Arcaro, Eddie (George Edward Arcaro) [key], 1916–97, American jockey, b. Cincinnati. In a thirty-year career (1931–62), he won 4,779 races and his mounts won $30,039,543 in purses, leading Sports Illustrated to deem him at his retirement “the most famous man to ride a horse since Paul Revere.” Arcaro won six Preaknesses and six Belmonts and was one of only two jockeys (Bill Hartack was the other) to win the Kentucky Derby five times. He was the only jockey to have won the Triple Crown (the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes) twice, on Whirlaway in 1941 and on Citation in 1948. His mounts won the Horse of the Year title eight times between 1941 and 1961.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Sports: Biographies