured, Shoe always has been even of temperament. His talent and his light weight have been assets, but above all his temperament enabled him to do so much over so long a period of time.'' Famous Jockeys | List of Well-Known Jockeys List of Famous Jockeys 234k views 632 items tags f t p @ List of famous jockeys, with photos, bios, and other information when available. Who are the top jockeys in the world? This includes the most prominent jockeys, living and dead, both in America and abroad.

This list of notable jockeys is ordered by their level of prominence, and can be sorted for various bits of information, such as where these historic jockeys were born and what their nationality is. The people on this list are from different countries, but what they all have in common is that they're all renowned jockeys. Items include everything from Clare Balding to John "Red" Pollard. From reputable, prominent, and well known jockeys to the lesser known jockeys of today, these are some of the best professionals in the jockey field. If you want to answer the questions, "Who are the most famous jockeys ever?" and "What are the names of famous jockeys?" then you're in the right place.

(632 items) List Photo: user uploaded image Z G Options B Comments & Embed 1 Bill Shoemaker | American jockey | Britannica.com American jockey Alternative Titles: The Shoe, William Lee Shoemaker, Willie Shoemaker Bill Shoemaker Earl Sande Bill Shoemaker, also called Willie Shoemaker, byname of William Lee Shoemaker (born August 19, 1931, near Fabens, Texas , U.S.—died October 12, 2003, San Marino , California ), greatest American jockey of the second half of the 20th century. Weighing only 1 pound 13 ounces (0.8 kg) at birth, Shoemaker grew to an adult weight of 98 pounds (44.5 kg) and a height of 4 feet 11.5 inches (1.51 metres). He moved with his family at age 10 to California, which became and remained his racing base. He started to ride at age six and began his track career in 1949.

Shoemaker rode the Kentucky Derby 24 times and won four: 1955, 1959, 1965, and 1986, achieving the last victory at age 54, which made him the oldest jockey to win that event. He won the Belmont Stakes five times—1957, 1959, 1962, 1967, and 1975—and the Preakness twice—1963 and 1967. He was the leading rider among North American jockeys in 1950, 1953, 1954, 1958, and 1959 and led in purses won in a single year 10 times. From 1957 on he earned more than $2 million annually. By the time he finally retired in 1989, horses he rode had won more than $120 million. After retirement from riding, he worked as a trainer, even after an automobile accident in 1991 left him a quadriplegic.

Shoemaker rode more than 8,800 winners in his 41-year career. In 1981 he rode John Henry, winner of the Arlington Million, the first million-dollar stake race for Thoroughbreds. Other notable horses he rode included Gallant Man, Damascus, Spectacular Bid , and Swaps . The Shoe: Willie Shoemaker’s Illustrated Book of Racing, written with Dan Smith, was published in 1976. Learn More in these related articles: Willie Shoemaker (1931-2003) Willie Shoemaker 1931-2003 Only 2 pounds at birth, Willies Shoemaker grew into a 95-pound horse racing giant. Shoemaker who was born in Fabens, Texas, on August 19, 1931. He was so small he wasn't expected to live through the night, so he was kept in a shoe box in the oven. He boxed and wrestled in high school but decided to become a jockey because of his size. He dropped out of school to ride for $75 a month plus room and board at a La Puente horse ranch.

Willie Shoemaker won his first race April 20, 1949, at Golden Gate Fields near San Francisco aboard Shafter V. His final victory came January 20, 1990, at Gulfstream Park aboard Beau Genius. Known as "The Shoe" throughout his Hall of Fame career, the 4-foot-11 jockey was the perfect fit for great horses. His fame reached every corner of the racing world and beyond, making him one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. Shoemaker died in his sleep Sunday at his suburban home near Santa Anita racetrack, according to longtime friend and trainer Paddy Gallagher. He was 72. Gallagher, an assistant during Shoemaker's training career that ended in 1997, said doctors told him Shoemaker died of natural causes. "He was one of the greatest human beings I have ever had the pleasure of knowing in my life," said retired jockey Chris McCarron, now general manager of Santa Anita.

"Forget about his ability to communicate with horses, his compassion for people was second to none." Willie Shoemaker overtook Johnny Longden's record of 6,032 career victories in 1970 and held it until Laffit Pincay Jr. broke Shoemaker's mark in 1999. Shoemaker finished with 8,833 wins. "For a man his size, wearing a size 2� shoe, he was a giant," retired Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Delahoussaye said. Willie Shoemaker, a superb athlete rode for 41 years, most of them in Southern California, considered to be the most competitive circuit in America. Shoemaker's riding style of sitting almost still on a horse was emulated by generations of jockeys. His former wife, Cindy, said watching him ride was "like listening to a pretty song or reading poetry." "He was at the right place at the right time all the time," retired jockey Angel Cordero Jr. said. "(Eddie) Arcaro and Shoemaker rode a long time ago when nobody knew how to ride.

They developed their own style and we learned from them." In 1986, at 54, Shoemaker became the oldest jockey to win a Kentucky Derby when he guided Ferdinand along a small opening on the rail in a ride considered one of the greatest ever. That win came 21 years after his previous Derby win, aboard Lucky Debonair in 1965. He also won America's most famous race in 1959 with Tomy Lee and 1955 with Swaps. Perhaps his most famous Derby ride was one he lost, in 1957. Dueling toward the finish at Churchill Downs were Gallant Man, ridden by Shoemaker, and Iron Liege, ridden by Bill Hartack. At the 16th pole, Shoemaker stood up, mistaking it for the finish line. He sat down immediately but Gallant Man lost by a nose. Shoemaker received a 15-day suspension from the stewards for the rules violation. The night before, Gallant Man's owner, Ralph Lowe, told Shoemaker he had a dream about a jockey on one of his horses misjudging the finish line. Shoemaker insisted it wouldn't happen to him.

Afterward, Lowe found no fault and gave Shoemaker $5,000 and a new car. "I didn't make any excuses," Shoemaker said in his 1987 book "Shoemaker: America's Greatest Jockey." Five weeks later, Shoemaker rode Gallant Man to an eight-length victory in the Belmont Stakes. Besides four Derby victories, Shoemaker won 2 Preakness Stakes, 5 Belmont Stakes and rode Ferdinand to a victory over Alysheba in the 1987 Breeders' Cup Classic to capture Horse of the Year honors. Among the other great horses Shoemaker rode were Sword Dancer, Damascus, Ack Ack, Forego, Spectacular Bid and John Henry. Willie Shoemaker's last race was February 3, 1990, after a yearlong tour of racetracks in North America to exhibit his skill to fans who had never seen him. A crowd of 64,573 showed up at Santa Anita to see him and his mount, Patchy Groundfrog, finish fourth in a nationally televised race. He had rode in a record 40,350 races, and his mounts finished in the money about half the time.

He was elected to racing's Hall of Fame in 1958. After racing Willie Shoemaker's life would take a tragic turn when he broke his neck, and became a quadriplegic in 1991, when the Ford Bronco he was driving veered off a freeway in suburban Los Angeles, tumbled down an embankment and rolled. He had been drinking after playing golf and police said his blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit. He sued Ford Motor Co. and won a multimillion-dollar settlement. He continued training horses for another six years after the accident despite being in a wheelchair. He operated the chair by turning his head and breathing into a tube. "I knew the last couple of years he was having problems," said Delahoussaye, who last spoke with Shoemaker four days ago. "Shoe never let on. He was a quiet guy, he kept a lot of things to himself. He never complained." Pincay, who was forced to retire after breaking his neck in March, called Shoemaker last week and told him about a trip Pincay had taken to New York to help find a cure for paralysis.

"I told him how close they were to finding a cure and he was very excited and sounded happy about it," Pincay said Sunday. "I know he wasn't happy in that wheelchair, but he never complained." Shoemaker was a sporadic visitor to Southern California racetracks in recent years. He was present at Hollywood Park on Dember 10, 1999, when Pincay broke Shoemaker's record for victories with No. 8,834. Willie Shoemaker is survived by his former wife and his only child, 23-year-old Amanda. Source: ESPN.com

Question: In America, as what was Bill Shoemaker famous?
Answer: Jockey