Earl Sande
Encyclopedia
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. Sande joined Cal Shilling
and Johnny Loftus
as a contract rider for Commander J. K. L. Ross
. In 1919, he tied an American record with six wins on a single racecard at Havre de Grace Racetrack
. He went on to ride for noted owners such as Harry F. Sinclair
, and Samuel D. Riddle
and was the leading money-winning jockey in the United States in 1921, 1923, and again in 1927. He won both the Belmont Stakes
five times and the Jockey Club Gold Cup
on four occasions, the Kentucky Derby
three times and the Preakness Stakes
once. In 1923 he won 39 stakes races for Harry F. Sinclair's
Rancocas Stable, ten of which were on ultimate Horse of the Year
winner Zev
, including the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and a match race against England's Epsom Derby
winner Papyrus
. Sande's most famous wins came aboard Gallant Fox
in 1930 when he won the U.S. Triple Crown
.
Sande's fame was such that he was immortalized in a number of poems by Damon Runyon
. Following his retirement in 1932, Earl Sande remained in the industry as a trainer
. In 1938 he was the United States leading trainer and by the mid 1940s owned and operated his own racing stable.
In 1955, Earl Sande was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. His life story was told in the 2004 book by Richard J. Maturi titled "Triple Crown Winner: The Earl Sande Saga" (ISBN 0-9607298-5-2).
Earl Sande died in 1968 in a Jacksonville, Oregon
nursing home.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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:...
and thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse 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...
.
Born in Groton, South Dakota
Groton, South Dakota
Groton is a city in Brown County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,458 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Groton is located at ....
, Earl Sande started out as a bronco buster
Bronco
Bronco, or bronc is a term used in the United States, northern Mexico and Canada to refer to an untrained horse or one that habitually bucks. It may refer to a feral horse that has lived in the wild its entire life, but is also used to refer to domestic horses not yet fully trained to saddle, and...
in the early 1900s but then became a successful American quarter horse
American Quarter Horse
The American Quarter Horse is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name came from its ability to outdistance other breeds of horses in races of a quarter mile or less; some individuals have been clocked at speeds up to 55 mph...
rider before switching to thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
in 1918. Sande joined Cal Shilling
Carroll H. Shilling
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....
and Johnny Loftus
Johnny Loftus
John P. Loftus was an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Johnny Loftus was the first jockey to win the United States United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. During his career, between 1909 and 1919, he won 580 races out of the 2,449 he...
as a contract rider for Commander 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...
. In 1919, he tied an American record with six wins on a single racecard 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...
. He went on to ride for noted owners such as Harry F. Sinclair
Harry F. Sinclair
Harry Ford Sinclair was an American oil industrialist.-Early life:Harry Sinclair was born in Benwood, West Virginia, now a suburb of the city of Wheeling. Sinclair grew up in Independence, Kansas. The son of a pharmacist, after finishing high school, he entered the pharmacy department of the...
, and Samuel D. Riddle
Samuel D. Riddle
Samuel Doyle Riddle . He was born in Glen Riddle, Pennsylvania, a small town southwest of Philadelphia given the family name in honor of his grandfather....
and was the leading money-winning jockey in the United States in 1921, 1923, and again in 1927. He won both the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
five times and 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...
on four occasions, 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...
three times and 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...
once. In 1923 he won 39 stakes races for Harry F. Sinclair's
Harry F. Sinclair
Harry Ford Sinclair was an American oil industrialist.-Early life:Harry Sinclair was born in Benwood, West Virginia, now a suburb of the city of Wheeling. Sinclair grew up in Independence, Kansas. The son of a pharmacist, after finishing high school, he entered the pharmacy department of the...
Rancocas Stable, ten of which were on ultimate Horse of the Year
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
winner Zev
Zev (horse)
Zev was an American thoroughbred horse racing champion.-Background:A brown colt, Zev was sired by The Finn out of the mare Miss Kearney . Bred by the famous horseman John E. Madden, Zev was owned by the Rancocas Stable of Harry F...
, including the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and a match race against England's Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
winner Papyrus
Papyrus (horse)
Papyrus was a British Thoroughbred racehorse bred in Ireland. Out of the mare Miss Matty, he was sired by Tracery whose sire was Rock Sand....
. Sande's most famous wins came aboard Gallant Fox
Gallant Fox
Gallant Fox was a United States Thoroughbred horseracing champion.Foaled at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky by Sir Gallahad III out of the mare Marguerite, Gallant Fox was a bay colt who became the second horse to win the U.S...
in 1930 when he won 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...
.
Sande's fame was such that he was immortalized in a number of poems by Damon Runyon
Damon Runyon
Alfred Damon Runyon was an American newspaperman and writer.He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the...
. Following his retirement in 1932, Earl Sande remained in the 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 1938 he was the United States leading trainer and by the mid 1940s owned and operated his own racing stable.
In 1955, Earl Sande was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. His life story was told in the 2004 book by Richard J. Maturi titled "Triple Crown Winner: The Earl Sande Saga" (ISBN 0-9607298-5-2).
Earl Sande died in 1968 in a Jacksonville, Oregon
Jacksonville, Oregon
Jacksonville is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, a few miles west of Medford. It was named for Jackson Creek, which runs through the community and was the site of one of the first placer gold claims in the area. It includes Jacksonville Historic District which was designated a U.S....
nursing home.