Benny Marinelli
Encyclopedia
Benny Marinelli was an American Thoroughbred horse racing
jockey
best known for winning the Classic
Preakness Stakes
in 1923.
Born in Newark, New Jersey
,
Benny Marinelli was working as a shipyard
laborer when a friend suggested his small stature meant he might be able to be make it as a jockey. Marinelli eventually decided to explore the possibility and took a job as a stable hand. After learning to ride, he embarked on a professional riding career in 1920. He rode on the east coast then went to compete at the winter meet at the Agua Caliente Racetrack
in Tijuana
, Mexico
where he met with great success. The following year, Benny Marinelli finished second to Chick Lang
for most wins by a United States jockey
in 1921 with 118. In 1923, Marinelli won the Preakness Stakes
aboard Walter J. Salmon's colt, Vigil
and finished third in the Kentucky Derby
. That same year, for owner Richard Thornton Wilson, Jr.
, he also guided Wilderness to victory in the prestigious Travers Stakes
at Saratoga Race Course
.
On May 8, 1925, Benny Marinelli was severely injured in a racing accident at Jamaica Racetrack
in Jamaica, New York
. He suffered a fractured skull and was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica where on the following Tuesday, the New York Times reported that doctors had given up on him, saying he "had practically no chance of recovery." After remaining in a coma for ten days, Marinelli regained consciousness and eventually was able to return to racing. However, in The Miami News
report on his death, the newspaper said that during the two plus years after his accident he "had had many mental lapses since."
Separated from his wife for two years, and having difficulty returning to peak riding form, on October 24, 1927 a despondent Benny Marinelli checked into a New York City
rooming house where he took his own life by inhaling gas
. He was buried in his native Newark, New Jersey. In their reports on his death, the Reading Eagle
newspaper wrote that Marinelli was twenty-five years old, but the Miami News said he was twenty-four.
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
best known for winning the Classic
Classic
The word classic means something that is a perfect example of a particular style, something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality. The word can be an adjective or a noun . It denotes a particular quality in art, architecture, literature and other cultural artifacts...
Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
in 1923.
Born in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
,
Benny Marinelli was working as a shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
laborer when a friend suggested his small stature meant he might be able to be make it as a jockey. Marinelli eventually decided to explore the possibility and took a job as a stable hand. After learning to ride, he embarked on a professional riding career in 1920. He rode on the east coast then went to compete at the winter meet at the Agua Caliente Racetrack
Agua Caliente Racetrack
The Agua Caliente Racetrack is a greyhound racing and former horse racing track in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. It opened in December 1929 at a cost of $2.5 million.One year before, the Agua Caliente Casino and Hotel opened in June 1928....
in Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
where he met with great success. The following year, Benny Marinelli finished second to Chick Lang
Chick Lang
Charles John "Chick" Lang was a Canadian Hall of Fame jockey who became a Champion rider in the United States and who won the most prestigious Thoroughbred horse race of both countries....
for most wins by a United States jockey
United States Champion Jockey by wins
There is no formal championship award given to the jockey who won the most races in United States Thoroughbred racing. However, it is a prestigious accomplishment always on any jockey's resumé and widely reported on by the various media.-Milestones:...
in 1921 with 118. In 1923, Marinelli won the Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
aboard Walter J. Salmon's colt, Vigil
Vigil II
Vigil was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1923 Preakness Stakes in a performance the Los Angeles Times called "the most brilliant victory in the history of the Preakness."...
and finished third in the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
. That same year, for owner Richard Thornton Wilson, Jr.
Richard Thornton Wilson, Jr.
Richard Thornton Wilson, Jr. was an American banker and businessman who was a prominent figure in Thoroughbred horse racing in the early decades of the 20th Century....
, he also guided Wilderness to victory in the prestigious Travers Stakes
Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.First held in 1864, it was named for William R. Travers, the president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. His horse, Kentucky, won the first running of the Travers...
at Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
.
On May 8, 1925, Benny Marinelli was severely injured in a racing accident at Jamaica Racetrack
Jamaica Racetrack
Jamaica Race Course was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club in Jamaica, New York. The track opened on April 27, 1903, a day which featured the inaugural running of the Excelsior Handicap. Eugene D. Wood, one of the founders and largest...
in Jamaica, New York
Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...
. He suffered a fractured skull and was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica where on the following Tuesday, the New York Times reported that doctors had given up on him, saying he "had practically no chance of recovery." After remaining in a coma for ten days, Marinelli regained consciousness and eventually was able to return to racing. However, in The Miami News
The Miami News
The Miami News was the dominant evening newspaper in Miami, Florida for most of the 20th century, its chief concurrent competitor being the morning-edition of The Miami Herald. The paper started publishing in May 1896 as a weekly called The Miami Metropolis. The Metropolis had become a daily paper...
report on his death, the newspaper said that during the two plus years after his accident he "had had many mental lapses since."
Separated from his wife for two years, and having difficulty returning to peak riding form, on October 24, 1927 a despondent Benny Marinelli checked into a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
rooming house where he took his own life by inhaling gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
. He was buried in his native Newark, New Jersey. In their reports on his death, the Reading Eagle
Reading Eagle
The Reading Eagle is the major daily newspaper in Reading, Pennsylvania, in the United States. This family-owned newspaper has a daily circulation of 64,000 and a Sunday circulation of 100,000...
newspaper wrote that Marinelli was twenty-five years old, but the Miami News said he was twenty-four.