Nick Wall
Encyclopedia
Nicholas J. "Nick" Wall (December 18, 1906 - March 17, 1983) was a Canadian
jockey
who competed successfully in Canada and was the 1938 Champion rider
in the United States
.
Born in Conception Bay, Newfoundland
, while still a small boy Nick Wall's family moved to Glace Bay, Nova Scotia
. A coal mining
town, the diminutive Wall work in the mines as a pony
rider. He began his professional jockey career in 1926 and in 1928 scored his first major win in the King Edward Gold Cup
at Woodbine Park Racetrack
in Toronto
. Riding principally in the United States
, over the course of his career, Nick Wall had mounts in each of the American Classic Races with his best result in the Kentucky Derby
coming in 1936 when he rode Coldstream to a fourth-place finish.
In 1938, Wall had his best year when he was the United States Champion Jockey by earnings
. That year he won numerous important races at tracks in the New York
and Boston
area but earned national headlines for riding Stagehand
to a victory over the legendary Seabiscuit
in the Santa Anita Handicap
at Arcadia, California
.
Nick Wall continued to race successfully but a serious injury sustained in a 1945 race diminished his riding skills. At the time of his retirement in 1957 he had made 11,164 starts, earning 1,419 firsts, 1,305 seconds, plus 1,352 third-place finishes.
In 1979, Nick Wall was Inducted in Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
and the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame. He died in Bellerose, New York
in 1983 at age seventy-six.
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...
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 competed successfully in Canada and was the 1938 Champion rider
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 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Born in Conception Bay, Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, while still a small boy Nick Wall's family moved to Glace Bay, Nova Scotia
Glace Bay, Nova Scotia
Glace Bay is a community in the eastern part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It forms part of the general area referred to as Industrial Cape Breton....
. A coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
town, the diminutive Wall work in the mines as a pony
Pony
A pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...
rider. He began his professional jockey career in 1926 and in 1928 scored his first major win in the King Edward Gold Cup
King Edward Stakes
The King Edward Breeders' Cup Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The Grade II turf race is open to horses aged three and older and is raced over a distance of one mile...
at Woodbine Park Racetrack
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...
in 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...
. Riding principally in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, over the course of his career, Nick Wall had mounts in each of the American Classic Races with his best result 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...
coming in 1936 when he rode Coldstream to a fourth-place finish.
In 1938, Wall had his best year when 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...
. That year he won numerous important races at tracks 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 Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
area but earned national headlines for riding Stagehand
Stagehand (horse)
Stagehand was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the only horse to ever win the Santa Anita Handicap and the Santa Anita Derby in the same year....
to a victory over the legendary Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse in the United States. From an inauspicious start, Seabiscuit became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many Americans during the Great Depression...
in the Santa Anita Handicap
Santa Anita Handicap
The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up , and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during the winter racing season...
at Arcadia, California
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....
.
Nick Wall continued to race successfully but a serious injury sustained in a 1945 race diminished his riding skills. At the time of his retirement in 1957 he had made 11,164 starts, earning 1,419 firsts, 1,305 seconds, plus 1,352 third-place finishes.
In 1979, Nick Wall was Inducted in Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established in 1955 to "preserve the record of Canadian sports achievements and to promote a greater awareness of Canada's heritage of sport." It is located at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta...
and the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame. He died in Bellerose, New York
Bellerose, New York
Bellerose is a village in Nassau County, New York, in the United States. The population was 1,193 at the 2010 census.Bellerose is in the town of Hempstead near the western county line.- History :...
in 1983 at age seventy-six.