Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Milo Valenzuela

Hall Of Fame jockey Milo Valenzuela passed away today at the age of 74. Valenzuela was aboard Tim Tam and Forward Pass for their wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes (Tim Tam in 1958 and Forward Pass in 1968).

More importantly for the purposes of racing history, Valenzuela was the regular rider of Kelso. Kelso was the five-time Horse Of The Year from 1960-1964. No other horse has even come close to matching that accomplishment and it is entirely likely that no other horse will ever come close to matching that accomplishment. Valenzuela and Kelso teamed up for 22 victories over their time together.

In his impressive career, Valenzuela won 2,545 races and earned over $20 million dollars in purses. Valenzuela holds one more unique thing in his holster. He is the only person to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame outside of Saratoga. He was inducted at Santa Anita due to health concerns.

Tune in tomorrow for more from They Are Off. For right now, I am Gone...GOODBYE!

Thanks to thoroughbredtimes.com for information.

No comments: