Carroll H. Shilling
Encyclopedia
Carroll Hugh Shilling was an American Thoroughbred horse racing
Hall of Fame
jockey
. In his 1926 autobiography, "The Spell of the Turf," Hall of Fame trainer Sam Hildreth
wrote that Shilling was the greatest rider he ever saw.
A native of Texas
, Carroll Shilling was frequently referred to as "Cal." He began riding at an early age on bush track
s in the Southwestern United States
and embarked on a professional riding career in 1904. The following year he moved to compete at racetracks in the New York
and New Jersey
areas. In 1910, he was the United States Champion Jockey by earnings
. Shilling would also ride in Canada
for the prominent stable owned by liquor magnate, Joseph E. Seagram
, winning a number of important races including what became one of the Canadian Classic Races, the Breeders' Stakes
.
. He finished second aboard Miami in the 1909 edition then in the 1912 race rode Worth
to victory in what the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
describes as probably his most dramatic win.
. In the Spring of 1910, The Jockey Club
set aside Shilling's application for a jockey license.
Legislation outlawing parimutuel betting
was passed by the New York Legislature
which resulted in the closure of all New York racetracks between 1911 and 1912. On November 2, 1911, the New York Times reported that Carroll Shilling and trainer Sam Hildreth had sailed to England
aboard the RMS Mauretania
with the intent of racing there for the stable of American owner, Charles Kohler. On January 9, 1912 the New York Times newspaper reported that Kohler was sailing to England and would apply for a license for Carroll Shilling to ride his horses there. However, that did not work out and the New York Times then reported on March 10, 1912 that Shilling would ride for Kohler's American stable under trainer, David J. Leary.
In an era when jockeys commonly used dirty tactics, Carroll was notorious for his actions. In 1912, while riding at Havre de Grace Racetrack
in Maryland
, he was banned from racing for striking another jockey with his whip during a race. The action resulted in his riding career ending after just six full years plus two partial years when the New York racing shutdown meant there was fierce competition for jockeys at tracks outside New York state.
Following his ban from riding, Carroll Shilling remained in racing as a stableman and in 1915 his application for a jockey's license was again denied. He eventually went to work for J. K. L. Ross
, a major stable owner from Canada with racing and breeding operations there and in the United States. As an assistant to trainer H. Guy Bedwell
, Shilling helped condition Sir Barton
for his 1919 Triple Crown championship and tutored a young jockey named Earl Sande
who would go on to a Hall of Fame career of his own. However, Shilling's suspension from riding remained an issue for many years. On November 11, 1920, the New York Times reported that J. K. L. Ross successfully petitioned the Maryland State Racing Commission to lift the ban on Shilling and grant him a temporary jockey's license. The Maryland Jockey Club revolted against the decision and the matter became a very major public embarrassment for racing when a mob at Pimlico Race Course
, who wanted Shilling to race, attacked and beat up Maryland racing commissioner, Joseph P. Kennedy. The issue soon involved the New York Jockey Club whose powerful president August Belmont, Jr.'s
lined up against the attempt by J. K. L. Ross to have Carroll Shilling reinstated. The Ross stable trainer, H. Guy Bedwell, had testified before the Maryland State Racing Commission in support of Shilling and he too would become a central figure in the controversy. The April 21, 1921 issue of the New York Times quoted from a letter by August Belmont, Jr. to J. K. L. Ross saying "the entries of your stable will not be acceptable to this association if ex-Jockey Carroll Shilling or H. G. Bedwell is in any way connected, directly or indirectly, with the same."
The issue threatened the closure of Pimlico Race Course
who was the only of the four Maryland racetracks who sided with the New York authorities. Maryland's Governor
, Albert Ritchie
, got involved as did State senator
William I. Norris who acted as legal counsel for trainer Bedwell. Pimlico Race Course president Charles E. McLane then supported Bedwell and the Maryland State Racing Commission threatened to ban New York Jockey Club members from competing in Maryland. The Maryland State Racing Commission stood its ground and on June 30, 1921, amended their temporary order to grant Shilling a permanent jockey's license. However, the Maryland State Racing Commission gave in to the unrelenting political pressure to end the inter-state dispute and on July 9, 1921 the Commission passed a resolution that The New York Times said had the effect of making any license issued by the Commission of doubtful value because the resolution declared its licenses not to be a mandate to any of Maryland's race tracks. The effect of the resolution was that Carroll Shilling never rode again and his ordeal led to a severe drinking problem
. In their May 17, 1948 edition, TIME
magazine reported that in recent years he had been in and out of sanitarium
s. Two years later, Shilling was found dead under a horse van at Belmont Park
. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,858602,00.html?iid=chix-sphere
In a short career, Carroll Shilling won 969 races and in his final three seasons, had a remarkable thirty-four percent winning percentage. In 1970, the National Museum of Racing
at Saratoga Springs, New York
recognized the talent of Carroll Shilling and inducted him in their Racing and Hall of Fame.
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...
Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
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:...
. In his 1926 autobiography, "The Spell of the Turf," Hall of Fame trainer Sam Hildreth
Sam Hildreth
Samuel Clay Hildreth was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer and owner.Born in Independence, Missouri, Sam Hildreth began his training career in 1887, competing at racetracks in the Midwestern United States with such horses as the good racemare Hurley Burley, the dam of...
wrote that Shilling was the greatest rider he ever saw.
A native of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Carroll Shilling was frequently referred to as "Cal." He began riding at an early age on bush track
Bush track
Bush track is a term used in horse racing to describe unsanctioned, informal horse races run in rural areas of the United States and southern Canada. Quarter horses, ridden by amateur jockeys, are raced on makeshift tracks, often set up in the field where the horses are pastured using barrels or...
s in the Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
and embarked on a professional riding career in 1904. The following year he moved to compete at racetracks in the 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...
and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
areas. In 1910, he was the United States Champion Jockey by earnings
United States Champion Jockey by earnings
There is recognition for the United States Champion Jockey by earnings but no formal award is given to the jockey whose mounts earned the most purse money in American Thoroughbred racing. The American Racing Manual shows that since 1910 the following jockeys headed the annual earnings list the most...
. Shilling would also ride in 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...
for the prominent stable owned by liquor magnate, Joseph E. Seagram
Joseph E. Seagram
Joseph Emm Seagram was a British Canadian distillery founder, politician, philanthropist, and major owner of thoroughbred racehorses....
, winning a number of important races including what became one of the Canadian Classic Races, the 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...
.
Kentucky Derby
During his career, Carroll Shilling had two mounts in the Kentucky DerbyKentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
. He finished second aboard Miami in the 1909 edition then in the 1912 race rode Worth
Worth (horse)
Worth was an American Thoroughbred race horse. He was the winner of the 1912 Kentucky Derby, as well as the Chesapeake Stakes and Latonia Handicap. He was the top racehorse, based on earnings, in 1911 and became a U.S. champion in 1912....
to victory in what the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
describes as probably his most dramatic win.
Personal problems and ban from racing
On November 19, 1909, the New York Times reported that Carroll Shilling severely stabbed stable owner R. L. Thomas after the two got into an argument at Sheepshead Bay Race TrackSheepshead Bay Race Track
Sheepshead Bay Race Track was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility built on the site of the Coney Island Jockey Club at Sheepshead Bay, New York...
. In the Spring of 1910, The Jockey Club
The Jockey Club
The Jockey Club, formed on February 9, 1894, is the keeper of The American Stud Book. It came into existence after James R. Keene spearheaded a drive in support of racehorse trainers who had complained about the Board of Control that governed racing in New York State.-History:On its formation, The...
set aside Shilling's application for a jockey license.
Legislation outlawing parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vig" is removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets...
was passed by the New York Legislature
New York Legislature
The New York State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. The New York Constitution does not designate an official term for the two houses together...
which resulted in the closure of all New York racetracks between 1911 and 1912. On November 2, 1911, the New York Times reported that Carroll Shilling and trainer Sam Hildreth had sailed to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
aboard the RMS Mauretania
RMS Mauretania (1906)
RMS Mauretania was an ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Wallsend, Tyne and Wear for the British Cunard Line, and launched on 20 September 1906. At the time, she was the largest and fastest ship in the world. Mauretania became a favourite among...
with the intent of racing there for the stable of American owner, Charles Kohler. On January 9, 1912 the New York Times newspaper reported that Kohler was sailing to England and would apply for a license for Carroll Shilling to ride his horses there. However, that did not work out and the New York Times then reported on March 10, 1912 that Shilling would ride for Kohler's American stable under trainer, David J. Leary.
In an era when jockeys commonly used dirty tactics, Carroll was notorious for his actions. In 1912, while riding at Havre de Grace Racetrack
Havre de Grace Racetrack
The Havre de Grace Racetrack was an American horse racing track on Post Road in Havre de Grace, Harford County, Maryland which operated from August 24, 1912 to 1950...
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, he was banned from racing for striking another jockey with his whip during a race. The action resulted in his riding career ending after just six full years plus two partial years when the New York racing shutdown meant there was fierce competition for jockeys at tracks outside New York state.
Following his ban from riding, Carroll Shilling remained in racing as a stableman and in 1915 his application for a jockey's license was again denied. He eventually went to work for J. K. L. Ross
J. K. L. Ross
John Kenneth Leveson Ross CBE was a Canadian businessman, sportsman, Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder, and philanthropist. He is best remembered for winning the first United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1919 with his Hall of Fame colt, Sir Barton.- Early life :J.K.L...
, a major stable owner from Canada with racing and breeding operations there and in the United States. As an assistant to trainer H. Guy Bedwell
H. Guy Bedwell
Harvey Guy Bedwell was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and owner who was the first trainer to win the U.S. Triple Crown.Born in Roseburg, Oregon he was known by his middle name...
, Shilling helped condition Sir Barton
Sir Barton
Sir Barton, , was a chestnut thoroughbred colt who in 1919 became the first winner of the American Triple Crown.He was sired by leading stud Star Shoot out of the Hanover mare Lady Sterling. His grandsire was the 1893 English Triple Crown champion, Isinglass.Sir Barton was bred in Kentucky by...
for his 1919 Triple Crown championship and tutored a young jockey named Earl Sande
Earl Sande
Earl H. Sande was an American Hall of Fame jockey and thoroughbred horse trainer.Born in Groton, South Dakota, Earl Sande started out as a bronco buster in the early 1900s but then became a successful American quarter horse rider before switching to thoroughbred horse racing in 1918...
who would go on to a Hall of Fame career of his own. However, Shilling's suspension from riding remained an issue for many years. On November 11, 1920, the New York Times reported that J. K. L. Ross successfully petitioned the Maryland State Racing Commission to lift the ban on Shilling and grant him a temporary jockey's license. The Maryland Jockey Club revolted against the decision and the matter became a very major public embarrassment for racing when a mob 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...
, who wanted Shilling to race, attacked and beat up Maryland racing commissioner, Joseph P. Kennedy. The issue soon involved the New York Jockey Club whose powerful president August Belmont, Jr.'s
August Belmont, Jr.
August Belmont, Jr. was an American financier, the builder of New York's Belmont Park racetrack, and a major owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses.-Early life:...
lined up against the attempt by J. K. L. Ross to have Carroll Shilling reinstated. The Ross stable trainer, H. Guy Bedwell, had testified before the Maryland State Racing Commission in support of Shilling and he too would become a central figure in the controversy. The April 21, 1921 issue of the New York Times quoted from a letter by August Belmont, Jr. to J. K. L. Ross saying "the entries of your stable will not be acceptable to this association if ex-Jockey Carroll Shilling or H. G. Bedwell is in any way connected, directly or indirectly, with the same."
The issue threatened the closure of 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...
who was the only of the four Maryland racetracks who sided with the New York authorities. Maryland's Governor
Governor of Maryland
The Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of Maryland, and he is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state, and he has a broad range of appointive powers in both the State and local governments,...
, Albert Ritchie
Albert Ritchie
Albert Cabell Ritchie , a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 49th Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1920 to 1935...
, got involved as did State senator
Maryland General Assembly
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...
William I. Norris who acted as legal counsel for trainer Bedwell. Pimlico Race Course president Charles E. McLane then supported Bedwell and the Maryland State Racing Commission threatened to ban New York Jockey Club members from competing in Maryland. The Maryland State Racing Commission stood its ground and on June 30, 1921, amended their temporary order to grant Shilling a permanent jockey's license. However, the Maryland State Racing Commission gave in to the unrelenting political pressure to end the inter-state dispute and on July 9, 1921 the Commission passed a resolution that The New York Times said had the effect of making any license issued by the Commission of doubtful value because the resolution declared its licenses not to be a mandate to any of Maryland's race tracks. The effect of the resolution was that Carroll Shilling never rode again and his ordeal led to a severe drinking problem
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. In their May 17, 1948 edition, TIME
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine reported that in recent years he had been in and out of sanitarium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
s. Two years later, Shilling was found dead under a horse van at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,858602,00.html?iid=chix-sphere
In a short career, Carroll Shilling won 969 races and in his final three seasons, had a remarkable thirty-four percent winning percentage. In 1970, the National Museum of Racing
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
at Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
recognized the talent of Carroll Shilling and inducted him in their Racing and Hall of Fame.