Douglas Dodson
Encyclopedia
Douglas Allan Dodson was a Champion
jockey
in American Thoroughbred horse racing
.
Douglas Dodson was born in Pickardville
, Alberta
, Canada
, the son of James Floyd and Emma Dodson. His family moved to a ranch in Elk River, Idaho
when he was still a child and as a small boy he learned to ride horses and rope steers. His parents moved to Burns, Oregon
where at age fifteen he was working as a shoeshine
boy when traibner
Harry Walters told the diminutive boy shining his shoes about racing Thoroughbreds. http://www.emdowns.com/PDF/Longacres%20Mile%201935-49.pdf deciding that he wanted to try his luck as a jockey,Dodson soon traveled to the Longacres Racetrack in Renton, Washington
. There, he was hired by trainer Walter Neilsen and while still an apprentice jockey in 1939, won the Pacific Northwest's
most prestigious race, the Longacres Mile. At age seventeen, he was the youngest jockey to ever win the Longacres Mile.
In 1940, the then nineteen-year-old Dodson was signed by Warren Wright, Sr. to join Eddie Arcaro
as a rider for his Calumet Farm
stable of Lexington, Kentucky
. That same year, Wright, Sr. also hired Ben Jones
as head trainer. The result saw Calumet Farm record the most successful decade of any racing stable in the history of American Thoroughbred racing. Between 1945 and 1961, Douglas Dodson made twelve appearances in the Kentucky Derby
without winning. His best result came with his first ride in 1945 aboard Pot O' Luck when he ran second. Later that year he rode Pot O' Luck to victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup
. Dodson finished third in the Derby on three other occasions. He had much better luck in the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown
, the Preakness Stakes
. After finishing second by a neck in 1946 aboard Maine Chance Farm's
Lord Boswell, he won the race in 1947 aboard Faultless
, defeating Needles
. The following year he earned another second place result with Vulcan's Forge
. Dodson made his fourth and last Preakness start in 1956, earning third place aboard No Regrets.
Among Douglas Dodson's other accomplishments in racing, he was the Leading jockey at Arlington Park
in 1945 and 1946. In 1949, he made a return visit to his native Canada to ride the future Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
colt Arise
to a win in the Canadian Championship Stakes
. In 1951 Dodson became the first jockey to win three editions of the then richest race in Florida
, the Widener Handicap
at Hialeah Park. Dodson had his greatest success in 1946 and 1947 with the Calumet colt, Armed
. Voted the U.S. Champion Older Male Horse both years, on September 27, 1947, Armed and Dodson defeated U.S. Triple Crown
champion Assault
in a $100,000 winner take all match race
at Belmont Park
. That year, Armed received the highest honor in horse racing when he was voted Horse of the Year and in 1963 would be inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
. For Dodson, he won a National riding title
in 1947 when he led all American jockeys in total purses won.
Dodson retired from riding at the beginning of the 1960s but remained in the horse racing industry as a trainer
. In 1965 he was the top trainer at Hialeah Park Race Track
in Hialeah, Florida
.
Douglas Dodson was living in Hollywood, Florida
at the time of his death in 1982.
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
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 American Thoroughbred horse racing
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...
.
Douglas Dodson was born in Pickardville
Pickardville, Alberta
Pickardville is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within Westlock County. It is located west of Highway 44, approximately northwest of Edmonton.- References :...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, 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...
, the son of James Floyd and Emma Dodson. His family moved to a ranch in Elk River, Idaho
Elk River, Idaho
Elk River is a city in Clearwater County, Idaho, United States. The population was 156 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elk River is located at ....
when he was still a child and as a small boy he learned to ride horses and rope steers. His parents moved to Burns, Oregon
Burns, Oregon
Burns is a city in and the county seat of Harney County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 2,806.-History:Burns was established in the early 1880s and incorporated upon Harney county's creation in 1889...
where at age fifteen he was working as a shoeshine
Shoeshine
Shoeshine is a 1946 film and the first major work directed by Vittorio De Sica. In it, two shoeshine boys get into trouble with the police after trying to find the money to buy a horse.-Plot:...
boy when traibner
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
Harry Walters told the diminutive boy shining his shoes about racing Thoroughbreds. http://www.emdowns.com/PDF/Longacres%20Mile%201935-49.pdf deciding that he wanted to try his luck as a jockey,Dodson soon traveled to the Longacres Racetrack in Renton, Washington
Renton, Washington
Renton is an Eastside edge city in King County, Washington, United States. Situated 11 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington. Founded in the 1860s, Renton became a supply town for the Newcastle coal fields...
. There, he was hired by trainer Walter Neilsen and while still an apprentice jockey in 1939, won the Pacific Northwest's
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
most prestigious race, the Longacres Mile. At age seventeen, he was the youngest jockey to ever win the Longacres Mile.
In 1940, the then nineteen-year-old Dodson was signed by Warren Wright, Sr. to join Eddie Arcaro
Eddie Arcaro
George Edward Arcaro , known professionally as Eddie Arcaro, was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Triple Crown twice...
as a rider for his Calumet Farm
Calumet Farm
Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of Lexington's blue grass country, the finest horse breeding region in...
stable of Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. That same year, Wright, Sr. also hired Ben Jones
Ben A. Jones
Benjamin Allyn Jones was a thoroughbred horse trainer.Born in Parnell, Missouri, Ben Jones went into the business of breeding and training of thoroughbreds during the first decade of the 20th century, racing his horses on small circuits in the American West and in Mexico...
as head trainer. The result saw Calumet Farm record the most successful decade of any racing stable in the history of American Thoroughbred racing. Between 1945 and 1961, Douglas Dodson made twelve appearances in the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky 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...
without winning. His best result came with his first ride in 1945 aboard Pot O' Luck when he ran second. Later that year he rode Pot O' Luck to victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup
Jockey Club Gold Cup
The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers Stakes is of the...
. Dodson finished third in the Derby on three other occasions. He had much better luck in the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
, the Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
. After finishing second by a neck in 1946 aboard Maine Chance Farm's
Maine Chance Farm
Maine Chance Farm was an American Thoroughbred horse racing stable in Lexington, Kentucky owned by cosmetics tycoon, Elizabeth Arden.Elizabeth Arden raced under the nom de course "Mr. Nightingale" until 1943 when she adopted the name Maine Chance Farm from her health spa in Mount Vernon, Maine...
Lord Boswell, he won the race in 1947 aboard Faultless
Faultless
Faultless was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1947 Preakness Stakes. Bred and raced by Calumet Farm, his dam, Unerring, was the 1939 American Co-Champion Three-Year-Old Filly. His sire was Calumet's preeminent stallion Bull Lea who was the sire of seven U.S...
, defeating Needles
Needles (horse)
Needles was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced in Florida, the descendant of Blenheim II and a son and grandson of Kentucky Derby winners Ponder and Pensive, Needles was a sickly foal who was given his name because of the numerous veterinary injections he was...
. The following year he earned another second place result with Vulcan's Forge
Vulcan's Forge (horse)
Vulcan's Forge was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1947 Champagne Stakes as a two-year-old, the 1948 Withers Stakes, and in 1949 the prestigious Santa Anita and Suburban Handicaps....
. Dodson made his fourth and last Preakness start in 1956, earning third place aboard No Regrets.
Among Douglas Dodson's other accomplishments in racing, he was the Leading jockey at Arlington Park
Arlington Park
Arlington Park is a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago region has been a popular sport since the early days of the city in the 1830s, and at one time Chicago had more horse racing tracks than any other major metropolitan area...
in 1945 and 1946. In 1949, he made a return visit to his native Canada to ride the future Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and thoroughbred horse racing in Canada....
colt Arise
Arise (horse)
Arise was an Canadian Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by the 1936 Santa Anita Derby winner, He Did, a son of the 1928 Preakness Stakes winner, Victorian. Out of the dam Coralie B., his damsire Apprehension was a grandson of English Triple Crown champion, Rock Sand.Arise was...
to a win in the Canadian Championship Stakes
Canadian International Stakes
The Canadian International Stakes is a $2 million Grade I Canadian stakes race on Turf for thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and up held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario....
. In 1951 Dodson became the first jockey to win three editions of the then richest race in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, the Widener Handicap
Widener Handicap
The Widener Handicap at Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida was a Grade III stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses 3-years-old and up. It was run over a distance of 1¼ miles until 1993 when it was modified to 1 1/8 miles. Initially called the Widener Challenge Cup Handicap, the race was...
at Hialeah Park. Dodson had his greatest success in 1946 and 1947 with the Calumet colt, Armed
Armed
Armed was an American Thoroughbred gelding race horse. He was sired by the great stakes winner Bull Lea, which made him a half-brother to Citation...
. Voted the U.S. Champion Older Male Horse both years, on September 27, 1947, Armed and Dodson defeated U.S. Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
champion Assault
Assault (horse)
Assault was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse who won the U.S. Triple Crown in 1946.-Early life:...
in a $100,000 winner take all match race
Match race
A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.The term may be best known as a race between two sailing boats racing around a course...
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...
. That year, Armed received the highest honor in horse racing when he was voted Horse of the Year and in 1963 would be inducted in 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...
. For Dodson, he won a National riding title
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...
in 1947 when he led all American jockeys in total purses won.
Dodson retired from riding at the beginning of the 1960s but remained in the horse racing industry as a trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
. In 1965 he was the top trainer at Hialeah Park Race Track
Hialeah Park Race Track
The Hialeah Park Race Track is a historic site in Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East 22nd Street on the south to East 32nd Street on the north. On March 5, 1979, it was added to the U.S...
in Hialeah, Florida
Hialeah, Florida
Hialeah is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 226,419. As of 2009, the population estimate by the U. S...
.
Douglas Dodson was living in Hollywood, Florida
Hollywood, Florida
-Demographics:As of 2000, there were 59,673 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of...
at the time of his death in 1982.