Chick Lang
Encyclopedia
Charles John "Chick" Lang (July, 1905 - June 14, 1947) 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.
Born in Hamilton, Ontario
, the son of Emma and Charles Percival Lang, he was almost always known by the nickname "Chick." At age fifteen he began riding locally until American racing stable owner James Arthur recognized his potential and signed him to a contract to compete at major racetracks in the United States. He made his American debut at the Havre de Grace Racetrack
in Maryland
in April 1921 and went on to overcome the long lead held by Benny Marinelli
to become the leading rider in the United States
in 1921 with 192 wins. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9B00E2DF1F3CE533A25754C1A9639C946395D6CF http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9cYaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uEkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3420,5308839&dq=chick-lang&hl=en In 1922, Lang picked up where he left off, winning eighteen races in the first nine racing days in January at the Fair Grounds Race Course
in New Orleans. On January 11 he won four of the seven races run. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C06E0DF1E3FE432A25751C1A9679C946395D6CF The January 30, 1922 edition of the Pittsburgh Press
newspaper wrote that "Many racing experts credit Lang with being the best jockey since Tod Sloan
." This high accolade came at a time when Lang was competing against racing greats such as Earl Sande
, Jimmy Butwell
, Laverne Fator
, Clarence Kummer
, Linus McAtee and Ivan Parke, among others. When the New Orleans racing season ended, Lang headed north to compete at Pimlico Race Course
and Havre de Grace in Maryland, Jamaica Racetrack
, Saratoga Race Course
, Aqueduct Racetrack
and Belmont Park
in New York.
In May 1922, oil
baron and stable owner Joshua Cosden purchased Chick Lang's contract for a record US
$25,000. The seventeen-year-old Lang finished 1922 with 186 wins, just one win behind Mark Fator who won the U.S. riding title with 187. The final day of 1922 fell on a Sunday and Lang, who had a two-win lead, did not race while Fator won three races at Agua Caliente Racetrack
in Tijuana, Mexico. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50616F83C5513738DDDA80894D9405B838EF1D3
on James C. Fletcher's filly
, Fairbank. Three years later, he won the 54th running of the Kentucky Derby
with Reigh Count
who was owned by Mrs. Fannie Hertz
.
After years battling weight gain
, Chick Lang retired as a rider at the end of July in 1929 http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F6091FFF3A5C177A93C4A81783D85F4D8285F9 http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HwkuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AtoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6137,6768765&dq=chick+lang&hl=en but remained in the industry as a trainer. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F6091FFF3A5C177A93C4A81783D85F4D8285F9 He conditioned horses at racetracks in Florida
in the winter and went north to race in the summer months. He trained horses at Delaware Park Racetrack each year after the facility opened in 1937.
. The couple had a daughter and a son. Chick Lang, Jr. was involved in the sport of horse racing. He gained wide respect for the job he did during the twenty-seven years he served as general manager of Pimlico Race Course
. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ci8zAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Z6UEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6152,5967544&dq=chick+lang&hl=en
Following a lengthy Illness, Chick Lang died on June 14, 1947 at age forty-one in Wilmington, Delaware
where he had been training at Delaware Park. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-wctAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fdUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5993,4617757&dq=chick+lang&hl=en
Chick Lang was inducted in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1990.
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:...
who became a Champion rider in the United States and who won the most prestigious Thoroughbred horse race
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...
of both countries.
Born in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, the son of Emma and Charles Percival Lang, he was almost always known by the nickname "Chick." At age fifteen he began riding locally until American racing stable owner James Arthur recognized his potential and signed him to a contract to compete at major racetracks in the United States. He made his American debut at the Havre de Grace Racetrack
Havre de Grace Racetrack
The Havre de Grace Racetrack was an American horse racing track on Post Road in Havre de Grace, Harford County, Maryland which operated from August 24, 1912 to 1950...
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
in April 1921 and went on to overcome the long lead held by Benny Marinelli
Benny Marinelli
Benny Marinelli was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey best known for winning the Classic Preakness Stakes in 1923.Born in Newark, New Jersey,...
to become the leading rider in the United States
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 192 wins. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9B00E2DF1F3CE533A25754C1A9639C946395D6CF http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9cYaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uEkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3420,5308839&dq=chick-lang&hl=en In 1922, Lang picked up where he left off, winning eighteen races in the first nine racing days in January at the Fair Grounds Race Course
Fair Grounds Race Course
Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC....
in New Orleans. On January 11 he won four of the seven races run. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C06E0DF1E3FE432A25751C1A9679C946395D6CF The January 30, 1922 edition of the Pittsburgh Press
Pittsburgh Press
The Pittsburgh Press is an online newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, currently owned and operated by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Historically, it was a major afternoon paper...
newspaper wrote that "Many racing experts credit Lang with being the best jockey since Tod Sloan
Tod Sloan (jockey)
James Forman "Tod" Sloan was an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He was elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1955.-Early life and U.S. racing career:...
." This high accolade came at a time when Lang was competing against racing greats such as Earl Sande
Earl Sande
Earl H. Sande was an American Hall of Fame jockey and thoroughbred horse trainer.Born in Groton, South Dakota, Earl Sande started out as a bronco buster in the early 1900s but then became a successful American quarter horse rider before switching to thoroughbred horse racing in 1918...
, Jimmy Butwell
James H. Butwell
James H. "Jimmy" Butwell was an American Racing Hall of Fame jockey. His birth year placed at the Family Search.org website states it as 1896...
, Laverne Fator
Laverne Fator
Laverne Fator was an American Hall of Fame jockey.Born in Hailey, Idaho, Laverne Fator and his brothers Mark and Elmer all became jockeys. The most successful of the three, Laverne Fator's riding career began at small bush tracks in the Western United States. His first major win came in 1918 at...
, Clarence Kummer
Clarence Kummer
Clarence Kummer was a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey who won four American Classic Races.In early 1920, Kummer rode the 1919 Triple Crown Champion Sir Barton to a new Saratoga track record in winning the Saratoga Handicap. In May 1920 he was given the opportunity to ride Man o' War after Johnny...
, Linus McAtee and Ivan Parke, among others. When the New Orleans racing season ended, Lang headed north to compete at Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
and Havre de Grace in Maryland, 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...
, 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...
, Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
and Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
in New York.
In May 1922, oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
baron and stable owner Joshua Cosden purchased Chick Lang's contract for a record US
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$25,000. The seventeen-year-old Lang finished 1922 with 186 wins, just one win behind Mark Fator who won the U.S. riding title with 187. The final day of 1922 fell on a Sunday and Lang, who had a two-win lead, did not race while Fator won three races at 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, Mexico. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50616F83C5513738DDDA80894D9405B838EF1D3
North American Classic wins
In 1925, Chick Lang won the 66th running of the King's PlateQueen's Plate
The Queen's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race. It is run at a distance of 1¼ miles for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer in June or July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke , Ontario...
on James C. Fletcher's filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
, Fairbank. Three years later, he won the 54th running of 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...
with Reigh Count
Reigh Count
Reigh Count was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1928 Kentucky Derby and the 1929 Coronation Cup in England....
who was owned by Mrs. Fannie Hertz
John D. Hertz
John Daniel Hertz, Sr. was an American businessman, thoroughbred racehorse owner, and philanthropist.-Biography:...
.
After years battling weight gain
Weight gain
Weight gain is an increase in body weight. This can be either an increase in muscle mass, fat deposits, or excess fluids such as water.-Description:...
, Chick Lang retired as a rider at the end of July in 1929 http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F6091FFF3A5C177A93C4A81783D85F4D8285F9 http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HwkuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AtoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6137,6768765&dq=chick+lang&hl=en but remained in the industry as a trainer. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F6091FFF3A5C177A93C4A81783D85F4D8285F9 He conditioned horses at racetracks in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in the winter and went north to race in the summer months. He trained horses at Delaware Park Racetrack each year after the facility opened in 1937.
Family
Chick Lang married Virginia Mayberry, the daughter of trainer John P. Mayberry who won 1903 Kentucky Derby with Judge HimesJudge Himes
Judge Himes was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that was foaled in Kentucky and was the winner of the 1903 Kentucky Derby. Judge Himes was a chestnut colt sired by imported Esher out of the mare Lullaby...
. The couple had a daughter and a son. Chick Lang, Jr. was involved in the sport of horse racing. He gained wide respect for the job he did during the twenty-seven years he served as general manager of Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ci8zAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Z6UEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6152,5967544&dq=chick+lang&hl=en
Following a lengthy Illness, Chick Lang died on June 14, 1947 at age forty-one in Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
where he had been training at Delaware Park. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-wctAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fdUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5993,4617757&dq=chick+lang&hl=en
Chick Lang was inducted in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1990.