Walter Blum
Encyclopedia
Walter "Mousey" Blum is a retired Hall of Fame
jockey
.
A horse racing fan from boyhood, in his teens Blum began working as a racetrack hotwalker. Despite being blind
in his right eye from the age of two, in 1953 he embarked on a career as a jockey, riding his first winner on July 29 at Saratoga Race Course
. During the better part of his 22 year career Blum rode mainly at East Coast
tracks from New Jersey
to Florida
and is one of only four jockeys to ever win six races on a single card at Monmouth Park. However, in the 1960s he rode seasonally at California
tracks, notably winning the 1966 Santa Anita Derby
, and he also dominated Chicago's
summer racing circuit at Arlington Park
.
On June 19, 1961, Walter Blum rode six winners on a single racecard at Monmouth Park Racetrack
. He won more races in 1963 and 1964 than any other American jockey. He rode in the Kentucky Derby
and Preakness Stakes
on two occasions, his best finish a fourth in both in 1967 aboard Reason to Hail. In the 1971 Belmont Stakes, he rode Pass Catcher
to a victory that denied Canonero II
the Triple Crown
. His best known mounts were Hall of Famers Affectionately
and Gun Bow
with one of his most famous victories coming in the 1964 Woodward Stakes
when he rode Gun Bow to a win over the legendary Kelso
.
In 1969 Blum was elected president of the Jockeys' Guild
and served until 1974. He rode his last mount in 1975 then went to work as a racing official at Garden State Park
and the Atlantic City racetracks. In 1978 he moved to Florida where he served as a state steward until retiring on December 30, 2004.
Blum was inducted in the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
in 1986 and the following year in the United States 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:...
.
A horse racing fan from boyhood, in his teens Blum began working as a racetrack hotwalker. Despite being blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
in his right eye from the age of two, in 1953 he embarked on a career as a jockey, riding his first winner on July 29 at Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
. During the better part of his 22 year career Blum rode mainly at East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
tracks from 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...
to 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...
and is one of only four jockeys to ever win six races on a single card at Monmouth Park. However, in the 1960s he rode seasonally at California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
tracks, notably winning the 1966 Santa Anita Derby
Santa Anita Derby
The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $1 million. Inaugurated in 1935, it is considered the most important West Coast stepping-stone to the Kentucky Derby...
, and he also dominated Chicago's
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
summer racing circuit 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...
.
On June 19, 1961, Walter Blum rode six winners on a single racecard at Monmouth Park Racetrack
Monmouth Park Racetrack
Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.Monmouth Park's marquee event...
. He won more races in 1963 and 1964 than any other American jockey. He rode 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...
and 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...
on two occasions, his best finish a fourth in both in 1967 aboard Reason to Hail. In the 1971 Belmont Stakes, he rode Pass Catcher
Pass Catcher
Pass Catcher was an United States Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 103rd running of the Belmont Stakes. The bay colt was bred and raced by Peter Kissel's October House Farm. His sire was All Hands and his dam was La Grue...
to a victory that denied Canonero II
Canonero II
Canonero II , was a Venezuelan champion thoroughbred race horse.Bred by Edward B. Benjamin in Greensboro, North Carolina, the bay colt was born with a noticeably crooked foreleg, and as such was considered to have no future in racing. He was sold as a yearling for a mere $1,200 at the Keeneland...
the 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...
. His best known mounts were Hall of Famers Affectionately
Affectionately
Affectionately was the daughter of 1956 American Horse of the Year Swaps, out of the exceptional racing mare Searching. Searching's dam was Big Hurry, by Black Toney out of the best "Blue Hen" mare of them all, La Troienne...
and Gun Bow
Gun Bow
Gun Bow was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse. Owned and bred by cosmetics tycoon Elizabeth Arden at her Maine Chance Farm, Gun Bow was sired by Gun Shot, a son of Hyperion, the 1933 Epsom Derby winner and a six-time leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland. He was out of the mare...
with one of his most famous victories coming in the 1964 Woodward Stakes
Woodward Stakes
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...
when he rode Gun Bow to a win over the legendary Kelso
Kelso (horse)
Kelso was an American thoroughbred race horse considered among the best racehorses of the 20th century. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by The Blood-Horse magazine Kelso ranks 4th, behind only Man o' War , Secretariat and Citation...
.
In 1969 Blum was elected president of the Jockeys' Guild
Jockeys' Guild
The Jockeys' Guild Inc. is an American trade association based in Lexington, Kentucky, representing thoroughbred horse racing and American quarter horse professional jockeys...
and served until 1974. He rode his last mount in 1975 then went to work as a racing official at Garden State Park
Garden State Park
Garden State Park was a harness and thoroughbred race track in Cherry Hill, Camden County, New Jersey. It is now the site of a high-end, mixed-use "town center" development of stores, restaurants, apartments, townhouses, and condominiums...
and the Atlantic City racetracks. In 1978 he moved to Florida where he served as a state steward until retiring on December 30, 2004.
Blum was inducted in the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around the world....
in 1986 and the following year in the United States 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...
.