Jack Westrope
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jack Westrope | ||
| Occupation: | Jockey | |
| Birthplace: | Baker, Montana, United States | |
| Birth date: | January 18, 1918 | |
| Death date: | June 19, 1958 | |
| Career wins: | 2,467 | |
| Major Racing Wins & Honours & Awards | ||
| Major Racing Wins | ||
| Blue Grass Stakes (1937) Santa Anita Derby (1938) Tremont Stakes (1938) Matron Stakes (1939) San Juan Capistrano Handicap(1939) Suburban Handicap (1939) Westerner Stakes (1939, 1946, 1950) Cowdin Stakes (1941) Hollywood Gold Cup (1941) Jerome Handicap (1943) Vosburgh Stakes (1947) Frizette Stakes (1947) San Antonio Handicap (1949) Massachusetts Handicap (1953) San Luis Obispo Handicap (1953) Delaware Oaks (1954) San Fernando Stakes (1954, 1956) |
||
| Racing Awards | ||
| United States Champion Jockey by wins (1933) | ||
| Honours | ||
| National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (2002) | ||
| Significant Horses | ||
| Parlo, Stagehand, Cravat | ||
|
Infobox last updated on: March 19, 2007. |
||
Jack Gordon Westrope (January 18, 1918 - June 19, 1958) was an American Hall of Fame jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing.
Born in Baker, Montana, Westrope was only 12 years old when he rode his first winner on a small track in Lemon, South Dakota. By age 15, while still officially an apprentice jockey, he was the leading rider in the U.S. for 1933. Westrope scored 301 victories from the 1,224 races he competed in that year, giving him a 25% win rate, the highest for any national title holder during the past twenty-four years.
Although based on the West Coast of the United States, Jack Westrope won races across the United States and in Cuba. During his career, he rode 2,467 winners including in numerous important graded stakes races such as the Santa Anita Derby, Blue Grass Stakes, and the Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes.
During the running of the 1958 Hollywood Oaks at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California, Westrope was severely injured when he was thrown from his horse and died in hospital a few hours later. He was survived by his wife Terry, and daughters Pamela and Jackie.
For his contribution to the sport, Jack Westrope was inducted posthumously in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2002.
