David A. Gall
Encyclopedia
David Allen Gall is a retired Thoroughbred horse racing
Hall of Fame
jockey
who, as of June 2009, ranks fifth in lifetime wins by North America
n jockeys, and who was the first jockey in the United States to ride eight winners on a single racecard.
Gall began his career riding at tracks in Regina, Saskatchewan
, Edmonton and Calgary
in Alberta
, and Winnipeg, Manitoba before going to the Hastings Racecourse
in Vancouver, British Columbia. He would follow the path of other Canadian jockeys like George Woolf
and Johnny Longden
and head south to tracks in California
. Eventually he made his way to Illinois
where, dubbed "The General" by fans and the media, he would dominate racing at Fairmount Park Racetrack
and Cahokia Downs
.
During a forty-three year career, David Gall was a two-time winner of the United States national riding title
, winning more races than any other rider in 1979 and 1981. On October 18, 1978 he won eight races on a single racecard at Cahokia Downs http://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/17/sports/jockey-rides-7-winners.html and won seven races on five occasions. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4404212.html
In 1993, David Gall was inducted in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
. In 1996 he was the recipient of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award
, given annually to a jockey who is Canadian-born, Canadian-raised, or a regular in the country for more than five years, who has made significant contributions to the sport.
David Gall retired from riding on September 18, 1999, ranked fourth all-time among jockeys for races won in the history of American Thoroughbred racing with 7,396 victories from 41,709 mounts. He has remained in the industry as a trainer
/owner
and in 2009 is competing at Fairmount Park.
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...
Hall of Fame
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and thoroughbred horse racing in Canada....
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:...
who, as of June 2009, ranks fifth in lifetime wins by North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n jockeys, and who was the first jockey in the United States to ride eight winners on a single racecard.
Gall began his career riding at tracks in Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, Edmonton and Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, and Winnipeg, Manitoba before going to the Hastings Racecourse
Hastings Racecourse
Hastings Racecourse is a horse racing facility at Hastings Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Originally called East Park, it opened for business in 1889...
in Vancouver, British Columbia. He would follow the path of other Canadian jockeys like George Woolf
George Woolf
George Monroe Woolf , nicknamed "The Ice Man", was a Canadian-born thoroughbred race horse jockey and the namesake of the annual jockey's award given by the United States Jockeys' Guild....
and Johnny Longden
Johnny Longden
John Eric Longden was an American Hall of Fame jockey. He was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England but his father wanted to build a better life for his family so in 1909 emigrated to Canada, settling in Taber, Alberta. By 1912 Longden Sr. had saved enough money to send for his wife and young son...
and head south to tracks in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Eventually he made his way to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
where, dubbed "The General" by fans and the media, he would dominate racing at Fairmount Park Racetrack
Fairmount Park Racetrack
Fairmount Park Racetrack is a horse racing track in Collinsville, Illinois, a part of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The track hosts Thoroughbred flat racing. It is one of five horse racing venues currently active in Illinois, and the only one outside the Chicago, Illinois metro area...
and Cahokia Downs
Cahokia Downs
Cahokia Downs was an American horse racing track located on Highway 15 near the town of Alorton, St. Clair County, Illinois. Run by the East St. Louis Jockey Club, the facility opened in 1954 and hosted both Standardbred harness racing and Thoroughbred flat racing events.At Cahokia Downs on October...
.
During a forty-three year career, David Gall was a two-time winner of the United States national riding title
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:...
, winning more races than any other rider in 1979 and 1981. On October 18, 1978 he won eight races on a single racecard at Cahokia Downs http://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/17/sports/jockey-rides-7-winners.html and won seven races on five occasions. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4404212.html
In 1993, David Gall was inducted in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and thoroughbred horse racing in Canada....
. In 1996 he was the recipient of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award
Avelino Gomez Memorial Award
The Avelino Gomez Memorial Award is a Canadian thoroughbred horse racing honor given annually to a jockey who is Canadian-born, Canadian-raised, or a regular in the country for more than five years, who has made significant contributions to the sport...
, given annually to a jockey who is Canadian-born, Canadian-raised, or a regular in the country for more than five years, who has made significant contributions to the sport.
David Gall retired from riding on September 18, 1999, ranked fourth all-time among jockeys for races won in the history of American Thoroughbred racing with 7,396 victories from 41,709 mounts. He has remained in the industry as a trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
/owner
Ownership
Ownership is the state or fact of exclusive rights and control over property, which may be an object, land/real estate or intellectual property. Ownership involves multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different parties. The concept of ownership has...
and in 2009 is competing at Fairmount Park.