Lloyd Duffy
Encyclopedia
Lloyd Duffy is a retired Canadian
Champion
jockey
in Thoroughbred
flat
horse racing
who uniquely is also a licensed driver of harness racing
horses.
As a teenager, Duffy began attending harness racing
events at a racetrack near his home. He left school to go to work for a local stable and eventually made his way to Toronto
, Ontario
where he was introduced to Thoroughbred racing. Having the physique necessary to be a jockey, he learned to ride and in 1966 obtained his jockey license. While he started his new career slowly, after earning his first win on June 29, 1967 he soon became one of the top apprentice jockeys on the Ontario circuit.
From a base in Toronto, Lloyd Duffy would go on to an outstanding career in Canadian racing. Frequently among the top jockeys in wins during the 1970s and 1980s at Greenwood Raceway
, and at Woodbine
and Fort Erie Racetracks, he also traveled to compete in the United States
, Europe
, Japan
, and South Africa
.
Notable among the horses Duffy rode were two Hall of Fame
inductees. In 1981 he rode Deputy Minister
who was voted the Canadian and American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt as well as Canadian Horse of the Year. The following year he was voted the Sovereign Award for Outstanding Jockey
when he was the regular jockey for Canadian Horse of the Year, Frost King
.
In 1982, Lloyd Duffy was inducted in the Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame and in 1990 he was voted the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award
, an honour given annually to a jockey in Canada who has made significant contributions to the sport.
Retired after thirty years as a jockey, on October 17, 1998, in an event that raised money for charity at the racetrack in his native Charlottetown, Lloyd Duffy was the celebrity guest jockey who rode in a "man vs horse" match race
against sprinter Ben Johnson.
Duffy continues to work in the horse racing industry, exercising horses for various racing stables at Woodbine Racetrack
.
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...
Champion
Sovereign Award
The Sovereign Award is given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada to the outstanding horses and people in Canadian Thoroughbred racing.The most prestigious award for horses is Sovereign Horse of the Year....
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 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...
flat
Flat racing
Flat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles...
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...
who uniquely is also a licensed driver of harness racing
Harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
horses.
As a teenager, Duffy began attending harness racing
Harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
events at a racetrack near his home. He left school to go to work for a local stable and eventually made his way to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
where he was introduced to Thoroughbred racing. Having the physique necessary to be a jockey, he learned to ride and in 1966 obtained his jockey license. While he started his new career slowly, after earning his first win on June 29, 1967 he soon became one of the top apprentice jockeys on the Ontario circuit.
From a base in Toronto, Lloyd Duffy would go on to an outstanding career in Canadian racing. Frequently among the top jockeys in wins during the 1970s and 1980s at Greenwood Raceway
Greenwood Raceway
Greenwood Raceway is a defunct horse racing facility in Toronto.Inaugurated in 1874 as Woodbine Race Course at the foot of Woodbine Avenue and Lake Ontario, it was owned and operated by two gentlemen named Pardee and Howell. Within a few years financial problems resulted in the property reverting...
, and at Woodbine
Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack is a Canadian racetrack for Thoroughbred horse races located at 555 Rexdale Blvd. in the city of Toronto, Ontario. It is the only horseracing track in North America which stages, or is capable of staging, thoroughbred and standardbred horseracing programs on the same day...
and Fort Erie Racetracks, he also traveled to compete in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Notable among the horses Duffy rode were two 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....
inductees. In 1981 he rode Deputy Minister
Deputy Minister (horse)
Deputy Minister was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred horse racing Champion. At age two, he won eight out of his nine starts and was voted the 1981 Sovereign and Eclipse Award winner as North American Champion 2-Yr-Old, and was also voted Canada's Sovereign Award for Horse of the Year...
who was voted the Canadian and American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt as well as Canadian Horse of the Year. The following year he was voted the Sovereign Award for Outstanding Jockey
Sovereign Award for Outstanding Jockey
The Sovereign Award for Outstanding Jockey is a Canadian thoroughbred horse racing honor given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada. Part of the Sovereign Awards, the "Outstanding Jockey" laurel is similar to the Eclipse Award given to jockeys in the United States.Honourees:*1975 : Hugo...
when he was the regular jockey for Canadian Horse of the Year, Frost King
Frost King
Frost King is a Canadian Thoroughbred Champion and Hall of Fame racehorse. Bred by Ted Smith of Rockwood, Ontario, he was sired by Manhattan Handicap winner, Ruritania. His dam was Native Flower whose sire, Restless Native, was a son of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Native Dancer....
.
In 1982, Lloyd Duffy was inducted in the Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame and in 1990 he was voted the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award
Avelino Gomez Memorial Award
The Avelino Gomez Memorial Award is a Canadian thoroughbred horse racing honor given annually to a jockey who is Canadian-born, Canadian-raised, or a regular in the country for more than five years, who has made significant contributions to the sport...
, an honour given annually to a jockey in Canada who has made significant contributions to the sport.
Retired after thirty years as a jockey, on October 17, 1998, in an event that raised money for charity at the racetrack in his native Charlottetown, Lloyd Duffy was the celebrity guest jockey who rode in a "man vs horse" 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...
against sprinter Ben Johnson.
Duffy continues to work in the horse racing industry, exercising horses for various racing stables at Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack is a Canadian racetrack for Thoroughbred horse races located at 555 Rexdale Blvd. in the city of Toronto, Ontario. It is the only horseracing track in North America which stages, or is capable of staging, thoroughbred and standardbred horseracing programs on the same day...
.