Jim McLaughlin
Encyclopedia
James "Jim" McLaughlin (February 12, 1861 - January 19, 1927) was an American
thoroughbred
race horse jockey
.
Orphaned and homeless in his early teens, McLaughlin was taken in by horse trainer
William Daly who taught him how to ride. While individual statistics from all of McLaughlin's career races aren't documented, McLaughlin began his career riding in Tennessee in the late 1870s. Records show that he first competed in the Kentucky Derby
in 1880 for the Dwyer Brothers Stable
with trainer James G. Rowe, Sr.. The following year the team won the race on the future Hall of Fame horse, Hindoo
. McLaughlin finished second in the 1882 Derby and fifth in 1884.
The horse he claimed was the best he'd ever ridden was Luke Blackburn
. (Cited from the online Hall of Fame.)
Jim McLaughlin won the 1885 Preakness Stakes
riding Tecumseh but finished third with the horse in the Belmont Stakes
. He rode three consecutive Belmont Stakes winners on two separate occasions, claiming victory six out of seven years. He won the race in 1882, 1883, and 1884 then finished third in 1885 and won then next three in 1886, 1887, and 1888. The last five of his Belmont winners were all for the Dwyer Brothers. McLaughlin's six Belmont wins still stands as the most for any jockey and is shared with Eddie Arcaro
who won his sixth in 1955.
McLaughlin won more races than any jockey in the United States four consecutive times from 1884 through 1887. He rode in his last races in 1892 after which he worked for a time as a trainer and as a racetrack official.
Jim McLaughlin died in 1927 a few weeks short of his sixty-sixth birthday. On its formation in 1955, he was posthumously inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
race horse 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:...
.
Orphaned and homeless in his early teens, McLaughlin was taken in by horse 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...
William Daly who taught him how to ride. While individual statistics from all of McLaughlin's career races aren't documented, McLaughlin began his career riding in Tennessee in the late 1870s. Records show that he first competed 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...
in 1880 for the Dwyer Brothers Stable
Dwyer Brothers Stable
Dwyer Brothers Stable was an American thoroughbred horse racing operation owned by Brooklyn, New York businessmen, Phil and Mike Dwyer.The Dwyer brothers hired trainer Evert Snedecker and purchased their first Thoroughbred, Rhadamanthus, in 1874. In October of that same year they acquired Vigil...
with trainer James G. Rowe, Sr.. The following year the team won the race on the future Hall of Fame horse, Hindoo
Hindoo (horse)
Hindoo was an outstanding American Thoroughbred race horse who won 30 of his 35 starts, including the Kentucky Derby, the Travers Stakes and the Clark Handicap. He later sired the Preakness Stakes winner Buddhist and the Belmont Stakes winner and Leading sire in North America, Hanover.He was a bay...
. McLaughlin finished second in the 1882 Derby and fifth in 1884.
The horse he claimed was the best he'd ever ridden was Luke Blackburn
Luke Blackburn (horse)
Luke Blackburn was a Thoroughbred race horse born and bred in Tennessee by Capt. James Franklin.-Background:Sired by Bonnie Scotland, his dam was Nevada out of perhaps the most influential stallion America ever produced, the great Lexington. A bay foal, he was sold at two to Capt. Jim Williams...
. (Cited from the online Hall of Fame.)
Jim McLaughlin won the 1885 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...
riding Tecumseh but finished third with the horse in the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
. He rode three consecutive Belmont Stakes winners on two separate occasions, claiming victory six out of seven years. He won the race in 1882, 1883, and 1884 then finished third in 1885 and won then next three in 1886, 1887, and 1888. The last five of his Belmont winners were all for the Dwyer Brothers. McLaughlin's six Belmont wins still stands as the most for any jockey and is shared with Eddie Arcaro
Eddie Arcaro
George Edward Arcaro , known professionally as Eddie Arcaro, was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Triple Crown twice...
who won his sixth in 1955.
McLaughlin won more races than any jockey in the United States four consecutive times from 1884 through 1887. He rode in his last races in 1892 after which he worked for a time as a trainer and as a racetrack official.
Jim McLaughlin died in 1927 a few weeks short of his sixty-sixth birthday. On its formation in 1955, he was posthumously inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
.