Arthur Pickens
Encyclopedia
Arthur Pickens was an American Thoroughbred horse racing
jockey
who won the most prestigious race in both the United States
and Canada
.
Pickens began his career working as an exercise rider in 1906. Two years later, nineteen-year-old Arthur Pickens became the youngest jockey to ever win the Kentucky Derby when he rode named Stone Street
to victory over Bashford Manor Stable's
heavy favorite, Sir Cleges. His age record stood for seventy years until Steve Cauthen
won the 1978 running. In 1916 Pickens won two of the three races that would later be part of the Canadian Triple Crown
series. His wins came aboard distiller Joseph Seagram's
colt Mandarin in the 1916 Breeders' Stakes
and in Canada's most prestigious race, the King's Plate
. That year he also won the Coronation Futurity Stakes
for the Seagram Stable
.
Among his other accomplishments in racing, on May 28, 1918 Arthur Pickens rode four winners at Prospect Park Fair Grounds on Coney Island
, New York
. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1654790152.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=May+29%2C+1918&author=&pub=The+Sun+(1837-1985)&desc=PICKENS+HAS+BIG+DAY&pqatl=google In winters he road at Oriental Park Racetrack
in Havana, Cuba where in 1924 he was one of the tracks top jockeys. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70A12FF395F17738DDDAF0994D9405B848EF1D3
Arthur Pickens died at age 55 in Maysville, Kentucky
where he and his wife Lillian Webster Pickens made their home. He is buried in the Maysville Cemetery. Following its formation in 1955, Pickens was inducted in the National Jockey's Hall of Fame at Pimlico Race Course
.
In 2008, Raymond H. Davis of Rockville, Maryland
, a second cousin of Arthur Pickens published his biography titled Remembering Arthur Pickens.
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
who won the most prestigious race in both the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Pickens began his career working as an exercise rider in 1906. Two years later, nineteen-year-old Arthur Pickens became the youngest jockey to ever win the Kentucky Derby when he rode named Stone Street
Stone Street (horse)
Stone Street was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that is primarily remembered for winning the 1908 Kentucky Derby. He was a bay colt sired by Longstreet out of the mare Stone Nellie . His grandsire was the great racer and top nineteenth century sire Longfellow, himself a son of the important...
to victory over Bashford Manor Stable's
Bashford Manor Stable
Bashford Manor Stable was an American Thoroughbred racing and breeding operation in Louisville, Kentucky owned by George James Long.In 1874 James Bennett Wilder built a home on farm acreage he called Bashford Manor. In 1887 George Long purchased Bashford Manor and developed it into a leading...
heavy favorite, Sir Cleges. His age record stood for seventy years until Steve Cauthen
Steve Cauthen
Steve Cauthen is a retired American jockey.Cauthen, the son of a trainer and a farrier, grew up in Walton, Kentucky around horses, which made race-riding a logical career choice. He rode his first race on May 12, 1976 at Churchill Downs; he finished last, riding King of Swat...
won the 1978 running. In 1916 Pickens won two of the three races that would later be part of the Canadian Triple Crown
Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Canadian Triple Crown is a series of three Thoroughbred horse races run annually in Canada which is open to three-year-old horses foaled in Canada...
series. His wins came aboard distiller Joseph Seagram's
Joseph E. Seagram
Joseph Emm Seagram was a British Canadian distillery founder, politician, philanthropist, and major owner of thoroughbred racehorses....
colt Mandarin in the 1916 Breeders' Stakes
Breeders' Stakes
The Breeders' Stakes is a Canadian stakes race for Thoroughbred race horses first run in 1889. Since 1959 it has been the third race in the Canadian Triple Crown for three-year-olds...
and in Canada's most prestigious race, the King's Plate
Queen's Plate
The Queen's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race. It is run at a distance of 1¼ miles for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer in June or July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke , Ontario...
. That year he also won the Coronation Futurity Stakes
Coronation Futurity Stakes
The Coronation Futurity Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old horses foaled in Canada. It is run annually in early November at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario at a distance of 1 1/8 miles on dirt...
for the Seagram Stable
Seagram Stable
Seagram Stables was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing operation founded in 1888 by the wealthy distiller, Joseph E. Seagram. Located in Seagram's hometown of Waterloo, Ontario, the stables and large training facilities were built along Lincoln Road....
.
Among his other accomplishments in racing, on May 28, 1918 Arthur Pickens rode four winners at Prospect Park Fair Grounds on Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1654790152.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=May+29%2C+1918&author=&pub=The+Sun+(1837-1985)&desc=PICKENS+HAS+BIG+DAY&pqatl=google In winters he road at Oriental Park Racetrack
Oriental Park Racetrack
Oriental Park Racetrack in Marianao, Havana, Cuba was a thoroughbred horse racing facility operated during the winter months by the Havana-American Jockey Club of Cuba...
in Havana, Cuba where in 1924 he was one of the tracks top jockeys. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70A12FF395F17738DDDAF0994D9405B848EF1D3
Arthur Pickens died at age 55 in Maysville, Kentucky
Maysville, Kentucky
Maysville is a city in and the county seat of Mason County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 8,993 at the 2000 census, making it the fiftieth largest city in Kentucky by population. Maysville is on the Ohio River, northeast of Lexington. It is the principal city of the Maysville...
where he and his wife Lillian Webster Pickens made their home. He is buried in the Maysville Cemetery. Following its formation in 1955, Pickens was inducted in the National Jockey's Hall of Fame at Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
.
In 2008, Raymond H. Davis of Rockville, Maryland
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
, a second cousin of Arthur Pickens published his biography titled Remembering Arthur Pickens.