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Woodbine's legendary jockeys pose for a picture with Noreen Taylor at Thursday's draw
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As part of Woodbine's 50th anniversary celebrations, prominent jockeys from each era were invited to the Thursday media conference for Sunday’s Northern Dancer Breeders’ Cup Turf. Each was acknowledged before the draw for the race and posed for pictures with guest drawmaster Noreen Taylor (front row, centre) after the event.
Larry Attard (back row, left)
One of the most consistent and hard-working riders to ever compete in Ontario racing circles, Larry Attard, who was Canada’s leading rider on two occasions, began his life in the irons in 1973. While several serious injuries wreaked havoc on his career, the native of Malta, who hung up his tack in 1997, retired with 2,366 wins and purse earnings of more than $34 million. A two-time Sovereign Award winner as this country’s top rider, Attard won the 1983 Queen’s Plate with Bompago. He was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2001.
Bob Cormack (front row, center-right)
On July 7, 1953 at Calgary, Bob Cormack rode his first winner. The Mervin, Saskatchewan native went on to win over 100 races over the next four years, including 38 in his first campaign. He is best known as one of 14 jockeys to ride in the first ever race at Woodbine on Tuesday, June 12, 1956. He finished fourth aboard Count Maple at 74-1.
Hugo Dittfach (back row, center-left)
Launching his riding career in 1956, Hugo Dittfach won several big races throughout his career, perhaps none more thrilling than his victory aboard Blue Light in the 1961 Queen’s Plate, one of the closest finishes in the history of the classic. That same year, Dittfach led all Canadian riders with a remarkable 195 winners. Inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1983, Dittfach, who received the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award in 1991, has been a fixture at the racetrack for six decades, including a successful run as a trainer at the Toronto oval.
Lloyd Duffy (back row, right)
The seventh recipient of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award (1990), Lloyd Duffy was one of Ontario’s most popular riders. Originally setting out to become a harness driver, Duffy went on to pilot some of Canada’s highest profile thoroughbreds, including Frost King, 1982’s Horse of the Year. Frost King scored victory in the Japan Cup Prep later that year. He also rode Deputy Minister, who went on to become a Canadian and North American champion. During his time in the saddle, Duffy competed in Japan, South Africa, Europe and the United States.
Richard Grubb (front row, second from right)
One of two jockeys to record seven wins on one programme of racing at Woodbine, Richard Grubb, who scored his first win in 1966, went on to capture over 1,600 races in his 23-year career. He retired from racing in 1989, but is still active as an Ontario Racing Commission steward. Born in Kitchener, Ontario, Grubb, who began riding at Woodbine under the tutelage of legendary trainer Lou Cavalaris, Jr., captured the 1967 jockey championship, leading all Canadian riders with a sensational 230 wins. He’s also ridden some of the country’s most time-honoured stars, including 1968 Horse of the Year, Viceregal, Overskate, 1970 Breeders’ Stakes winner, Mary of Scotland, and 1968 Prince of Wales hero, Rouletabille. In 1997, Grubb was honoured with Avelino Gomez Memorial Award.
Sandy Hawley (front row, center-left)
One of the greatest race-riders to hail from Canada, Sandy Hawley is also one of the most decorated athletes, on and off the racetrack. A four-time Queen’s Plate winner, Hawley became the first rider to be voted Canada’s Athlete of the Year, an honour he was to win again. A two-time Eclipse Award winner as North America’s Outstanding Rider, Hawley, who became the first jockey in the history of thoroughbred racing in North America to win 500 races in a single season, was also a recipient of the prestigious Order of Canada. In 1986, he was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. The 1986 Avelino Gomez Memorial Award winner currently works for Woodbine Entertainment Group as an ambassador and on-air television personality.
John LeBlanc (back row, centre-right)
John LeBlanc, the man who partnered La Prevoyante, Canada’s Horse of the Year in 1972, and Angle Light, Secretariat’s entrymate in the 1973 Kentucky Derby, made 1,466 trips to the winner’s circle, which spanned from 1961 to 1990. LeBlanc joined Windfields Farm in 1960, and a year later became an apprentice, campaigning in Ohio and at Montreal’s Blue Bonnets. The New Brunswick native came to the OJC circuit (Woodbine, Greenwood and Fort Erie) to stay in 1963. His finest years were 1965 (123 wins) and 1970, when he recorded 121 wins, finishing as Canada’s third leading rider behind fellow legend Sandy Hawley. Other highlights came in Canada’s Triple Crown series. Consecutive Breeders’ Stakes triumphs in 1968 and 1969 with No Parando and Grey Whiz, respectively, preceded victories in the Prince of Wales, at Fort Erie, in 1972 with Presidial and Val Dansant in 1984.
Sam McComb (front row, left)
His standup riding style might have turned plenty of heads during his days in the saddle, but there was no denying that Sam McComb could get the job done whether it was on a big favourite or rank outsider. A former steeplechaser in England and Ireland, McComb made a name for himself on Canadian soil. After winning just 10 races in 1960, McComb reached the winner’s circle 63 times in 1961, his mounts earning over $200,000. His big break came in August of 1961 when he guided Winisteo to victory in the Canadian Stakes at Fort Erie. Peter’s Chop was another big horse for McComb, the duo taking the Cup & Saucer Stakes, finishing second in the Coronation Futurity and third to Flaming Page in the 1962 Queen’s Plate. Two years later, McComb teamed with eventual Hall of Famer Langcrest to finish second, at 57-1, to the immortal Northern Dancer in the Plate.
Robin Platts (front row, right)
One of the toughest competitors to ever get a ‘leg up,’ Robin Platts is one of three jockeys – Avelino Gomez and Sandy Hawley are the others – to win the Queen’s Plate on four occasions. He was also part of trainer Mike Keogh’s team that campaigned Wando to Triple Crown glory in 2003. During his illustrious career, the native of England won close to 250 stakes races, including victories with Canadian stalwarts Overskate, Frost King, Izvestia, Norcliffe and Carotene. A winner of over 3,200 races, the 1997 Hall of Fame inductee earned a Sovereign Award as Canada’s Top Rider in 1979 and was honoured with the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award in 1992.
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