Thoroughbred › Jockeys

Don MacBeth dreamed as a child of making it into the "Big Leagues". The native of Red Deer, Alberta never dreamed it would be the "Big League" of thoroughbred racing rather than the National Hockey League.

He started his racing career in Alberta and moved to various jurisdictions in the United States before moving to new Jersey in the early 1970's. During his career, he won 2,764 races from 22,435 mounts while amassing in excess of $40 million in purse earnings. He ranks second in career earnings amongst Canadian jockeys and eight in winnings. "I've always been proud of the fact I ride 100 per cent", said MacBeth. "Winning to me is everything. I played hockey that way. I may not have been the best hockey player, but I played hard."

Just some of his more memorable mounts and wins include Eclipse Award winners Deputy Minister and Chief's Crown, the latter went on to become 1984 Two Year Old Champion. MacBeth also rode him to victory in the 1985 Marlboro Cup. MacBeth was aboard Half iced, the 1982 million dollar Japan Cut winner and he won the Suburban Handicap three times - the first aboard Temperence Hill in 1982, with Silver Buck in 1982 and back again with Vanlandingham in 1984.

Don MacBeth was one of racing's best ambassadors. Racing lost him to cancer on march 1 of 1987 at the age of 37. In his last public appearance at a track, he was presented with the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. It is presented by Santa Anita in recognition of a rider who personifies conduct, both on and off the track. This past summer, he was awarded posthumously the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award for his significant contributions to Canadian racing. He was not only one of the best Canadian jockeys but simply just one of the best ever.

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