Earl Dew
Encyclopedia
Earl Dew was an American Champion
jockey
in the sport of Thoroughbred
horse racing
who was being hailed as one of the most promising riders of his generation when he died at age nineteen as a result of a racing accident.
Earl Dew was born in Sac City, Iowa
, the son of Mable Hass and her husband, John Dew. His father raced horses in the Midwestern United States
and Earl learned to ride at an early age. He began his professional career in 1937 and by 1938 was making a name for himself when he competed at tracks such as Sportsman's Park
in Chicago
. Later that year, Earl Dew was the leading rider at Fair Grounds Race Course
in New Orleans until he was sidelined with a broken leg as a result of a November 29 racing accident. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40616FF3A551B7A93CBAB178AD95F4C8385F9 In 1939, Earl Dew rode at Santa Anita Park
, Bay Meadows and Tanforan
in California
, plus at Agua Caliente Racetrack
in Tijuana, Mexico.
n racing fans when he and fellow 19-year-old jockey Walter Lee Taylor battled for that year's riding title and were tied with two days left on the calendar. In what the New York Times described as the "Transcontinental Struggle for American Championship," Dew was competing at Agua Caliente Racetrack
in Tijuana, Mexico and Taylor at Tropical Park Race Track
in Coral Gables, Florida
. On the final day, Earl Dew captured the 1940 national championship with 287 wins, one more than his opponent who had been injured in a fall during the same day. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20C17FA3E5F167B93C3A9178AD85F458485F9
The January 16, 1941 Los Angeles Times
reported that Earl Dew said the best horse he rode in 1940 was Mioland
, a colt bred and raced that year by Oregon
Senator H. W. Ray.
On January 7, 1941, Iowa native sons Earl Dew and baseball
star Bob Feller
were honored at ceremonies in the state capital of Des Moines
. On February 2, Dew was at the Agua Caliente Racetrack for a gold watch presentation in recognition of his 1940 jockey's championship clinched at that track. He was riding in the sixth race when he was involved in a three-horse accident and died of a cerebral hemorrhage resulting from a fractured skull while enroute to hospital. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F0061FFD3F5E167B93C1A91789D85F458485F9 On March 3 a special ceremony was held in his memory at Santa Anita Park
. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/467088512.html?dids=467088512:467088512&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&date=Feb+14%2C+1941&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=SANTA+ANITA+TO+HONOR+MEMORY+OF+JOCKEY+DEW.&pqatl=google
Earl dew is buried in the Cory Grove Cemetery in his hometown of Sac City, Iowa.http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7369396
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:...
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:...
in the sport of Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
who was being hailed as one of the most promising riders of his generation when he died at age nineteen as a result of a racing accident.
Earl Dew was born in Sac City, Iowa
Sac City, Iowa
Sac City is a city in and the county seat of Sac County, Iowa, United States, located in the rolling hills along the valley of the North Raccoon River, in one of America's prime agricultural regions. U.S. Route 20 bisects the city, forming its Main Street, and the city is one of 45 designated Main...
, the son of Mable Hass and her husband, John Dew. His father raced horses in the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
and Earl learned to ride at an early age. He began his professional career in 1937 and by 1938 was making a name for himself when he competed at tracks such as Sportsman's Park
Chicago Motor Speedway
The Chicago Motor Speedway at Sportsman's Park located in Cicero, Illinois, just outside of Chicago, was built in 1999 by a group including Chip Ganassi, owner of Chip Ganassi Racing. In 2002 the oval shaped track suspended operations due to financial conditions in the motorsports industry. The...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Later that year, Earl Dew was the leading rider at 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 until he was sidelined with a broken leg as a result of a November 29 racing accident. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40616FF3A551B7A93CBAB178AD95F4C8385F9 In 1939, Earl Dew rode at Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
, Bay Meadows and Tanforan
Tanforan Racetrack
Tanforan Racetrack in San Bruno, California was a thoroughbred horse racing facility that operated from September 4, 1899 to July 31, 1964. Tanforan was constructed to serve a clientele from the nearby city of San Francisco. The facility was named after Toribio Tanforan, the grandson-in-law of Jose...
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...
, plus 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.
Championship year
During 1940 Earl Dew captivated North AmericaNorth 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 racing fans when he and fellow 19-year-old jockey Walter Lee Taylor battled for that year's riding title and were tied with two days left on the calendar. In what the New York Times described as the "Transcontinental Struggle for American Championship," Dew was competing 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 and Taylor at Tropical Park Race Track
Tropical Park Race Track
Tropical Park Race Track was a horse racing facility built on at the current intersection of Bird Road and the Palmetto Expressway in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in what is now the neighborhood of Olympia Heights. The race track was built by Bill Dwyer, a prohibition era bootlegger, and Frank...
in Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is home to the University of Miami....
. On the final day, Earl Dew captured the 1940 national championship with 287 wins, one more than his opponent who had been injured in a fall during the same day. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20C17FA3E5F167B93C3A9178AD85F458485F9
The January 16, 1941 Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reported that Earl Dew said the best horse he rode in 1940 was Mioland
Mioland
Mioland was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred in Oregon by H. W. Ray, he was out of the mare Iolanda. His German-born sire was Mio D'Arezzo, a winner of the Deutsches St...
, a colt bred and raced that year by Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
Senator H. W. Ray.
On January 7, 1941, Iowa native sons Earl Dew and baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
star Bob Feller
Bob Feller
On December 8, 1941, Feller enlisted in the Navy, volunteering immediately for combat service, becoming the first Major League Baseball player to do so following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7. Feller served as Gun Captain aboard the USS Alabama, and missed four seasons during his service...
were honored at ceremonies in the state capital of Des Moines
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
. On February 2, Dew was at the Agua Caliente Racetrack for a gold watch presentation in recognition of his 1940 jockey's championship clinched at that track. He was riding in the sixth race when he was involved in a three-horse accident and died of a cerebral hemorrhage resulting from a fractured skull while enroute to hospital. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F0061FFD3F5E167B93C1A91789D85F458485F9 On March 3 a special ceremony was held in his memory at Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/467088512.html?dids=467088512:467088512&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&date=Feb+14%2C+1941&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=SANTA+ANITA+TO+HONOR+MEMORY+OF+JOCKEY+DEW.&pqatl=google
Earl dew is buried in the Cory Grove Cemetery in his hometown of Sac City, Iowa.http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7369396