Russell Baze
There has never been a Bay Area athlete who has dominated his sport as completely and consistently as jockey Russell Baze. He retired as the world’s winningest rider with 12,842 victories from 53,578 mounts, recording 3,311more victories than Laffit Pincay Jr., the second-winningest jockey in American Thoroughbred racing history. On the local level, he won […]
Willie Shoemaker
The Golden Gate Fields Winners Circle is named for Willie Shoemaker, commemorating his first win there at age 18. He became the nation’s leading rider for 41 years, from 1949-1990, with 8,833 wins. Shoemaker won every major race in the country, including the Kentucky Derby four times, as well as multiple stake races at Golden […]
Johnny “The Pumper” Longden
Johnny Longden rode in and won his first race at Bay Meadows race track in 1935. He was the winner of the first Golden Gate Handicap at Golden Gate Fields in 1947 and won 10 of the first 17 runnings of the Handicap. He won the Triple Crown in 1943 on Count Fleet. In 1978, […]